Bloomfield Prep looks to be ‘tie that binds’ Macon community

The organizers of Bloomfield Preparatory Academy have a plan for the school’s dress code that’s as symbolic as it is regulatory.

When students enroll in the school, boys will receive a tie and girls will receive a scarf, which they are expected to wear at all times.

“Once you receive that, you are a part of the Bloomfield Preparatory Academy family, and we will not let you go until you are successful,” said Debra Thomas, chairwoman of the school’s founding board.

The tangible reasons for the dress code are what one would expect. Board members and founder Jason McClendon believe in the connection between students’ taking ownership of their appearance and success in other areas, such as academics and discipline.

“That’s what we want is for our kids to be dressed for success,” board member Ed Judie said.

But the neckties and scarves will also carry some less tangible weight in the school’s mission as well. Each student will ideally be paired with a mentor from the community, part of a larger goal for the school that extends beyond classes and tests.

“The Bloomfield Preparatory Academy is going to be the tie that binds the community of Bloomfield together — together in their desire to see something better for their children and for their future,” Thomas said.

It’s important for each child, particularly in communities such as Bloomfield, to receive a quality education that extends through graduation and prepares them for college or a career, she said. When those opportunities are not provided and a child drops out of school or otherwise falls through the educational cracks, every adult around them could be considered “guilty of neglect,” Thomas said.

That neglect can one day result in shortages of doctors, teachers and other important figures in the community.

“When one child fails, there creates an empty spot somewhere in our future that we’re going to wish that child had realized his hopes and dreams,” Thomas said.

Academic ideas

The board hopes to open the school for the 2017-18 school year with about 350 students in kindergarten through third grade, with plans to expand each year until Bloomfield Prep serves prekindergarten through 12th grade. Starting out with a narrower focus will allow the school’s faculty and staff to take aim at fundamental elements of reading and other subjects.

About half of Bibb County’s students were below reading level in the third, fifth and eighth grades according to the 2015 Georgia Milestones results.

“That is going to give us the ability to really get an anchor in the community by starting off small,” McClendon said. “And then really building them up, spending time with them and being able when the tests count, we will see a dramatic increase than what is in the area now.”

The school would also focus on science, technology, engineering, the arts and math — or STEAM — but those efforts won’t end in the classroom. Students will regularly be taken to locations such as the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base or the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon for some hands-on learning.

“We envision our school as a laboratory in which students are invited in to discover their real potential,” Judie said.

That can be even more important for lower-income communities like Bloomfield. Children in those areas would most benefit from added STEAM opportunities, according to studies by board members including Chinekwu Obidoa, a Mercer University professor who specializes in global health.

“The people, the students, the parents in Bloomfield have waited for a long time for a place like BPA, and I personally think it’s time for their hopes and their desires to be actualized,” Obidoa said.

The school will also seek to use cutting-edge technology, such as iPad applications that allow students in one classroom to scan the dimensions of a real room to be used in math or engineering classes in another part of the school.

“Whatever their problems are, they must integrate technology into the problem solving,” Judie said.

School leaders also hope to have an ambulatory care center on the Bloomfield Prep campus. Besides giving students an opportunity to learn from real-life scenarios when appropriate, the center would also serve as a health care option for the residents of the area.

In addition to offering basic services, the center could refer patients to specialists when necessary, according to board member Dr. Lloyd Harrington.

“All these interventions contribute to the overall health of your population,” Harrington said.

Going through the process

Of course, the school still has to gain the requisite approval to open.

McClendon and Thomas already appeared before the Bibb County school board once, but a misunderstanding over the process led to that petition being declined. Now, they have been part of an update to that charter approval protocol and hope to apply once more.

“We are still looking forward to the local approval,” McClendon said, adding that he was hopeful the “20 pieces of innovation” within the Bloomfield Prep petition would help.

That new procedure for approving and maintaining charter schools is expected to come with a greater deal of scrutiny, both during the petition phase and once the school is potentially approved. Even if that means monthly reports to the school district, Thomas said the added focus on assuring the efficiency of charter schools was a good sign.

“We welcome the scrutiny. It can do nothing but help us to produce a better product for our children,” she said. “I feel like what the board is doing and what Bibb County is doing is making sure that the children are safe, that they are educated and that the folks who come in and open charter schools in our community really have the best interests of our children in mind.”

Thomas and the other leaders were also looking forward to spending an extra year getting ready for the school to open near the intersection of Rocky Creek and Bethesda roads after initially aiming to open for the 2016-17 school year.

If the school is approved, the governing board will then need to find a school leader or principal to handle the day-to-day administration.

Board members said the expectations for that position are high, similar to what the Academy for Classical Education found in Laura Perkins. The Bloomfield Prep principal will need to have a proven track record of experience leading successful schools as well as a working knowledge of the area and the challenges facing the community.

“We believe that Bloomfield Prep students deserve nothing less than perfection as a leader because so much is going to be on the shoulders of the leader,” Thomas said.

That focus on what’s best for the students and the Bloomfield community as a whole is the basis for seeking to open the school.

“Initially what we’d like to first do is something that we haven’t seen done in this community, is to open a charter school that’s going to become a large, solid piece of this community,” Thomas said.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 6:47 PM with the headline "Bloomfield Prep looks to be ‘tie that binds’ Macon community."