PARTNERSHIP: BURKE & COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

January 16, 2007: A change of venue brought the club to the beautiful new Burke High School, located adjacent to The Citadel campus. Our host was Principal Charles Benton who extended greetings and invited all to a student play, “You the Jury” to be held Jan. 20th at 8 PM and Jan. 21st at 4 PM.

Supt. Maria Goodloe-Johnson then introduced Dean Fran Welch of the School of Education at the College of Charleston who told that when Burke was in danger of being taken over by the state, The College of Charleston, joined by 35 partners, stepped in to retain local control. Three teams are now working side by side, college and school: Teacher/Learning is headed by Juanita Middleton; Teacher-Coach at Burke High School; Community Outreach is headed by Dr. Andrew Lewis, professor of Physical Education at the college; Research Team is headed by Dr. Steven Thomas, formally professor at UCSC.

Coach Middleton told that the Teacher/Learning strand focuses on English, Math, Science and Social Studies, with study groups that include teachers, students, and parents in each area. Advanced Placement classes have been established in History, English and Calculus.

A locally prepared video presentation featured teachers from the college and the high school telling of their goals and inspirations for the success of the program. With a fusion of faculty, students parents and community a true partnership exists.

Submitted by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee