From the Notebook on the opening of the Mastery Charter Smedley Elementary School (1790 Bridge Street):
By 8:30 in the morning on September 1, all of the fourth and fifth graders at the new Mastery Charter Smedley Elementary School in Frankford were assembled in the sweltering cafeteria for a combination PowerPoint presentation and pep rally.
“On the screen, you see a big eraser,” preached Brian McLaughlin, Smedley’s energetic new principal who, at 27, is just a few years removed from a stint as a Teach for America corps members at Stetson Middle School.
“I want you to think of all the things from last year that may not have been things you liked,” said McLaughlin. “We’re going to erase those right now.”
Photo: Benjamin Herold
Taking a breather on the first day back to school.Mastery opened Smedley, Mann, and Harrity Elementary schools on September 1, and Young Scholars Charter School opened Douglass Elementary on August 31. For both, the focus of the weeklong head start is establishing a new school culture and new expectations.
The education of these children is the only hope we have. See this link on the dropout rate in Philadelphia.
