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Magnets offer themed approach to learning
By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA © St. Petersburg Times, published October 29, 2000 Magnet schools concentrate on a particular area of interest: the arts, music, technology or communications. Children in kindergarten through the fifth grade are offered both a traditional curriculum and opportunities to learn to paint, sing or play musical instruments, dance, work on computers, or create multimedia programs and events.
Magnet schools were originally formed to support desegregation efforts by attracting white students to schools that were once mostly black. As magnet programs matured and proved their success, students of all races and ethnic backgrounds clamored to enroll. PerkinsThis year 771 non-black students applied for 68 openings at the Perkins art magnet. It offers multicultural visual arts, dance, drama and music (including optional instrumental music) to all K-3 students, while older students concentrate on a particular area of the arts. All are taught Spanish daily. The Perkins arts building includes a theater, dance studio, specialty rooms and photo lab. Academic classes reinforce the arts program. Bay PointBay Point's science and technology magnet emphasizes hands-on learning in the physical, earth and life sciences, as well as mathematics, foreign language and technology. The program includes live animal observations, aquarium studies and computer research. Each classroom has at least five computer stations connected to schoolwide servers. A computer lab and some classroom computers allow access to the Internet. "Cafe Ole," the school's Spanish classroom, hosts weekly puppet shows and other events. Students are given the option of wearing uniforms and are encouraged to develop research and problem-solving skills, and to think critically. MelroseThe study of digital arts and mass media technology is the focus of the Melrose magnet program. The curriculum integrates state-of-the-art technology with literary arts, global studies and foreign languages. Through learning based on activities and experiences, students develop an appreciation of other cultures, a strong sense of ethics and etiquette, and a foreign language foundation. The school features a television production studio. Both the Perkins and Melrose magnet programs feature a fully equipped multimedia network with interactive video connections. * * * Perkins prepares children for admission to the Center for the Arts and Communication Studies middle school program at John Hopkins Middle School. So does Melrose. Bay Point elementary magnet students can continue in the science and technology magnet program at Bay Point Middle School. RidgecrestRidgecrest's gifted program is the only full-time gifted program in the county. The curriculum is fast-paced and uses a problem-based learning approach in science and social studies. The program is designed to help students become self-directed learners. Classes are based on need and skill level rather than organized by grade level. If you think your child may be gifted, ask your school to schedule an evaluation. To qualify for the gifted program, students must meet state criteria. Parents of entering first-graders must request gifted evaluation "staffing" before the Dec. 1 deadline to apply for the gifted program. Children entering the second through fifth grades must complete testing before the Dec. 1 application deadline.
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