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Change in Identity Capitol Making Transition From Entity to Boys, Girls Schools

Posted on: Monday, 11 July 2005, 15:01 CDT

Take one local high school that has struggled to meet mandated academic standards. Split the school into two schools - one for girls and one for boys.

What do you get?

Capitol High Pre-College Academy for Boys and Capitol High Pre- College Academy for Girls.

The two schools will likely spend the 2005-06 school year forging a new identity while also trying to maintain valuable links to the community and Capitol's rich athletic tradition.

Both schools will retain the red, white and gold uniforms Capitol has always worn. The schools will share the nickname Lions and practice facilities.

There will be girls on the cheerleading squad for the boys school and a joint band. The students will eat in different shifts in the same cafeteria.

With the exception of Athletic Director Alvin Stewart, who will coordinate sports for both schools, there will be separate teaching/ coaching staffs.

"People have a lot of questions," Capitol Girls Principal Linda Lewis said. "This is going to be something new for all us ... students, teachers and administration.

"We've got workers here every day working on the renovations to the buildings. There will be adjustments. Once the school year gets started and we get into a routine I think it will be fine."

Evidence of change can be seen throughout the inner-city campus. Workers are upgrading Capitol's three existing classroom buildings. Offices and files are being moved for administrators.

Capitol Boys Principal Kurt Green and Lewis are preparing their schools for distinct academic and athletic identities. While Lewis has already completed her faculty and athletic staff with only a few changes, Green's work is ongoing.

The announcement that former Capitol and Tennessee State quarterback Chad Germany is the Capitol Boys football coach, replacing Keith Woods, might be the start of a wave of change.

"My first job is to hire the best teachers I can find," Green said. "And if I can find a qualified math or science teacher who also happens to be a great coach, so be it.

"I wanted to fill the football position first, because it is such an important one. The only other fall sport we have is cross country and we'll have someone in place for that when the time comes. I won't announce any other coaching positions until I have all the faculty positions filled."

Green said he has two math positions, two special education positions and one science teacher post to fill. Green, who served as Capitol's ninth-grade academy assistant principal last year, is waiting on test results that could fill most spots.

Both Green and Lewis talk at length about the honors courses and the partnerships with Southern University and Baton Rouge Community College will allow students to gain college credits. Both principals say smaller enrollment will allow teachers and counselors to better track individual students.

Lewis, who served as Capitol's principal last year, says Capitol Girls will offer honors classes in English, social studies and math. At Capitol Boys, honors classes will be offered in English, math, science and social studies. Green said Capitol Boys will offer AP/ college credit classes in each major area of study.

Being rated an academically unacceptable school is a stigma for any school.

For Capitol, the label it is perplexing because two of its brightest recent athletic stars, basketball players Seimone Augustus and Brandon Bass, excelled academically at LSU.

Bass, who was recently drafted by the New Orleans Hornets, pulled off a rare double play by earning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and SEC Student Athlete of the Year honors.

While leading LSU to two Final Four berths and winning numerous National Player of the Year honors, Augustus was also an honor student. Augustus will earn her bachelor's degree in just three years when she graduates next month.

"Capitol has had outstanding students and those are good examples," Green said about Bass and Augustus. "You can't paint every student with the same brush. We're mandated to improve things."

Meanwhile, other Baton Rouge schools and area sports fans wonder what athletic roles the Capitol schools will fill as Louisiana's first separate boys/girls schools based on academic reform.

The notion of separate schools based on academic goals did not take the Louisiana High School Athletic Association by surprise.

Through its membership in the National Federation of State High School Associations, the LHSAA had learned of similar schools in other parts of the nation. Earlier this year the LHSAA passed basic legislation paving the way for Capitol's move to two schools without having each school go through the classification process.

One twist came when the LHSAA did its two-year classification process in late 2004. Because of a drop in enrollment, Capitol fell from its traditional spot in Class 4A to Class 3A.

Instead of playing against rivals like Istrouma and McKinley for district honors, Capitol was placed in District 8-3A with the likes of Brusly, Parkview Baptist and West Feliciana.

If you count Capitol as two schools, the disrict includes nine teams with Baker and Redemptorist also dropping in classification and Northeast moving up from 2A.

Under the guidelines set by the LHSAA, the two Capitol schools are classified like all-boys and all-girls Catholic schools have been with the enrollment numbers doubled to determine classification placement.

Since both Capitol Boys And Capitol Girls project enrollments of between 250 and 300 students, they fall within the 3A ranks. Drawing classification lines seems simple compared to the other tasks.

"I see this as something that's going to take communication," Stewart said. "It will be important for all the coaches to talk to each other. There will be two coaching staffs, but we'll still need teamwork.

"It's going to be interesting. When I started filling out forms for the coach's clinic later this month I had to do two sets of forms. I'd never really thought of it that way, but that's what it will take."

Germany relishes his role that will also include duties as a computer science teacher, Web master and technical coordinator. Germany, who served as an assistant at his alma mater this past year, has a bachelor's degree in computer science and owned his own computer business in Tennessee for several years.

"The most important thing is academics," Germany said. "I think we can use that to make athletics better.

"When the kids first found out about the change, some of them didn't like it. But they'll do what it takes to play. I think we can motivate them to do better in the classroom. The goal is not just to win, but to build character."

The East Baton Rouge Parish School System might enact a proposal to increase the grade point average requirements to participate in extracurricular activities to 1.7 in January and to 2.0 by 2008.

Germany wants to go higher, suggesting 2.7 as a possibility.

Such talk might scare some prospective student/athletes away. However, the seeds for success might have already been planted.

Germany's football squad has placed first in seven-on-seven football camps at LSU and Grambling. Stewart's Capitol Girls won the 4A state title in basketball last year and should be among the contenders in 3A this time around.

"I expect coach Stewart and the girls to go all the way," Lewis said. "We expect to have success in the classroom and then athletically."

Source: Advocate; Baton Rouge, La.

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