Sept. 01--At the county's two new high schools, students have lunch breaks with a twist.
Students at Corinth Holders and Cleveland spend half of their lunch hour getting extra help from teachers, playing intramural sports and engaging in clubs. The program, known as Students Maximizing Achievement Through Resources and Time, or SMART, allows kids to get involved without having to stay after school.
After the buses leave Corinth Holders High in the afternoon, it can be hard for students to find a way home from the rural school, said principal Ross Renfrow. That's especially true in the school's first year, he said. Corinth Holders and Cleveland have only ninth and 10th-graders this year, so most students are too young to drive.
"Usually you have to extend the school day and plug that time in," Renfrow said of typical after-school activities. "This allows us to keep the school day compact."
Renfrow hopes the program, which is used in some Wake County schools, will ensure that students get the tutoring time they need to succeed. "When you do it after school, a lot of times the kids that need it most don't have the chance because they ride the bus home," he said.
Under SMART, students will have to attend at least four tutoring sessions every nine weeks, Renfrow said. As for other extras, he's going to let students decide what clubs they want to form. Intramural sports could include soccer and basketball.
On Aug. 25, the first day of school, 632 students filled the classrooms at Corinth Holders High. Across the county, hundreds more streamed into Cleveland High.
Countywide, 31,031 students attended classes that first day -- 571 more than the first day of school last year.
At Corinth Holders, some students had the high-school jitters.
"I'm scared and nervous," said freshman Sidney Hargadine, 14.
Other students were excited. Nathan Hill, 16, spent his freshman year at Clayton High but now attends Corinth Holders. "I love it here better," Hill said. "It's awesome."
The start of the school year went smoothly at Corinth Holders, Renfrow said. "We could not have scripted a better first day," he said.
At West Clayton Elementary, students and teachers got a surprise when the fire alarm went off around 9 a.m., 10 minutes or so after classes began. A faulty system set off the alarm, said principal Delores Gill.
But students quickly returned to class.
"It's just a new opportunity in this line of work," Gill said. "You just take whatever comes at you."
sarah.nagem@nando.com or 919-829-4758
-----
To see more of The Smithfield Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.smithfieldherald.com/.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Smithfield Herald, N.C.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail services@mctinfoservices.com, or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544).
NASDAQ:RECN,