F TOA C. NOW TO A STORY THAT’S POSITIVELY JAX. DUVAL COUNTY SCHOOL STUDENTS PREPARE TO
START LAST MONDAY. ONE SCHOOL
ALREADY HAS REASON TO
CELEBRATE THE EMAIL ABOUT THIS
STORY. AND ALL OF US IN THE
NEWSROOM WERE SO EXCITED FOR
THE STUDENTS. THE EDUCATORS AT
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
ELEMENTARY.
>> THEY RAISE THEIR OVERALL
GRADE FROM AN F TO A C AND AS
JENNIFER WATTS PLANES, NOT
MANY OF THE KIDS EVEN KNOW IT
SINCE THE GRADE WAS RELEASED
AFTER THEY WERE RELEASED FOR
SUMMER. SO CONGRATULATIONS.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WORD ABOUT
THIS TREMENDOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT
HAS ACTUALLY STARTED TO SPREAD
SLOWLY THE LAST FEW WEEKS HERE
ON CAMPUS AT GEORGE WASHINGTON
CARVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
THANKS. IN PART TO A SUMMER
PROGRAM THAT HELPED THE
STUDENTS REMEMBER AND ALSO
PRACTICE WHAT THEY LEARNED
LAST SCHOOL
>> THESE
>> ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
ARE WORKING HARD EVEN DURING
THE SUMMER BREAK FOR ALL,
THEY’RE COMMITTED TO THEIR
STUDIES AND TO HELPING THEIR
SCHOOL 16, 10 YEAR-OLD KENDALL
SAYING BILL IS ONE OF MANY WHO
WORK TO BOOST THE SCHOOLS
OVERALL GRADE FROM AN F TO A C
HE REMEMBERS STUDYING REALLY
HARD FOR THE FSA TESTS.
>> A TEACHERS TOLD US THAT WE
NEED TO PROCESS OF
ELIMINATION. AND IF WE’RE
READING, WE NEED TO GO BACK
INTO TAKES THE FINAL IN 2 AND
WE NEED TO.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: NOT HE
DIDN’T. HE SAYS HIS MATH
TEACHER MADE A HUGE
DIFFERENCE. IT SHE’S A KIND
TEACHING SHE GAVE THE STREETS
WHEN WORK HARD.
>> YOU KNOW, NOT TO SOUND
CHEESY, BUT IT’S IT’S
LITERALLY LIKE RAINBOWS AND
SUNSHINE IN MY ROOM. I THE
STUDENTS ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THE RELATIONSHIPS I HAVE SO
MUCH SUPPORT HERE. TIFFANY’S
GOT TURNED HER CLASSROOM INTO
A FOOTBALL COMPETITION TO HELP
MOTIVATE CANDLE AND HIS
CLASSMATES TO STUDY. AND IT
REALLY PAID OFF. I TOLD
EVERYONE AS SOON AS I CAME
INTO THE BUILDING, HEY, WE DID
IT. WE DID IT PRINCIPAL.
CHARLENE JAMES SAYS TEAMWORK
IS THE REASON THE SCHOOL MADE
SUCH A HUGE IMPROVEMENT.
EVERYONE HAD A ROLE IN MAKING
SURE STUDENTS WERE SUCCESSFUL.
SO WASN’T JUST TEACHERS. IT
WAS EVERYONE IN THIS BUILDING.
THIS SCOTT SAYS HER SECRET IS
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH
HER STUDENTS. FAMILIES. THERE
WAS A REAL DISCONNECT BETWEEN
COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND SO FOR
ME, IN ORDER TO GET THE
STUDENTS TO TRUST ME, TO ASK
QUESTIONS TO REALLY DERSTAND
THAT I WAS HERE TO HELP THEM.
ADD TO BUILD THOSE
RELATIONSHIPS. NOW IS THE NEW
YEAR BEGINS. EVERYONE IS
ANXIOUS TO CAPITALIZE ON THE
SCHOOLS NEWFOUND SUCCESS. MY
GOAL THIS WE WERE 24 POINTS
FROM THAT BE THAT IS MY GOAL.
THIS YEAR. MICHAEL IS LIKE TO
REACH AS HIGH AS I NOT.
THERE’S ALWAYS TELL ME, DO NOT
BLACK ABOUT THE BECAUSE
>> YOU CAN USE IT TO HELP
OTHERS THAT DON’T UNDERSTAND.
REMEMBER, HIS NAME GOING
SOMEWHERE. SO AS FOR TEACHER
TIFFANY SCOTT, SHE SAID HER
GOAL THIS SCHOOL YEAR IS TO
CREATE EVEN MORE RELATIONSHIPS
WITH THE FAMILIES OF HER
STUDENTS AND HER MESSAGE TO
HER STUDENTS IS IT DOESN’T
MATTER WHERE YOU COME FROM OR
WHAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY DOING.
WHAT MATTERS IS WHERE YOU’RE
GOING. JENNIFER WATCH CHANNEL
4, THE LOCAL STATION. AND
HAVING SOMEONE BELIEVE IN YOU,
YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE
EVERYONE’S TO EVERY PERSON IN
THAT SCHOOL’S I CAN EVEN
IMAGINE.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: YOU KNOW,
THE SECRETARIES AND JANITORS,
THE SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS ALL
TALKING ABOUT WHAT THOSE KIDS
CAN DO IN SETTING GOALS FOR
THEM THAT THEY MAYBE DIDN’T
EVEN BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT GOAL
SETTING KNOWING THAT YOU CAN
DO IT FROM AN F TO A C. I
MEAN, THAT IS A GREAT LEAP.
>> AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
WHERE THEY’RE GOING FROM THAT
24 POINTS BE. SO I’M I’M
CALLING IT. IT’S GOING TO BE
THIS YEAR OR AT LEAST A B. CAN
YOU IMAGINE WHAT WE WOULD LOVE
TO BE SITTING HERE THIS TIME
NEXT YEAR SAYING SAY, HEY,
REMEMBER WHEN WE DID THE STORY
ABOUT THAT SCHOOL WHEN THEY
WENT FROM AN F TO A C GUESTS