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By COURTNEY CAIRNS PASTOR

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 13, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - A new charter school in Carrollwood envisions a setting where children gather around the "peace table" daily to discuss differences, work through conflicts or recap learning experiences.

With the first day of the county's public schools approaching on Monday, Taylor Peace Academy has been busy preparing its building and teachers for a mission unique to Hillsborough County charter schools.

The academy, a free, public elementary school, centers its curriculum on "peace education," which emphasizes diversity, conflict resolution and valuing others. Parental involvement is also a must, said Taylor Peace board president Felecia Wintons. Once the school is up and running, parents will receive training so messages of respect are consistent between school and home, Wintons said.

"Then we're hoping parents take it to the workplace, then their communities, then their neighborhoods," she said.

Charter schools are publicly funded but run privately, although the county school board must approve them before they can open. The board awarded Taylor Peace a five-year contract in March.

The school planned to open on Busch Boulevard this year and held an open house in Temple Terrace to recruit students. But the lease fell through when the landlord put the building on the market, Wintons said, so organizers looked into other options.

The Broach School was moving out of its single-story building on North Dale Mabry behind Einstein Bros. Bagels. The timing and facility was perfect. Broach was a private school for children who struggled in traditional classrooms, and its building came equipped with dry-erase boards, cubbies and ample bathrooms for students.

Taylor Peace will start small. The school had hoped to enroll 162 children in kindergarten through third grade, adding fourth grade next year and fifth the following year and growing to about 300 students.

But with the move from Busch, the school has only about a third of its projected enrollment signed up, Wintons said. She said the school was advertising and had planned a "Back to School Bash" for last Saturday that it hoped would attract enrolled families and potential students. It has four teachers and an aide hired for now.

Academically, the school will follow a traditional curriculum. But teachers will make the peace theme part of lessons while also helping children relate better to each other.

Teachers prepared for Taylor Peace's debut by working with the Florida Institute for Peace Education and Research. The nonprofit agency, based in Lauderhill, promotes teaching and practicing nonviolence in schools, workplaces and neighborhoods and has written curriculum materials for classroom use.

Surrounded by colorful books called "Gopher Peace" and "To Tell or Not to Tell," two of the institute's co-founders held staff development sessions at Taylor Peace during the first week of August. Bobby Penn and Clarice Johnson talked to the principal and teachers about how to handle discipline and ways to communicate expectations to young children.

Adults often tell children rules but don't teach them, Penn said. They tend to use terms like respect without defining them. But if a child understands that he values his new shoes or video games, a teacher can ask him how he treats those items. If he knows how to treat belongings with respect, he can learn to treat people with respect.

Teachers can put concepts into terms like that and clarify classroom rules: "Because we value each other, we will not call each other names," Penn said. "Because we value each other, we do not hit."

Taylor Peace grew out of an after-school tutoring program the Prevailing Word Worship Center ran. Originally the school was going to be named for the church's nonprofit organization, Cloud of Glory Community Development, but a Hillsborough school board member suggested changing it because it sounded too much like a religious school.

Wintons - who is married to Nathan Taylor, the school's executive director and church's pastor - said the charter school is not tied to a religion but will teach morals and values.

Rather than teaching Bible verses, Wintons said, it will deal with affirmations, such as encouraging children to believe in themselves and make the world better.

Principal Rugina Castillo, who used to teach students in the juvenile justice system, said her approach will be to build relationships. She said the Taylor Peace staff should urge students to work out their differences rather than dole out punishments automatically when they get into trouble.

Every situation is different, Castillo said, and children's reactions vary based on their backgrounds. She said the school's small size will help her see students as individuals and not numbers.

"My goal is to know every kid here," Castillo said. "My goal is to interact with students and know what is happening."

2 NEW SCHOOLS

Hillsborough County public schools start classes on Monday. The first day of school this year will welcome two new schools to northwestern Hillsborough. Sgt. Paul R. Smith Middle School will open at 14303 Citrus Pointe Drive. Kathleen Flanagan is the principal. Reach the school at (813) 792-5125.

Taylor Peace Academy, a charter school, is at 10512 N. Dale Mabry Highway. It is accepting children in kindergarten through third grade. Call (813) 374-0342. The principal is Rugina Castillo.

Next month, Superintendent MaryEllen Elia will talk with families and community members in her annual town hall meetings. Seven will take place across the district, including one at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 in Town 'N Country at Pierce Middle School, 5511 N. Hesperides St.

FIRST DAY

Whether you find yourself in tears or excited by the discoveries your child will make in the coming school year, we want to share your experiences on the first day of school.

E-mail your photos from the first day to Jessica Balanza at jbalanza@tampatrib.com. Include information such as name, contact phone number and name of school.

We will publish photos in upcoming issues and in an online first day gallery for parents and students to enjoy.

Questions? Call Balanza at (813) 865-1518.

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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