David L. Walker Elementary School’s report card wasn’t good in recent years.
Principal Nicole Montgomery took over the school and said they had the tools but lacked the interest.
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WATCH HERE"Our students needed to learn in a different way, a different fashion," Montgomery said.
The day starts with a school’s creed, blasted over the PA, modern vibes, composed by one of the teacher’s relatives.
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SIGN UP School starts in July not August, and when we asked what was the secret to bringing up grades they brought us here to the STEM Lab.
"Attention spans are short in children. So it has to be interactive," said Amanda Cortez, STEM teacher.
Cortez says she keeps her kids moving and engaged by doing something. Today it’s printing t-shirts with a school logo, one interactive step before they move on to something more academic.
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"We know. OK, I've got seven more minutes on this one. What's coming up next and we've got the next trick up our sleeve to pull out, put your hands on it, get into it, and you learned it, you sat quietly. Now, show me that, you know," said Cortez.
If it seems a little out there, try these numbers on for size. David Walker's school-wide test scores have risen from failing to as high as you can go.
"I think we came up 34. Yeah. 34 points, so that much. I knew we were gonna be an A, kinda. But to be the top? No, I was like, wow. But I could kind of sense it looking at my teachers and looking at the kids. They wanted it so bad. And they were not willing to settle for a B, they are so hungry," said Montgomery.
"At first I didn't have like good teachers that teach me the correct thing. But then when it started, I started to learn more," said Karina Garcia, a student. "Now that we have like clubs, we get to do so many things like gardening, cooking, and also t-shirt making."
Their school culture is fun. They went on their first field trips, had guest speakers, show pride in their school, and clearly, the numbers show they are learning, even if it meant giving up part of their summer vacation.
