SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT:  BONHAM ELEMENTARY

Over the summer, your editor got a chance to sit down one on one with Bonham’s new principal Daphne Carter.  The first thing you can’t help noticing about Mrs. Carter is her enthusiasm – she’s enthusiastic about her school, her kids and her community.  She comes to us from Hamilton Middle School where she was the Vanguard Dean.  Although Mrs. Carter has been at Bohnam since March, this is her first full school year and she’s got great ideas and great new programs and was excited to share it with us.

2006 welcomed the kids back with a “fresh” school – new wiring, new paint, some new furniture and a new covered basketball area.  Bonham has the largest number of students of any elementary school in HISD with 1,345 students this year.  Because of this large population, Bonham has many temporary buildings (T-buildings).  This is a criticism leveled at HISD in general, but Mrs. Carter is turning this into a positive.  She’s set up “learning communities” and has charged each one to create a “habitat” in the spaces around the buildings.  Each group will come up with a project – butterfly garden, water garden, vegetable garden, etc.  The children will study about their chosen habitat, plan it and build it.  They will be looking for volunteers and sponsors to help with this project.

Mrs. Carter’s idea is to make her school part of the community and empower her students to take pride in their community and give the students tools and vision to move up into the world.  She feels that this starts by allowing the students to see the world – no more blocking the windows!

Academics are key to success, and Mrs. Carter is being innovative in those as well.  To facilitate more teacher collaboration and making great ideas into great reality, Fridays will be early student dismissal days.  Each student has an individual learning plan, including information on how each child learns best (visual, hearing, tactile, etc.).  The school has created “learning kits” that students can check out and work on with parent assistance at home to master subjects.  They also offer adult GED and ESL classes at night.

Part of building a well rounded student includes activities.  Yearbook and Journalism classes are coming as well as a fine arts initiative (music, dance, art, band).  Last year, they surveyed students about what activities they wanted to have – they asked for Home Economics type classes and sports.  But Mrs. Carter isn’t satisfied with just having basketball classes – she wants to be able to have “camp” after school – where the students do homework, then learn basketball, have dinner and then are dropped off at home.  She believes that kids tired from a long, hard day at school are too tired to go out and cause trouble.  I think she might just have something there!

Other plans in the works include reestablishing the PTO and business partnerships.  She’s also starting a monthly “Breakfast with the Principal” and is encouraging community members to come and hear what’s going on and voice any great ideas or concerns to her.  She’s also turning her campus into a welcoming one for parents and volunteers.  Due to space limitations, there is no parent room on campus, but each of the three Deans has a T-building and has been instructed to set it up to accommodate their parents who come to help.  They are looking for help and support from us in the community – there’s no question that Bohnam is a worthwhile place to invest.