New Deans of Culture Committed to Making a Difference at EEVPA

Mr. Toson Knight and I arrived at East English Village Preparatory Academy as Deans of Culture less than two months ago, but already parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators tell us how much progress has been made in transforming the culture in the wake of the huge brawl that occurred earlier in the school year.

As the only school in the District with four Deans of Culture, it is our hope that our model will be replicated throughout all DPSCD High Schools. Each grade level has its own Dean. I’m in charge of the 9th grade, Mr. Knight is Dean for the 11th grade, and Mr. Lonnell Williams and Mr. Kenneth Williams are assigned to the 10th and 12th Grades, respectively.

Our primary role is to create a culture that’s conducive to high academic achievement. Deans of Culture have replaced the old Deans of Students, who were the main disciplinarians. We have continued that function, but we emphasize building relationships with the students. Rather than sit in our offices, we’re in the hallways, the lunchroom, the auditorium – wherever the students are. At the request of the Board of Education, security guards in the buildings are no longer armed, and we must use non-violent methods to ensure that students are orderly and safe.

We rely heavily on restorative practice – a philosophy that promotes repairing the damage that was done to a person and a relationship. When there’s been a conflict between two students, we bring them together in a “circle” with staff members. These circles allow the offender to come into touch with what he/she did and to work to repair the damage, either through an apology or an act of restitution.

The rule is that only one person speaks at a time, without interruption. Often we use a “talking piece,” some object that the speaker holds to remind others not to interrupt. We ask the students “What were you doing? What should you have been doing?” We want to redirect them back to the focus of the school.

If the restorative practice doesn’t work, students who continue to get into fights must be removed from the building and participate online. Our goal is to get students back into the classroom, and usually we’re successful, but not always.

We have also started “Project Manhood” and “Project Womanhood.” The boys and girls in each grade level are assigned different lunch times. While the boys eat, the girls meet with staff in the auditorium to talk for half an hour about whatever issues are on the students’ minds. Then the girls eat, and the boys get to meet. Again, we’re trying to build relationships.

Another program is Each One Reach Some. Staff members are assigned a certain number of students that meet briefly, individually or in a group just to build some trust and develop a rapport. Ultimately this will result in more confident and focused students.

Under the leadership of Principal Marty Bulger, we are helping to build a student led Leadership Council for each grade level, selecting 20-25 students from each grade who will serve as ambassadors for guests who visit the school and who provide input and recommendations on how we as adults might better serve the student body. We are also collaborating with the National Society of Black Engineers to give our students access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professionals and Wayne State University’s C-2 Pipeline, an after-school program that focuses on increasing graduation rates, improving academics, and helping to ensure students are ready for college and career.

Dean Knight and I are proud of the work and the progress that we are making with the students at EEVPA. We have some great students who are excited to learn and grow and excel. It’s a very rewarding experience and as residents of East English Village and MorningSide respectively we have a personal stake in ensuring that EEVPA is truly “The Pride of the Eastside.”