Business and industry representatives expressed concerns in two areas:  student preparation and student work habits.  In the preparation area, employers report that students are being trained on equipment and technology that are not as modern as those found in the workplace, thereby requiring employers to invest considerable time and expense in retraining.  More troubling to employers is the general lack of a work ethic on the part of many students.  Graduates have little dedication to attendance and punctuality.  Graduates show little interest in continuing education or training after they are hired.  This second factor is the more troubling because, while new skills can be taught, dedication and a desire for self-improvement are ingrained attitudes that graduates bring with them.  Education representatives from Virginia High School addressed programs that are in place to correct or improve these deficiencies. 

Teachers and administrators remain active with HSTW by attending staff development programs each year.  In the past several years Mrs. Carroll, Mr. Collins, Mr. Caldwell, Mrs. Melkowski, Mrs. Minnick, Mrs. Lydzinski, Mrs. Young, Mrs. Lester and Mrs. Odum have received HSTW 9th Grade Traditional Training.  The tradition was put in place at Virginia High School in 2005 with Mr. Caldwell as the Coordinator.  This program has been created at Virginia High School to provide extra assistance to 9th grade students who are considered "at-risk students."  Our goal is to help our students become more successful at the high school level and consequently, become high school graduates.

The ninth grade Transition Program is a data based national initiative sponsored through High Schools That Work and Southern Region Education Board.  Over the past few years administrators at VHS began looking at the number of students who did not perform well at the 9th grade and decided that more attention needed to be given to help our students adjust to the high school level.

We have experienced great success in our first full year and continued our Transitional Program for 2006-2007.

We have now expanded our program by providing a study skills class for 10th grade students.

VHS "EXPECTS THE BEST" 

As the motto indicates, VHS continues to seek continued improvement and success.  The HSTW (High Schools That Work) programs was evaluated by a technical assistance team of educators from across the state on November 13-14, 2006.  This team will interview teachers, parents, students, administrators, and members of the business community.  This is an effort to identify promising practices and make recommendations in areas which need improvement of change in methodology.  Adherence to the "key practices" of the HSTW program has brought about higher expectations of students, revised curricula (including the elimination of certain "lower level" courses), collaborative efforts by teachers across curricular lines, changes in guidance and advisement, provisions for extra student help, and assessment of the success of the "total" school effort. 
 
The ten keys practices for HSTW are:

Setting Higher Expectations
Setting higher expectations and getting students to meet them.

Revising Career and Technical Studies
Increasing access to challenging career and technical studies, with      a  major emphasis on using high-level mathematics, science, English,        history/social sciences, and problem solving competencies in the context of a modern business and technical studies.

Revising Academic Studies
Increasing access to academic-studies that teach Virginia's Standards of Learning through functional and applied strategies enabling students to see the relationship between course content and future roles they may envision for themselves.

Implementing a Challenging Program of Study
Counseling students to complete a challenging and related program of study, with a technical and/or an academic major; including four years of English, courses in history/social sciences that meet state course requirements, three courses in mathematics with at least tow courses selected from Algebra I or above, and three courses in science.

Helping Teachers Work Together
Having an organizational structure and schedule that enable academic and career and technical teachers to have the time to plan and deliver a comprehensive curriculum aimed at teaching high -level academic and technical content.

Changing the Instructional Process
Having each student actively engaged in the learning process.

Providing Guidance and Advisement
Involving each student and his/her parent in an individualized advisement system aimed at ensuring that each student completes an accelerated and coherent program of academic study with a technical or academic focus.

Providing Extra Help and Extra Time
Providing a structured system of extra help to enable students to successfully complete an accelerated program of study that includes rigorous academic content and a major.

Implementing Work-Based Learning
Providing students access to a structured system of work-based learning that is planned in collaboration with rigorous school-based learning--secondary and postsecondary--and that results in an industry-recognized credential and employment in a career pathway.

Using Assessment and Evaluation
Using student assessment and program evaluation information to continuously improve curriculum, instruction, school climate, organization, and management.

BEARCAT "PRIDE" PROGRAM

The Bearcat "PRIDE" program design is to provide ninth grade at-risk students the skills necessary for making successful transition from middle school to high school.  Current there are 48 students enrolled in the Bearcat "PRIDE" (Positive, Rewards, Initiate, Desired, Expectations) program at Virginia High School.  The curriculum focus is extended time on language are, algebra and study skills.  Also, included in the curriculum is character education, integrating technology to facilitate learning and organizational skills. Each student is encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities.  Individual tutoring sessions are conducted for daily SOL tutoring, make up work for all classes, reading activities, instructional programs, academic interests, study skills, parent meetings and other pertinent activities to enhance the educational experience.

A strong emphasis on parental involvement, correspondence and participation in the educational process is a key aspect of the program.  Improving attendance, reducing discipline referrals and increasing academic performance on freshmen SOL testing are key performance objectives.

In addition to the foundation of the transition program, a teacher mentor program has been established to assist the ongoing freshmen to adjust to sophomore life.  The mentor program volunteers will also assist the current ninth grade students in their transition to the high school.  The mentor program is designed to provide a caring relationship between a responsible adult and a young person to strengthen the young person's ability to resist self destructive behavior (drugs or alcohol) or socially destructive behavior (crime or violence) and succeed in school.  The core of mentoring is growth through friendship.  The goals of the program are improved school attendance, grades and classroom behavior.  The mentoring program will serve 75 Virginia High School freshmen and sophomore students.