[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E751-E752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO PYRAMID ACADEMY IN MEMPHIS, TN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. HAROLD E. FORD, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 1997

  Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to praise the achievements of the 
students, faculty, and the principal of Pyramid Academy in Memphis, TN. 
Pyramid Academy is an alternative school serving teen mothers and 
children with behavioral problems. Most of the students at Pyramid come 
from a world of obstacles and disadvantages. Many of them have been 
thrown off track by poor choices or a lack of direction.
  As its name symbolizes, however, the Pyramid Academy, is giving these 
young men and women the building blocks they need to rise to the top. 
The school administrators transformed the way they educate and 
rehabilitate their students. They moved away from a punitive approach 
toward a holistic one, focusing on dropout prevention, personal 
development, responsible parenting, and achievement. Before this 
transformation, police walked the halls, and in the words of the 
principal, the school was nothing more than ``a holding tank.''
  Those who doubt or question the power of placing high expectations 
and standards on our students, need only look to the example set by 
Pyramid Academy. As evidence, five young ladies from Pyramid Academy 
won first place in the African-American Knowledge Bowl, sponsored by 
the Memphis City Schools. I would like to include the names of the 
Grand Champion Knowledge Bowl team and ask the House of Representatives 
to join me in honoring their achievements: Meisha Harris, Tamika 
Williams, Edwina Jefferson, Cortisa Thomas and Alicia Currie. These 
young women are sources of inspiration for the House of 
Representatives. They are my heroes. I would also like to include, in 
the Congressional Record, a newspaper article chronicling their 
achievement.

[[Page E752]]

              [From the Commercial Appeal, Apr. 17, 1997]

                Alternative School Promotes Achievement

                          (By Regina L. Burns)

       A 25-year Memphis City Schools educator, John White, is 
     finding that expelled and board-suspended students, along 
     with teen parents, can be motivated to achieve using high 
     expectations instead of the police and corporal punishment.
       White, principal at Pyramid Academy for seven years, points 
     to his school's recent championship at the sixth annual 
     African-American Knowledge Bowl as proof of his philosophy.
       ``It just made me feel so good. I was just bubbling up with 
     joy,'' proclaimed White, 53, who pushed for the alternative 
     school's name change from Comprehensive Pupil Services 
     Educational Center.
       The April 7 competition at the National Civil Rights Museum 
     was sponsored by the Memphis City Schools Adolescent 
     Parenting Mental Health Team, said Sherry Hardy, a school 
     social worker in the Adolescent Parenting Program.
       ``The schools that participated are involved in our Rites 
     of Passage effort,'' explained Hardy. The Rites of Passage 
     program is designed to help young African-American men and 
     women with development and responsibilities as they move 
     toward adulthood.
       Dr. Theresa Okwumabus, supervising psychologist for the 
     Adolescent Parenting Mental Health Team, initiated the 
     Knowledge Bowl and the Rites of Passage program. She said, 
     ``The students interacted in a positive way with other 
     children and experienced success in knowing about their 
     culture and their history.''
       Five students from Pyramid Academy helped bring home the 
     trophy. They are 11th-grader Edwina Jefferson, ninth-grader 
     Alicia Currie, 12th-grader Mlesha Harris, ninth-grader 
     Cortisa Thomas and 11th-grader Tamika Williams. Their teacher 
     is Erma Sanders, a social studies instructor.
       The second-place winner is Chickasaw Junior High. 
     Raineshaven Elementary captured third place. Other finalists 
     were Caldwell Elementary, Ida B. Wells Academy and Whitehaven 
     High school, according to Hardy.
       ``I'm an advocate for having an alternative school in every 
     school. When I came here, this was a holding tank. We changed 
     the name. We got rid of the police. We don't need the police. 
     I think it sends the wrong message,'' explained White.
       He said his school has its share of difficulties but they 
     are minimal. Each morning students and faculty gather at a 
     ``daily briefing.''
       ``We reiterate our expectations on a daily basis. We ask 
     any student who feels like rappin', tappin', singing or 
     cursing to come down front. If anyone has had any difficulty, 
     we have someone for them to talk to,'' he said.

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