ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / July 29, 2000

EDGARD – Parents, teachers and school administrators got their first look this week at what a magnet school would mean for the west bank of St.

John the Baptist Parish.

Trying to expand on the success of its other two magnet schools, the St.

John Parish School Board is applying for a grant to get a magnet school on the west bank.

At a Wednesday morning meeting held at West St. John Elementary,assistant superintendent Wilbert Ocmond told about 25 parents what exactly a magnet school is and what is expected of the parents, teachers and students.

“Contrary to popular belief, magnet schools are not for smart or gifted students,” Ocmond told the group of parents and teachers. “They areschools designed to draw all kids who have similar interests.”For example, the Garyville/Mt. Airy magnet school focuses on math andscience while the John L. Ory magnet theme is communications. Theseschools aren’t looking for students who are good in these subjects, but just kids who are interested math, science or communications. Ocmondsaid research has proven students do better if they are studying what they are interested in.

In fact, Ocmond told the group that federal guidelines state that a school cannot get a magnet school grant if there is a grade-point requirement to attend the school.

The magnet school concept was started about 10 years ago by the federal government to stop racial isolation in certain areas. The idea was to haveschools with certain themes that would attract students from other areas.

When Garyville/Mt. Airy applied for a magnet school grant the school was99 percent black. Today, after getting the grant, Garyville/Mt.Airy has apopulation of 51 percent white and 49 percent black students.

The benefits of being in a magnet school are worthwhile, Ocmond told the parents.

“There are more classes, more time spend on studies, more workshops, just more, more, more,” said Ocmond. “As a result you end up withstudents who have better reasoning powers, better self-esteem. Magnetschools build character, and the magnet school theme helps students to make the right choices. They will have the skills to help them in life.”The nine-member West Bank Magnet School Committee has to decide on what theme they want the school to have. This decision must be reachedby September so that the grant writer can start putting together the package to be sent to the federal government.

Magnet school grants run in three-year cycles, and Ocmond hopes to have the grant in place by June or July of next year. The school board will beasking for about $2 million to fund the west bank school.

The only thing the money cannot be used for is construction. An existingbuilding must be used to house the students. This is what will make thewest bank magnet school so unique.

Since the school will be from kindergarten to 12th grade, both West St.

John Elementary and West St. John High School will be housing magnetschool students.

Shelton Smith, principal of West St. John Elementary, told the parentsthat a roof was just installed over the back part of his school and that by next year eight new classrooms will be constructed for the magnet school.

Principal Glenda Gaudet of West St. John High said she would have roomfor the magnet school students.

“We are linking two schools,” said Ocmond. “They will have to cometogether and cooperate. No longer will it be ‘my’ school, but it will be ‘our’school.” Most of the parents were very excited about the concept of getting a magnet school on the west bank of the parish.

Committee member Emelda Washington said, “This is an answer to my prayers to help the children on the west bank.”However, some parents like Ronnie Fiest were a little troubled about the idea of trying to attract white students over to the west bank. The westbank schools are predominately African-American. Fiest wanted to knowif African-American kids would have a chance to get into the new magnet school.

“I feel good about the magnet concept, but I want to know if west bank students will get in,” Fiest said. “I think it is unfair just to get the whitekids over here.”School board member Leroy Mitchell responded, “That is the way the grant is written. But if they don’t come over here, the magnet school will stilloperate.” Mitchell continued. “The main thrust of a magnet school is toimprove the quality of education. If the whites don’t come, it will have noimpact on the magnet grant.”Mitchell said if west bank kids don’t want to go to the magnet school they would be allowed to go to schools on the east bank and the school board would transport them across the river.

Washington told the parents, “The primary goal is a better education for our children. If we are good enough, they will come.”The Rev. Michael Roberson of the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church said,”This is a very hopeful thing for the west bank. This is something that isreally needed.”After the question and answer period the committee sat down and narrowed the field of school themes to three. The first choice isanimation and robotics which emphasizes study of electronics and computer technology. The committee also decided to look a visual andperforming arts theme that stresses drama, dance and fine arts. Finally,the committee chose to look at engineering, which would focus on math and design.

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