In a school district with rapidly growing class enrollments and quick-paced lectures, Phoenix Academy, tucked next to Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School’s (CHCCS) administration building, Lincoln Center, offers an alternative learning environment with an individualized approach to learning for high school students.
Those considered for entry are typically students who have been expelled, given a long-term suspension, are chronically absent or are disengaged learners. After entering, students are required to stay for at least one semester.
In any given year, the school enrolls 35-45 students who are served by five core teachers, a Career and Technical Education specialist and other part-time administrators. The small student body allows enrolled pupils to receive education catered to their specific needs.
Principal John Williams has served at Phoenix Academy for five years and is the latest Principal of the Year for CHCCS. Williams, who almost did not graduate from high school, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland. He went on to get a master’s degree from both Troy State and East Carolina universities, after spending time in the Air Force.
His first educational position was as an exceptional children’s teacher at the Greene County Schools district in Greene County, North Carolina, and he became assistant principal there a few months later. Williams held administrative positions at Riverside High School and Chewning Middle School before transferring to Phoenix Academy.
Williams believes the most important part of his job is encouraging both staff and students to believe in themselves. “It is almost impossible to ever make a difference in a person’s life until that individual believes a difference can be made,” he said.
Senior CiCi De Leon attended Phoenix Academy the second semester of her junior year and thought the smaller classes worked well. “You can focus a lot more. The teachers are really hands-on, and they specialize in the best kind of attention you need. If you need more explanation, they don’t mind explaining it thoroughly. They’re really patient.”
Phoenix Academy students graduated at a ceremony at the Extraordinary Ventures venue in Chapel Hill January 25.
The school is committed to providing opportunities for its students, offering ways for students to earn service learning hours and volunteer in the community by partnering with several nonprofits in the area.
Another way Phoenix students earn service learning hours is through the school gardening club, where students grow vegetables and make salsa to sell at the local market. Besides learning gardening skills, students are also taught business and marketing skills when they package and distribute the salsa.
Math teacher Jared Mann’s favorite part of working at Phoenix Academy is the family atmosphere. “My coworkers are a second family to me. We celebrate each other’s success and are there for each other when life is stressful. I have never been so supported and cared about ever before,” he said.
According to Mann, the staff applies this same familial attitude to their students.
“We support them and care for them. This sometimes means we listen to them, we cry with them [and] we discipline them. We would do anything to help make our students successful, and we have. We drive to pick them up if they miss the bus, and we stay a long time after school to tutor them,” Mann said.
Students arriving at Phoenix Academy are often nervous, but Mann has found that, for many, students’ anxiety dissipates after the first day.
“Just like the staff, they always wind up falling in love with this place,” he said.
Senior Carlos Martinez attended Phoenix Academy from the middle of his freshman year through his junior year. Like De Leon, he appreciated the smaller class size.
“It’s helpful, because the teachers form a stronger connection with you. It’s also easier for you to have the confidence to ask them something because there’s not a lot of kids in that class,” Martinez said.
He remembers Mann as a teacher who stood out to him during his time at Phoenix Academy.
“He had fun with math, and I had fun with math,” Martinez said. “When he taught me, that was the first math class I got an A in.”
