November 20, 2023 • 28 mins
The Stories Behind Our Story: Episode 4
Join us as we uncover the remarkable endeavors of Chesapeake Public Schools in revolutionizing the educational landscape. Tune into this fascinating discussion with Dr. Kelli Jordan, Supervisor of the Chesapeake Virtual Academy (CVA), and Cadence Weaver, a CVA student, to discover the unique features and successful program. Hear firsthand how even kindergartners have adapted to the virtual learning process and how the CVA caters to students with individual needs.
Next, we focus on the high school academies at Chesapeake Public Schools. With Dr. Shonda Windham and Meredith Strahan, we navigate through the academies, specifically the Governor's STEM Academy, IB Academy, and the Science and Medicine Academy. Imagine your academic journey taking a leap into fields like engineering, robotics, or aerospace engineering!
For more details on these exciting programs, head over to cpschools.com. Gear up and lend your ears to this episode of Amplified: The Chesapeake Public Schools Podcast!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Graham (00:00):
Welcome to Amplified the Chesapeake Public
Schools podcast.
Richie Babb (00:13):
Chesapeake Schools is located in the Hampton Roads
area of southeastern Virginia.
We serve 40,000 students in 45schools and three centers.
This podcast is designed totell the stories behind our
story and to introduce andcelebrate the people and
programs that make us one of thepremier school districts in
Virginia.
Matt Graham (00:32):
Welcome everyone.
This is episode four ofAmplified the Chesapeake Public
Schools podcast.
This is Matt Graham, and I'mhere with Richie Babb, and it is
November.
We're almost near Thanksgiving.
Richie Babb (00:44):
I know it's getting close.
You'll find, as you get older,time goes even faster and faster
.
Matt Graham (00:48):
Yeah, I'm starting to figure that out with my kids.
Richie Babb (00:49):
Yeah, Right, it's crazy, it is you doing anything?
Matt Graham (00:52):
cool for Thanksgiving.
Richie Babb (00:54):
What we do.
We do Thanksgiving day with mywife's family, which is
considerably bigger than my side, but then we do a Thanksgiving
Saturday with my family.
Matt Graham (01:03):
Okay.
Richie Babb (01:04):
And it's good, because if you have two
Thanksgiving celebrations on thesame day, by the time you get
to the second one you're full.
You don't really want to eat,and that's usually where the
better food is.
Matt Graham (01:13):
Yeah.
Richie Babb (01:14):
I'm not saying that's the case in my case.
So doing it on Saturday givesyou an extra day to prepare,
extra couple days really toprepare.
There's no rush, people don'thave other obligations.
So we've done that for the lastprobably four or five years.
Matt Graham (01:25):
Yeah, I love Thanksgiving.
Last episode you mentioned thefall, like how much.
Richie Babb (01:28):
I love fall yeah.
Matt Graham (01:29):
I think Thanksgiving is probably one of
my favorite holidays becausethere's like no other than
eating and preparing food.
There's no other pressure, justenjoy the day.
Cadence (01:39):
Yeah, just relax with the people you love.
Yeah.
Dr. Shonda Windham (01:43):
You know and be thankful for them.
Matt Graham (01:45):
Yeah, right, and speaking of thankful, we got two
major programs out of many outof many, out of many that we're
going to highlight today, thatwe at Chesapeake are very
thankful for yeah, Correct.
Richie Babb (01:56):
So you have CVA, the Chesapeake Virtual Academy,
which we'll have a.
We talked to a student and thatstudent's very thankful for
that.
So stick around for that, andthen we'll also talk about our
other academies, our high schoolacademies, including IB, which
is International Baccalaureate,science and Medicine, and the
Governor's STEM Academy atGrassfield.
(02:16):
So a lot of information and alot of thankful people actually
on this episode.
Matt Graham (02:21):
Absolutely All right.
Stay tuned.
All right, how's it going?
This is Matt Graham, again herewith my wonderful co-host, mr
Richie Bad.
Richie Babb (02:33):
Wonderful, I've been called a lot of things.
Matt Graham (02:35):
I'm not sure.
Wonderful, oh yeah, you arewonderful.
Everybody loves you, richie.
Richie Babb (02:39):
Oh, that's very nice.
Matt Graham (02:40):
Yeah, so, and also with us is Dr Kelly Jordan,
who's the supervisor ofChesapeake Virtual Academy, and
we also have one of the studentswith the Chesapeake Virtual
Academy, cadence Weaver.
So Dr Jordan, or recently DrJordan, right, correct Can you
tell us a little bit more aboutyourself?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (02:59):
Yeah, sir.
So I have lived all my life inChesapeake.
I'm a product of ChesapeakePublic Schools.
Richie Babb (03:04):
You can say Great Bridge.
Yeah, I was going to say Igraduated from Great.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (03:07):
Bridge.
Richie Babb (03:08):
High School, no problem, absolutely.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (03:09):
Yeah, a little bit of green and gold in there.
I taught at Chesapeake PublicSchools for 15 years.
I taught at any River HighSchool and Hickory High School.
Matt Graham (03:17):
Oh, you went to the Hawks I did, I did.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (03:19):
I know I'm not a Great Bridge people I don't
know how they'll feel about thatone but then I went over to the
Hawks and taught there and thenI moved on into administration,
in which I served as thesupervisor of instructional
resources, before taking on thisrole as the supervisor of
Chesapeake Virtual Academy, andI've been in this role for the
last two years.
It's been really exciting tosee it grow.
(03:40):
I did serve in the capacity ofthe committee that really was
thinking about this and thinkingabout this really pre-COVID.
This has always been an ideapre-COVID to have the virtual
academy and have this option forstudents.
It wasn't a response to COVIDin any way, shape or form.
It's been really cool to beable to be a part of this since
he grew into this K-12 programthat we have.
Matt Graham (04:01):
Awesome, great, all right, cadence, can you tell
our listeners a little bit aboutyou?
Cadence (04:06):
What would you like to know?
She's not just giving upinformation.
That's right.
I don't think so.
That would be better.
Matt Graham (04:13):
So, before Cadence has brought on to the podcast,
we found out a couple thingsabout her.
You are a junior right, yes,sir.
And you are a full-time studentwith CVA and you've been there
since.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (04:25):
Eighth grade Yep.
You've been with us for yourentire high school career, right
, yeah, sorry.
Matt Graham (04:31):
Ninth grade and she said, and I quote Dr Jordan
said you have thrived in thisprogram.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (04:38):
Well, yeah, you have All of her teachers
talk about how amazing she'sdone, and that was actually the
exact words that they've allused is that she has thrived and
flourished in our program Nice.
Richie Babb (04:48):
That's nice.
So what's your home school?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (04:50):
Western Branch .
Richie Babb (04:51):
Western Branch.
Wow, so you made the drive allthe way out today I appreciate
that.
So, dr Jordan, tell us justgive us an overview what is CVA
all about?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (05:00):
Okay, yeah, so Chesapeake Virtual Academy is a
virtual option for any of ourChesapeake Public School
students K-12, which is reallyexciting.
It is a virtual placement wherethe students get to learn from
their home.
But it is a little bitdifferent in all three of the
levels.
At our elementary program it isa pretty much synchronous
program with built-inasynchronous options throughout
(05:21):
the day, but it does model ourbrick-and-mortar setting pretty
similarly.
In our middle school optionit's a little more asynchronous
where the students have a littlemore flexibility throughout the
day, but again they are havingthat synchronous instruction.
And then in our high schooloption, it is a completely
asynchronous program, but Ialways quickly follow up and say
that students do have asynchronous option available to
(05:44):
them, with our teachers teachinglive synchronous instruction
every single day.
But it does offer no matterwhere you are time, place,
flexibility, pace to all of ourstudents.
We found that our students likethe flexibility, they like the
options that it offers them,they like being sometimes in the
comfort of their own home.
They just they like all ofthose options that it brings to
(06:07):
them.
Richie Babb (06:07):
Yeah, so, kaden, so you find that time management
is something you had to learnwhen the bell's not ringing and
you're going no, I think I'vealways been good at time
management.
Cadence (06:18):
For sure, wow, cause I would be, it would be a disaster
for me, yeah.
Matt Graham (06:22):
I'm still using post-it notes and things to
write down my agenda, just tomake sure, right.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (06:26):
Yeah, and I think that's kind of one of the
things that with our program itteaches the students,
particularly if they stay withus K-12, because they slowly
become an asynchronous learner.
The asynchronous component isbuilt when you move from K-5 to
6-8 to 9-12.
There's more asynchronous builtinto our program, so I think
(06:49):
that helps them become more ofthat independent learner,
compared to just kind of jumpingin with both feet, and so I
think that offers them thatopportunity to grow in that
independence Right.
Matt Graham (06:59):
And just to clarify synchronous is when you are
receiving instruction the sametime that the students are there
at the same place.
Asynchronous is kind of thestudents are doing the
assignments or part of thelesson at another time and then
they come back in to meet anddiscuss it Correct, exactly yes.
Okay, cadence, what led you toCVA?
What kind of sparked theinterest to be a part of this
(07:20):
program?
Cadence (07:21):
Really COVID, honestly, yeah, yeah.
Fun fact, the last full day ofschool that I went to in person
for was on Friday, the 13th ofMarch 2020.
And now it is Friday the 13th.
Oh, it is.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (07:35):
What Interesting.
Yeah, how about that?
Wow, a circle memory rightthere, wow.
Richie Babb (07:41):
So you walked out on that, covid, when everything
shut down and didn't go back.
Cadence (07:45):
No, I did not go back until this year for the Career
Center.
Right?
So you're at the Career Center.
Richie Babb (07:51):
Yes, okay, oh, that's cool.
So that brings up a good point.
Being in CVA doesn't keep youfrom being able to do some of
these other things, right?
Cadence (07:59):
Not at all it's.
You can still be very flexiblewith your schedule and do it
perfectly.
Matt Graham (08:05):
I love it.
So what's your kind of daylightCadence?
Cadence (08:09):
Well, now I go to the Career Center in the mornings
and then I end up, starts atlike 9.30 and ends at 12.
Then I come home and then I domy work for CVA.
Richie Babb (08:22):
Okay, what are you taking at the Career Center?
Cadence (08:24):
Early childhood education Okay.
Matt Graham (08:26):
Oh wow, how about that?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (08:27):
And just the piggy back off what she was
saying.
That is one of the really coolthings about our program as well
is that students still get theopportunity to really benefit
from all the things at theirzoned home schools.
So they still get to be a partof all the athletics that are
available at their home school,the clubs, the extracurricular
activities.
You very much can still attendprom, you can still go and be a
(08:48):
part of the basketball team, youcan still be a part of the
chess club or NHS, or you canstill, if you're in our K8
program, you can still go on thefield trip.
You can still do all of thosedifferent things that are
happening at your home school.
Just because you've chosen tobe a CVA student doesn't exclude
you from those things.
Richie Babb (09:05):
And are there any limitations to the courses that
are offered through CVA, or canthey take everything that's in
there?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (09:12):
Not everything .
We don't have the flexibilityto offer everything.
Just because of the nature ofour setup and students being
home, we can't exactly offerevery single thing that the
brick and mortar buildings dohave the ability to offer.
But we do have a wide varietyof courses that we are able to
offer.
And to piggyback off that,there is the idea that we get to
(09:33):
offer some of the classes thatsome schools can't offer Because
they just don't have theability to offer that, they
don't have the staffing to offerthat, or the class doesn't make
because they just didn't haveenough students interested in it
.
And so in those instances,particularly with CVA High, we
have a lot of students who willenroll in the class because it's
just not an option in theirhome school, but it is an option
(09:56):
with us.
Richie Babb (09:56):
Right, so you can still.
There's still an opportunity totake, for instance, weighted
classes and all that kind ofstuff.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (10:02):
Yeah, we have our academic classes, honors
classes, AP classes, DE classes.
We offer them all.
Matt Graham (10:08):
Now do some of the teachers that teach CVA.
They're full-time CVA as well.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (10:13):
Absolutely.
We have full-time staff members, and then we also have
part-time staff members as well.
Richie Babb (10:18):
Okay nice, and so every class that you take at CVA
you're getting a ChesapeakePublic Schools teacher.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (10:24):
Yeah, that's probably one of my favorite
things about it is that they'rereal people.
Me too, yeah, they're realChesapeake Public School
teachers that have all been apart of Chesapeake Public
Schools.
Following the Chesapeake PublicSchools curriculum, the
Chesapeake Public School pacingusing Chesapeake Public Schools
Chromebooks, you know,curriculum resources, textbooks,
(10:46):
all of those things we're notusing anything different than
brick and mortar schools areusing.
Matt Graham (10:52):
That's great.
Are there any teachers that youwant to give a shout out to
while you're here.
Cadence that you that you haveenjoyed as being your teacher
for the past couple of years.
Cadence (11:00):
I'd say definitely Mrs Lenny Shirley.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (11:02):
I love her so much I am not surprised Really.
Cadence (11:05):
Yeah, I'm surprised, definitely my best friends at
this point.
I love her for two years.
I love her for both WorldHistory I and II.
She doesn't just teach us, shealso actually talked to us.
So whenever we finished doingour work, she would actually
talk with us and hang out.
So yeah, building thoserelationships yeah if you just
built the relationship up, thatwas me, her and one other
(11:27):
student usually in the class.
Richie Babb (11:29):
Okay.
Do you find that your teachersare very flexible in getting one
on one time, so you're not juststuck out there by yourself?
No, yeah, if you need to meetwith a teacher, you can do that
right.
Cadence (11:40):
I can.
Of course they have like athing can set up on the calendar
.
You can select what time youwant, but you have to do it like
a day ahead at least to givethem heads up saying, hey, I
want to meet on this day at thistime and he'd help with this
assignment or that otherassignment or whatever.
Richie Babb (11:58):
Yeah, that's great.
That is yeah.
I've heard that from a lot ofCVA students that how they
really are buildingrelationships with their
teachers more than they wouldhave had they been in the brick
and mortar school 100%.
Matt Graham (12:11):
Yeah, now, cadence, would you recommend CVA to
others and if so, why would youdo that?
Cadence (12:17):
I definitely would, just because I think it's easier
to learn that way.
You know, you can actuallyfocus on your work more and get
to know your teachers better andthey can help you better,
because it's it's just easier totalk to them and understand
things.
Richie Babb (12:34):
Yeah you've been doing a lot of head nodding
during our conversation, so youseem really enthusiastic about.
Cadence (12:43):
CVA, you seem to really like it, I do, I love it so
much.
I love it.
Wow, great, that's awesome.
Richie Babb (12:50):
Did Dr Jordan tell you to say all these things?
No, Because you couldn't be abetter representative for.
Cadence (12:55):
CVA.
I know, I know I love it somuch and I'm very grateful to
have it in my life.
Richie Babb (13:00):
That's awesome, that is awesome.
So scheduling is coming up.
Is it work so that everystudent that applies gets in, or
there are limited numbers ofseats, so to speak?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (13:13):
Yeah, so there is an application process in
regards to that.
Students will need to fill outthe application that will be
available on our website.
The application process is alittle bit different for K-8
compared to 9-12.
There is no limit in regards tothat.
We don't have like a capacityor something along those lines.
We don't review applicationsand do any acceptance until we
(13:35):
determine that you know we haveenough to have the class make
and staffing needs and things ofthat sort.
But basically, after we'vereceived all the applications,
we review them, buildingadministrations at the
homeschools have approved thembased on the requirements that
are displayed in the applicationand then we go forward from
there.
Yeah.
Richie Babb (13:54):
So you said the K-8 program.
We have kindergartners doingvirtual learning.
Right, we do, it is thesweetest thing ever.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (14:01):
Oh my gosh, they're amazing.
I can tell you that thosekindergartners know how to mute,
they know how to use emojis,they know how to use the chat,
they know how to do polls inGoogle Meets.
That's amazing, that is.
Richie Babb (14:15):
It is really cool.
Matt Graham (14:16):
It's really cool, yep.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (14:19):
They are so tech savvy by week three they
know how to do all the things ina Google Meet that you would
never imagine.
They can navigate Canvas likenobody's business.
It's pretty impressive.
Richie Babb (14:30):
So it won't be too many years before they'll be
kids graduating that neveractually went inside a building
to take classes.
Yeah, when you put it like that, if you think about when they
left with COVID.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (14:40):
Yeah, that would be exactly the case.
Richie Babb (14:42):
Wow, that's crazy.
Starting to get, that is crazy.
Matt Graham (14:45):
Wow, well, this has been.
Richie Babb (14:46):
Very interesting, very lightning, yeah, very
interesting.
Cadence (14:49):
This has been an amazing conversation, yeah.
Matt Graham (14:52):
I mean, and I've definitely learned a ton about
the CVA program just by havingyou all both here, and obviously
there's a huge success storysitting with us with cadence.
Cadence (14:59):
Thank you.
Matt Graham (15:00):
So it has been a pleasure having you all both on
the podcast and sharing allthings CVA with our listeners
and our community.
Is there anything else that youwould like to share or say
about CVA?
I mean, I think it's awesome.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:14):
I think it's a really cool program.
Matt Graham (15:16):
There you go.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:16):
Thank you, I think it's a great opportunity
for families to meet the needsthat they have, and they're all
different kind of unique needs.
It's for students who just wantto be home because of a variety
of medical reasons or justpersonal reasons.
There's all different types ofunique needs that our families
have as to why they're choosingthis option.
Richie Babb (15:38):
Sure.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:38):
I like the fact that we're affording our
families an opportunity to meetthem where they are.
Matt Graham (15:44):
Right.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:45):
And it has become a really cool lens on my
side to see and hear the storiesas to why they're choosing our
option and to know thatChesapeake Public Schools has
provided that avenue for themwhere three years ago this
wasn't an option for them.
And to know that I get to be apart of it is really exciting.
But, more importantly, to knowthat students like Cadence have
(16:07):
this opportunity is just reallyawesome.
Cadence (16:10):
Yes, I love it so much.
I think it's very helpful.
This is just a very big help tome, so I thank you for creating
it.
Matt Graham (16:25):
One of the best ways that you can get
notifications from your schoolis to download the Chesapeake
Public Schools app.
You can choose your schoolsthat you'd like to follow and
also receive information fromthe district.
So make sure you download theChesapeake Public Schools app
from the Google Play Store orthe App Store today.
It's Everything Chesapeake inyour pocket.
A big part of our story here atChesapeake Public Schools is
(16:56):
our academies, so we have withus Dr Shonda Windham and
Meredith Strahan to share withus what our academies are all
about here in Chesapeake PublicSchools.
So welcome to the podcast, bothof you.
Meredith Strahan (17:09):
Thank you.
We're happy to be here.
Thank you.
Richie Babb (17:11):
Fantastic and, as you, if you've heard our podcast
, we start off trying to get toknow you a little bit.
Let's start with you, drWindham.
How many years you've been in?
Dr. Shonda Windham (17:17):
Chesapeake.
So this is actually my 24thyear in Chesapeake.
I have a total of 26 years ineducation, varying positions
from teaching to technologyintegration specialists to CTE
supervisor, principal and nowcurrently the director of
college and career readiness.
Richie Babb (17:35):
Yeah, and you have a son who graduated just
graduated, last year, right, Ido.
And what's he doing?
How is his college experience?
Dr. Shonda Windham (17:42):
He is living his best life in college,
unfortunately.
Unfortunately.
I wish he lived a little bitless but nonetheless he is
definitely enjoying his timethere.
Richie Babb (17:55):
Great, don't ask me how I'm doing.
Okay, I can almost see howyou're doing.
Actually, I mean, yeah, now inyour younger son.
What grade is he in?
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:03):
He is currently a junior.
Richie Babb (18:04):
Okay, man.
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:06):
Time flies.
Richie Babb (18:07):
It does, I mean.
I remember when they were likelittle kids.
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:09):
Knee hat to a duck.
Yeah, yeah, basically.
Richie Babb (18:12):
How about you, meredith?
How long have you been ineducation?
Meredith Strahan (18:14):
Well, this is my 17th year.
I'm actually a career switcher,so I was in hospitality prior
to coming into education, so abig shift.
Whenever I came into educationBefore I was the governor's STEM
Academy coordinator I was theavid coordinator and avid
elective teacher at Oscar SmithHigh School.
Richie Babb (18:34):
Okay, great.
So, we are here to talk aboutacademies, and I think that's
something that people have heardabout and maybe don't know a
whole lot about.
So what are the academies andhow do they work in Chesapeake?
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:47):
So we have three specialized academies in
Chesapeake.
We have the governor's STEMAcademy, which is Meredith's
Academy.
We also have the IB Academy atOscar Smith High School, as well
as the Science and MedicineAcademy at Deep Creek High
School, and so basically thesethree academies serve all
(19:08):
students in Chesapeake.
So we take in students from allseven high schools.
The Academy School becomestheir home school and the
students are providedtransportation from their homes
to the academy that they havebeen accepted into.
Richie Babb (19:22):
Okay, what's the whole concept behind having
academies?
I mean, because I'm assumingthey're taking courses that
they're not having.
There's not enough interest forthem to be offered in their
high schools, right?
So we're concentrating sort ofadvanced classes or very
specific classes that youwouldn't necessarily take or be
able to take in your home school.
(19:43):
To concentrate, in other words,right.
Meredith Strahan (19:44):
That's exactly it.
We're looking for students whoare highly interested and highly
motivated in whatever academythey plan to attend, and so our
classes are specialized.
They're only offered within theacademy.
They have other components totheir classes as well, from
field trips to final projectsand culminating experiences, but
(20:05):
they're definitely highlyspecialized for people who
really want an in-depthexperience in that particular
area.
Matt Graham (20:12):
Great, and so you're the coordinator of the
STEM Academy right.
So can you tell us a little bitabout that?
Meredith Strahan (20:19):
Sure.
So the STEM Academy atGrassfield has three different
pathways.
So when students apply to theGovernor's STEM Academy, they
are either interested inlearning more about engineering
and technology, programming andsoftware development, or global
entrepreneurship and technology,and so they take six classes
within six elective classes,within their pathway and to
(20:41):
really get a full education inthat particular subject area.
Richie Babb (20:46):
So they go there for all four years a high school
right.
Meredith Strahan (20:49):
They do.
They go all four years.
So if they're in the Governor'sSTEM Academy, they are a
Grassfield Grizzly and they area different Fully engaged, like
they could do the sports and allthat.
Yes, music, anything.
They are there.
They are Grassfield, Grizzlyand they're bleeding red, white
and blue.
Richie Babb (21:03):
Yeah, and you find, like my daughter went to the IB
Academy at Oscar Smith, and youfind that those Academy kids
get very involved in theirschool.
They do Like, frequently, yourstudent government people, a lot
of the people in sports, thepeople that are heavily involved
are a lot of times theseAcademy students.
So and I'll point that outbecause I don't want it to sound
(21:24):
like that the Academy kids gointo a high school and they're
segregated and they're notreally part of the school.
They really are part of theschool.
Dr. Shonda Windham (21:32):
They absolutely are 100%.
Matt Graham (21:34):
Yeah, I used to coach tennis for Grassfield back
in the days and I had a few ofthose Academy kids and they
played on our team.
But yes, they were in SCA,fully in it and just loving it.
Richie Babb (21:46):
So I want you to know this is about our fourth
podcast we've recorded and Matthas been able to work in the
word tennis in every singlepodcast.
Matt Graham (21:54):
That's right.
He was able to get that inEvery time.
Every time.
You gotta find a way, man,every time.
Richie Babb (22:01):
So we hear about students in some courses getting
industry credentials to go outinto the world of work.
Do we have those at the STEMAcademy?
Do students get those?
Meredith Strahan (22:09):
Absolutely.
Students have lots ofopportunities to get industry
credentials.
One of the brand new ones thatthey're gonna have this year is
project management, and I meanthat is hot in the world today
for just about everybody.
So our senior capstoneleadership class, those students
are going to take the projectmanagement certification this
(22:30):
fall.
So pretty exciting.
Richie Babb (22:31):
Wow, that's exciting.
Matt Graham (22:32):
That's awesome.
Richie Babb (22:33):
So you mentioned, like the paths within the STEM
Academy a little while ago.
I don't wanna just brush bythem.
If you go through those with meagain, that'd be great.
Meredith Strahan (22:40):
Sure, absolutely.
So.
Starting with engineering, ourstudents take two foundation
courses one in ninth grade, onein 10th grade.
It focuses a lot on robotics,so it's pretty cool.
Then they take aerospaceengineering.
We have a great flightsimulator.
Hi have to say that I've neverbeen able to get off the ground.
Matt Graham (22:59):
But the student oh, I'm coming to Grassfield Well
is.
Some of that too was showcasedat the air show recently.
Meredith Strahan (23:05):
Absolutely Well we didn't have our big
flight simulator out there, butwe did have our smaller ones,
but we do have a full surroundone that we can program.
Like take off from NorfolkInternational Airport and you
need to land in Richmond or inNew York.
They take civil engineering aswell and electrical engineering,
and then all of the pathwayshave a capstone course and
(23:26):
there's they're given a budget,they have to solve a problem,
they come up with prototypes andthey present in programming.
The students take a computerscience course and they're
working with VR headsets andcreating video games.
And then our globalentrepreneurship students are
taking entrepreneurshipleadership development.
They're also taking marketingclasses and global commerce
(23:49):
classes, so they are ready to go.
Richie Babb (23:51):
Are they beating down your door over there at the
STEM Academy?
It sounds like they would be,to say the least.
Meredith Strahan (23:57):
Yeah, I mean we really try to get out there
and connect with the students atall levels.
I think one of the coolfeatures of it is that every
class has their own specificfield trip, and so we go out all
the time.
I am actually laugh, because Idrive that activity bus like
it's nobody's business and Ieven have, and that's not a
(24:17):
simulator either.
Richie Babb (24:18):
No, it's not.
Meredith Strahan (24:20):
Yeah, good for you, I actually have a
chauffeur hat that I do wearoccasionally to liven it up a
bit.
Matt Graham (24:27):
That's awesome.
Now, Dr Windham, can you tellus a little bit about the
Science and Medicine Academy andthe IB program?
Dr. Shonda Windham (24:34):
Yeah, absolutely so.
As Meredith just shared, theacademies are highly sought
after by our students.
One of the perks of being inthe IB program is the potential
to obtain an internationallycredentialed diploma, which
means these students can applyto universities and colleges
across the globe.
(24:54):
Additionally, they can earncollege credit from their
coursework From ninth to 12thgrade.
The students are co-ordered,meaning they have their IB
classes together with other IBstudents and they develop very
strong relationships with oneanother.
On the flip side of that, wehave the Science and Medicine
Academy.
They have wonderful communitypartners from Chesapeake
(25:16):
Regional to EVMS, chkd, odu,allowing the juniors and seniors
the opportunity to job shadowand intern in the Hampton Rose
community.
So we're very grateful forthose partners.
They definitely help to beef upthe program.
Richie Babb (25:32):
Yeah, no doubt.
Meredith Strahan (25:33):
And the cool part about all three of the
academies is we really docollaborate a lot and sometimes
we'll go on field tripsaltogether All together yeah,
okay, I'm going to say itthey're great All together, All
together.
Richie Babb (25:44):
All together.
Meredith Strahan (25:45):
Airplane, but so the students really have that
opportunity to collaborate andto really work together.
Last night we had our firstAcademy night at Indian River
Middle and we all had studentrepresentation and it was so
neat to see the students go.
Oh hey, you know, I rememberyou from middle school and all
(26:07):
in their different academies.
Matt Graham (26:08):
So tell us about that Academy information.
Meredith Strahan (26:10):
Yes.
So we tried to make sure thatwe hit every single student and
family, and so have eight, hadeight family parent nights
planned at all of the differentschools, as well, as there will
be a virtual opportunity comingup on the 30th of November as
well, in case you want to listenin your pajamas, which I
totally get.
So that the families have thatopportunity to really find out
(26:34):
what's going on in Chesapeake.
Okay, right.
Richie Babb (26:37):
So I have an eighth grader.
Let's say I'm fortunate that Ido not.
But let's say I have an eighthgrader and I hear this and I'm
like man, you need to go to oneof those academies.
What do they need to do?
What's the process?
Meredith Strahan (26:49):
So that's actually really easy.
The application itself opens upon December the 1st.
It'll be on the division'swebsite as well as on all three
of the school's websites for thestudents to go to.
They just need to open up thatapplication and apply.
The application itself is supersimple.
Now the more difficult part isthe assessments that they'll
(27:10):
take in late January, early tolate January and early February.
Each one of us have severalSaturday testing dates, and so
the students choose from thosedates and then they will come in
and they will complete theirassessment.
Matt Graham (27:22):
And if you're that eighth grader, maybe thinking of
multiple academies, do theyhave the ability to apply to
more than one?
Dr. Shonda Windham (27:29):
Yes, they can, so the application lends
itself to do that.
Meredith Strahan (27:33):
They can select one, two or all three and
be considered for each academyIf you have an interest, we want
you to apply, we want you to bea part of any one of the
academies.
They are all excellentopportunities.
They're all designed tochallenge you, they're all
designed to motivate you, and Ipersonally kind of take it on as
(27:54):
a challenge, as I am your verygodmother.
We sit down and try to make allof your dreams come true,
whatever that is for their nextenrolled and listed service
academy, employed from day one.
So we work very, very hard allof us do to make sure every
student has an amazingexperience.
Richie Babb (28:14):
So it's tough for you to remember whether to wear
your fairy godmother hat or yourchauffeur hat.
Dr. Shonda Windham (28:19):
A lot of hat , a lot of glitter, a lot of
glitter, right, right.
Matt Graham (28:27):
Thank you for listening to this episode of
Amplify the Chesapeake PublicSchools podcast.
If you are interested in any ofthese programs, please visit
cpschoolscom to learn more today, or to even apply and make sure
that you follow Amplify theChesapeake Public Schools
podcast wherever you listen toyour podcasts.
Welcome to Amplified the Chesapeake Public
Schools podcast.
Richie Babb (00:13):
Chesapeake Schools is located in the Hampton Roads
area of southeastern Virginia.
We serve 40,000 students in 45schools and three centers.
This podcast is designed totell the stories behind our
story and to introduce andcelebrate the people and
programs that make us one of thepremier school districts in
Virginia.
Matt Graham (00:32):
Welcome everyone.
This is episode four ofAmplified the Chesapeake Public
Schools podcast.
This is Matt Graham, and I'mhere with Richie Babb, and it is
November.
We're almost near Thanksgiving.
Richie Babb (00:44):
I know it's getting close.
You'll find, as you get older,time goes even faster and faster
.
Matt Graham (00:48):
Yeah, I'm starting to figure that out with my kids.
Richie Babb (00:49):
Yeah, Right, it's crazy, it is you doing anything?
Matt Graham (00:52):
cool for Thanksgiving.
Richie Babb (00:54):
What we do.
We do Thanksgiving day with mywife's family, which is
considerably bigger than my side, but then we do a Thanksgiving
Saturday with my family.
Matt Graham (01:03):
Okay.
Richie Babb (01:04):
And it's good, because if you have two
Thanksgiving celebrations on thesame day, by the time you get
to the second one you're full.
You don't really want to eat,and that's usually where the
better food is.
Matt Graham (01:13):
Yeah.
Richie Babb (01:14):
I'm not saying that's the case in my case.
So doing it on Saturday givesyou an extra day to prepare,
extra couple days really toprepare.
There's no rush, people don'thave other obligations.
So we've done that for the lastprobably four or five years.
Matt Graham (01:25):
Yeah, I love Thanksgiving.
Last episode you mentioned thefall, like how much.
Richie Babb (01:28):
I love fall yeah.
Matt Graham (01:29):
I think Thanksgiving is probably one of
my favorite holidays becausethere's like no other than
eating and preparing food.
There's no other pressure, justenjoy the day.
Cadence (01:39):
Yeah, just relax with the people you love.
Yeah.
Dr. Shonda Windham (01:43):
You know and be thankful for them.
Matt Graham (01:45):
Yeah, right, and speaking of thankful, we got two
major programs out of many outof many, out of many that we're
going to highlight today, thatwe at Chesapeake are very
thankful for yeah, Correct.
Richie Babb (01:56):
So you have CVA, the Chesapeake Virtual Academy,
which we'll have a.
We talked to a student and thatstudent's very thankful for
that.
So stick around for that, andthen we'll also talk about our
other academies, our high schoolacademies, including IB, which
is International Baccalaureate,science and Medicine, and the
Governor's STEM Academy atGrassfield.
(02:16):
So a lot of information and alot of thankful people actually
on this episode.
Matt Graham (02:21):
Absolutely All right.
Stay tuned.
All right, how's it going?
This is Matt Graham, again herewith my wonderful co-host, mr
Richie Bad.
Richie Babb (02:33):
Wonderful, I've been called a lot of things.
Matt Graham (02:35):
I'm not sure.
Wonderful, oh yeah, you arewonderful.
Everybody loves you, richie.
Richie Babb (02:39):
Oh, that's very nice.
Matt Graham (02:40):
Yeah, so, and also with us is Dr Kelly Jordan,
who's the supervisor ofChesapeake Virtual Academy, and
we also have one of the studentswith the Chesapeake Virtual
Academy, cadence Weaver.
So Dr Jordan, or recently DrJordan, right, correct Can you
tell us a little bit more aboutyourself?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (02:59):
Yeah, sir.
So I have lived all my life inChesapeake.
I'm a product of ChesapeakePublic Schools.
Richie Babb (03:04):
You can say Great Bridge.
Yeah, I was going to say Igraduated from Great.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (03:07):
Bridge.
Richie Babb (03:08):
High School, no problem, absolutely.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (03:09):
Yeah, a little bit of green and gold in there.
I taught at Chesapeake PublicSchools for 15 years.
I taught at any River HighSchool and Hickory High School.
Matt Graham (03:17):
Oh, you went to the Hawks I did, I did.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (03:19):
I know I'm not a Great Bridge people I don't
know how they'll feel about thatone but then I went over to the
Hawks and taught there and thenI moved on into administration,
in which I served as thesupervisor of instructional
resources, before taking on thisrole as the supervisor of
Chesapeake Virtual Academy, andI've been in this role for the
last two years.
It's been really exciting tosee it grow.
(03:40):
I did serve in the capacity ofthe committee that really was
thinking about this and thinkingabout this really pre-COVID.
This has always been an ideapre-COVID to have the virtual
academy and have this option forstudents.
It wasn't a response to COVIDin any way, shape or form.
It's been really cool to beable to be a part of this since
he grew into this K-12 programthat we have.
Matt Graham (04:01):
Awesome, great, all right, cadence, can you tell
our listeners a little bit aboutyou?
Cadence (04:06):
What would you like to know?
She's not just giving upinformation.
That's right.
I don't think so.
That would be better.
Matt Graham (04:13):
So, before Cadence has brought on to the podcast,
we found out a couple thingsabout her.
You are a junior right, yes,sir.
And you are a full-time studentwith CVA and you've been there
since.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (04:25):
Eighth grade Yep.
You've been with us for yourentire high school career, right
, yeah, sorry.
Matt Graham (04:31):
Ninth grade and she said, and I quote Dr Jordan
said you have thrived in thisprogram.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (04:38):
Well, yeah, you have All of her teachers
talk about how amazing she'sdone, and that was actually the
exact words that they've allused is that she has thrived and
flourished in our program Nice.
Richie Babb (04:48):
That's nice.
So what's your home school?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (04:50):
Western Branch .
Richie Babb (04:51):
Western Branch.
Wow, so you made the drive allthe way out today I appreciate
that.
So, dr Jordan, tell us justgive us an overview what is CVA
all about?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (05:00):
Okay, yeah, so Chesapeake Virtual Academy is a
virtual option for any of ourChesapeake Public School
students K-12, which is reallyexciting.
It is a virtual placement wherethe students get to learn from
their home.
But it is a little bitdifferent in all three of the
levels.
At our elementary program it isa pretty much synchronous
program with built-inasynchronous options throughout
(05:21):
the day, but it does model ourbrick-and-mortar setting pretty
similarly.
In our middle school optionit's a little more asynchronous
where the students have a littlemore flexibility throughout the
day, but again they are havingthat synchronous instruction.
And then in our high schooloption, it is a completely
asynchronous program, but Ialways quickly follow up and say
that students do have asynchronous option available to
(05:44):
them, with our teachers teachinglive synchronous instruction
every single day.
But it does offer no matterwhere you are time, place,
flexibility, pace to all of ourstudents.
We found that our students likethe flexibility, they like the
options that it offers them,they like being sometimes in the
comfort of their own home.
They just they like all ofthose options that it brings to
(06:07):
them.
Richie Babb (06:07):
Yeah, so, kaden, so you find that time management
is something you had to learnwhen the bell's not ringing and
you're going no, I think I'vealways been good at time
management.
Cadence (06:18):
For sure, wow, cause I would be, it would be a disaster
for me, yeah.
Matt Graham (06:22):
I'm still using post-it notes and things to
write down my agenda, just tomake sure, right.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (06:26):
Yeah, and I think that's kind of one of the
things that with our program itteaches the students,
particularly if they stay withus K-12, because they slowly
become an asynchronous learner.
The asynchronous component isbuilt when you move from K-5 to
6-8 to 9-12.
There's more asynchronous builtinto our program, so I think
(06:49):
that helps them become more ofthat independent learner,
compared to just kind of jumpingin with both feet, and so I
think that offers them thatopportunity to grow in that
independence Right.
Matt Graham (06:59):
And just to clarify synchronous is when you are
receiving instruction the sametime that the students are there
at the same place.
Asynchronous is kind of thestudents are doing the
assignments or part of thelesson at another time and then
they come back in to meet anddiscuss it Correct, exactly yes.
Okay, cadence, what led you toCVA?
What kind of sparked theinterest to be a part of this
(07:20):
program?
Cadence (07:21):
Really COVID, honestly, yeah, yeah.
Fun fact, the last full day ofschool that I went to in person
for was on Friday, the 13th ofMarch 2020.
And now it is Friday the 13th.
Oh, it is.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (07:35):
What Interesting.
Yeah, how about that?
Wow, a circle memory rightthere, wow.
Richie Babb (07:41):
So you walked out on that, covid, when everything
shut down and didn't go back.
Cadence (07:45):
No, I did not go back until this year for the Career
Center.
Right?
So you're at the Career Center.
Richie Babb (07:51):
Yes, okay, oh, that's cool.
So that brings up a good point.
Being in CVA doesn't keep youfrom being able to do some of
these other things, right?
Cadence (07:59):
Not at all it's.
You can still be very flexiblewith your schedule and do it
perfectly.
Matt Graham (08:05):
I love it.
So what's your kind of daylightCadence?
Cadence (08:09):
Well, now I go to the Career Center in the mornings
and then I end up, starts atlike 9.30 and ends at 12.
Then I come home and then I domy work for CVA.
Richie Babb (08:22):
Okay, what are you taking at the Career Center?
Cadence (08:24):
Early childhood education Okay.
Matt Graham (08:26):
Oh wow, how about that?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (08:27):
And just the piggy back off what she was
saying.
That is one of the really coolthings about our program as well
is that students still get theopportunity to really benefit
from all the things at theirzoned home schools.
So they still get to be a partof all the athletics that are
available at their home school,the clubs, the extracurricular
activities.
You very much can still attendprom, you can still go and be a
(08:48):
part of the basketball team, youcan still be a part of the
chess club or NHS, or you canstill, if you're in our K8
program, you can still go on thefield trip.
You can still do all of thosedifferent things that are
happening at your home school.
Just because you've chosen tobe a CVA student doesn't exclude
you from those things.
Richie Babb (09:05):
And are there any limitations to the courses that
are offered through CVA, or canthey take everything that's in
there?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (09:12):
Not everything .
We don't have the flexibilityto offer everything.
Just because of the nature ofour setup and students being
home, we can't exactly offerevery single thing that the
brick and mortar buildings dohave the ability to offer.
But we do have a wide varietyof courses that we are able to
offer.
And to piggyback off that,there is the idea that we get to
(09:33):
offer some of the classes thatsome schools can't offer Because
they just don't have theability to offer that, they
don't have the staffing to offerthat, or the class doesn't make
because they just didn't haveenough students interested in it
.
And so in those instances,particularly with CVA High, we
have a lot of students who willenroll in the class because it's
just not an option in theirhome school, but it is an option
(09:56):
with us.
Richie Babb (09:56):
Right, so you can still.
There's still an opportunity totake, for instance, weighted
classes and all that kind ofstuff.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (10:02):
Yeah, we have our academic classes, honors
classes, AP classes, DE classes.
We offer them all.
Matt Graham (10:08):
Now do some of the teachers that teach CVA.
They're full-time CVA as well.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (10:13):
Absolutely.
We have full-time staff members, and then we also have
part-time staff members as well.
Richie Babb (10:18):
Okay nice, and so every class that you take at CVA
you're getting a ChesapeakePublic Schools teacher.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (10:24):
Yeah, that's probably one of my favorite
things about it is that they'rereal people.
Me too, yeah, they're realChesapeake Public School
teachers that have all been apart of Chesapeake Public
Schools.
Following the Chesapeake PublicSchools curriculum, the
Chesapeake Public School pacingusing Chesapeake Public Schools
Chromebooks, you know,curriculum resources, textbooks,
(10:46):
all of those things we're notusing anything different than
brick and mortar schools areusing.
Matt Graham (10:52):
That's great.
Are there any teachers that youwant to give a shout out to
while you're here.
Cadence that you that you haveenjoyed as being your teacher
for the past couple of years.
Cadence (11:00):
I'd say definitely Mrs Lenny Shirley.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (11:02):
I love her so much I am not surprised Really.
Cadence (11:05):
Yeah, I'm surprised, definitely my best friends at
this point.
I love her for two years.
I love her for both WorldHistory I and II.
She doesn't just teach us, shealso actually talked to us.
So whenever we finished doingour work, she would actually
talk with us and hang out.
So yeah, building thoserelationships yeah if you just
built the relationship up, thatwas me, her and one other
(11:27):
student usually in the class.
Richie Babb (11:29):
Okay.
Do you find that your teachersare very flexible in getting one
on one time, so you're not juststuck out there by yourself?
No, yeah, if you need to meetwith a teacher, you can do that
right.
Cadence (11:40):
I can.
Of course they have like athing can set up on the calendar
.
You can select what time youwant, but you have to do it like
a day ahead at least to givethem heads up saying, hey, I
want to meet on this day at thistime and he'd help with this
assignment or that otherassignment or whatever.
Richie Babb (11:58):
Yeah, that's great.
That is yeah.
I've heard that from a lot ofCVA students that how they
really are buildingrelationships with their
teachers more than they wouldhave had they been in the brick
and mortar school 100%.
Matt Graham (12:11):
Yeah, now, cadence, would you recommend CVA to
others and if so, why would youdo that?
Cadence (12:17):
I definitely would, just because I think it's easier
to learn that way.
You know, you can actuallyfocus on your work more and get
to know your teachers better andthey can help you better,
because it's it's just easier totalk to them and understand
things.
Richie Babb (12:34):
Yeah you've been doing a lot of head nodding
during our conversation, so youseem really enthusiastic about.
Cadence (12:43):
CVA, you seem to really like it, I do, I love it so
much.
I love it.
Wow, great, that's awesome.
Richie Babb (12:50):
Did Dr Jordan tell you to say all these things?
No, Because you couldn't be abetter representative for.
Cadence (12:55):
CVA.
I know, I know I love it somuch and I'm very grateful to
have it in my life.
Richie Babb (13:00):
That's awesome, that is awesome.
So scheduling is coming up.
Is it work so that everystudent that applies gets in, or
there are limited numbers ofseats, so to speak?
Dr. Kelli Jordan (13:13):
Yeah, so there is an application process in
regards to that.
Students will need to fill outthe application that will be
available on our website.
The application process is alittle bit different for K-8
compared to 9-12.
There is no limit in regards tothat.
We don't have like a capacityor something along those lines.
We don't review applicationsand do any acceptance until we
(13:35):
determine that you know we haveenough to have the class make
and staffing needs and things ofthat sort.
But basically, after we'vereceived all the applications,
we review them, buildingadministrations at the
homeschools have approved thembased on the requirements that
are displayed in the applicationand then we go forward from
there.
Yeah.
Richie Babb (13:54):
So you said the K-8 program.
We have kindergartners doingvirtual learning.
Right, we do, it is thesweetest thing ever.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (14:01):
Oh my gosh, they're amazing.
I can tell you that thosekindergartners know how to mute,
they know how to use emojis,they know how to use the chat,
they know how to do polls inGoogle Meets.
That's amazing, that is.
Richie Babb (14:15):
It is really cool.
Matt Graham (14:16):
It's really cool, yep.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (14:19):
They are so tech savvy by week three they
know how to do all the things ina Google Meet that you would
never imagine.
They can navigate Canvas likenobody's business.
It's pretty impressive.
Richie Babb (14:30):
So it won't be too many years before they'll be
kids graduating that neveractually went inside a building
to take classes.
Yeah, when you put it like that, if you think about when they
left with COVID.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (14:40):
Yeah, that would be exactly the case.
Richie Babb (14:42):
Wow, that's crazy.
Starting to get, that is crazy.
Matt Graham (14:45):
Wow, well, this has been.
Richie Babb (14:46):
Very interesting, very lightning, yeah, very
interesting.
Cadence (14:49):
This has been an amazing conversation, yeah.
Matt Graham (14:52):
I mean, and I've definitely learned a ton about
the CVA program just by havingyou all both here, and obviously
there's a huge success storysitting with us with cadence.
Cadence (14:59):
Thank you.
Matt Graham (15:00):
So it has been a pleasure having you all both on
the podcast and sharing allthings CVA with our listeners
and our community.
Is there anything else that youwould like to share or say
about CVA?
I mean, I think it's awesome.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:14):
I think it's a really cool program.
Matt Graham (15:16):
There you go.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:16):
Thank you, I think it's a great opportunity
for families to meet the needsthat they have, and they're all
different kind of unique needs.
It's for students who just wantto be home because of a variety
of medical reasons or justpersonal reasons.
There's all different types ofunique needs that our families
have as to why they're choosingthis option.
Richie Babb (15:38):
Sure.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:38):
I like the fact that we're affording our
families an opportunity to meetthem where they are.
Matt Graham (15:44):
Right.
Dr. Kelli Jordan (15:45):
And it has become a really cool lens on my
side to see and hear the storiesas to why they're choosing our
option and to know thatChesapeake Public Schools has
provided that avenue for themwhere three years ago this
wasn't an option for them.
And to know that I get to be apart of it is really exciting.
But, more importantly, to knowthat students like Cadence have
(16:07):
this opportunity is just reallyawesome.
Cadence (16:10):
Yes, I love it so much.
I think it's very helpful.
This is just a very big help tome, so I thank you for creating
it.
Matt Graham (16:25):
One of the best ways that you can get
notifications from your schoolis to download the Chesapeake
Public Schools app.
You can choose your schoolsthat you'd like to follow and
also receive information fromthe district.
So make sure you download theChesapeake Public Schools app
from the Google Play Store orthe App Store today.
It's Everything Chesapeake inyour pocket.
A big part of our story here atChesapeake Public Schools is
(16:56):
our academies, so we have withus Dr Shonda Windham and
Meredith Strahan to share withus what our academies are all
about here in Chesapeake PublicSchools.
So welcome to the podcast, bothof you.
Meredith Strahan (17:09):
Thank you.
We're happy to be here.
Thank you.
Richie Babb (17:11):
Fantastic and, as you, if you've heard our podcast
, we start off trying to get toknow you a little bit.
Let's start with you, drWindham.
How many years you've been in?
Dr. Shonda Windham (17:17):
Chesapeake.
So this is actually my 24thyear in Chesapeake.
I have a total of 26 years ineducation, varying positions
from teaching to technologyintegration specialists to CTE
supervisor, principal and nowcurrently the director of
college and career readiness.
Richie Babb (17:35):
Yeah, and you have a son who graduated just
graduated, last year, right, Ido.
And what's he doing?
How is his college experience?
Dr. Shonda Windham (17:42):
He is living his best life in college,
unfortunately.
Unfortunately.
I wish he lived a little bitless but nonetheless he is
definitely enjoying his timethere.
Richie Babb (17:55):
Great, don't ask me how I'm doing.
Okay, I can almost see howyou're doing.
Actually, I mean, yeah, now inyour younger son.
What grade is he in?
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:03):
He is currently a junior.
Richie Babb (18:04):
Okay, man.
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:06):
Time flies.
Richie Babb (18:07):
It does, I mean.
I remember when they were likelittle kids.
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:09):
Knee hat to a duck.
Yeah, yeah, basically.
Richie Babb (18:12):
How about you, meredith?
How long have you been ineducation?
Meredith Strahan (18:14):
Well, this is my 17th year.
I'm actually a career switcher,so I was in hospitality prior
to coming into education, so abig shift.
Whenever I came into educationBefore I was the governor's STEM
Academy coordinator I was theavid coordinator and avid
elective teacher at Oscar SmithHigh School.
Richie Babb (18:34):
Okay, great.
So, we are here to talk aboutacademies, and I think that's
something that people have heardabout and maybe don't know a
whole lot about.
So what are the academies andhow do they work in Chesapeake?
Dr. Shonda Windham (18:47):
So we have three specialized academies in
Chesapeake.
We have the governor's STEMAcademy, which is Meredith's
Academy.
We also have the IB Academy atOscar Smith High School, as well
as the Science and MedicineAcademy at Deep Creek High
School, and so basically thesethree academies serve all
(19:08):
students in Chesapeake.
So we take in students from allseven high schools.
The Academy School becomestheir home school and the
students are providedtransportation from their homes
to the academy that they havebeen accepted into.
Richie Babb (19:22):
Okay, what's the whole concept behind having
academies?
I mean, because I'm assumingthey're taking courses that
they're not having.
There's not enough interest forthem to be offered in their
high schools, right?
So we're concentrating sort ofadvanced classes or very
specific classes that youwouldn't necessarily take or be
able to take in your home school.
(19:43):
To concentrate, in other words,right.
Meredith Strahan (19:44):
That's exactly it.
We're looking for students whoare highly interested and highly
motivated in whatever academythey plan to attend, and so our
classes are specialized.
They're only offered within theacademy.
They have other components totheir classes as well, from
field trips to final projectsand culminating experiences, but
(20:05):
they're definitely highlyspecialized for people who
really want an in-depthexperience in that particular
area.
Matt Graham (20:12):
Great, and so you're the coordinator of the
STEM Academy right.
So can you tell us a little bitabout that?
Meredith Strahan (20:19):
Sure.
So the STEM Academy atGrassfield has three different
pathways.
So when students apply to theGovernor's STEM Academy, they
are either interested inlearning more about engineering
and technology, programming andsoftware development, or global
entrepreneurship and technology,and so they take six classes
within six elective classes,within their pathway and to
(20:41):
really get a full education inthat particular subject area.
Richie Babb (20:46):
So they go there for all four years a high school
right.
Meredith Strahan (20:49):
They do.
They go all four years.
So if they're in the Governor'sSTEM Academy, they are a
Grassfield Grizzly and they area different Fully engaged, like
they could do the sports and allthat.
Yes, music, anything.
They are there.
They are Grassfield, Grizzlyand they're bleeding red, white
and blue.
Richie Babb (21:03):
Yeah, and you find, like my daughter went to the IB
Academy at Oscar Smith, and youfind that those Academy kids
get very involved in theirschool.
They do Like, frequently, yourstudent government people, a lot
of the people in sports, thepeople that are heavily involved
are a lot of times theseAcademy students.
So and I'll point that outbecause I don't want it to sound
(21:24):
like that the Academy kids gointo a high school and they're
segregated and they're notreally part of the school.
They really are part of theschool.
Dr. Shonda Windham (21:32):
They absolutely are 100%.
Matt Graham (21:34):
Yeah, I used to coach tennis for Grassfield back
in the days and I had a few ofthose Academy kids and they
played on our team.
But yes, they were in SCA,fully in it and just loving it.
Richie Babb (21:46):
So I want you to know this is about our fourth
podcast we've recorded and Matthas been able to work in the
word tennis in every singlepodcast.
Matt Graham (21:54):
That's right.
He was able to get that inEvery time.
Every time.
You gotta find a way, man,every time.
Richie Babb (22:01):
So we hear about students in some courses getting
industry credentials to go outinto the world of work.
Do we have those at the STEMAcademy?
Do students get those?
Meredith Strahan (22:09):
Absolutely.
Students have lots ofopportunities to get industry
credentials.
One of the brand new ones thatthey're gonna have this year is
project management, and I meanthat is hot in the world today
for just about everybody.
So our senior capstoneleadership class, those students
are going to take the projectmanagement certification this
(22:30):
fall.
So pretty exciting.
Richie Babb (22:31):
Wow, that's exciting.
Matt Graham (22:32):
That's awesome.
Richie Babb (22:33):
So you mentioned, like the paths within the STEM
Academy a little while ago.
I don't wanna just brush bythem.
If you go through those with meagain, that'd be great.
Meredith Strahan (22:40):
Sure, absolutely.
So.
Starting with engineering, ourstudents take two foundation
courses one in ninth grade, onein 10th grade.
It focuses a lot on robotics,so it's pretty cool.
Then they take aerospaceengineering.
We have a great flightsimulator.
Hi have to say that I've neverbeen able to get off the ground.
Matt Graham (22:59):
But the student oh, I'm coming to Grassfield Well
is.
Some of that too was showcasedat the air show recently.
Meredith Strahan (23:05):
Absolutely Well we didn't have our big
flight simulator out there, butwe did have our smaller ones,
but we do have a full surroundone that we can program.
Like take off from NorfolkInternational Airport and you
need to land in Richmond or inNew York.
They take civil engineering aswell and electrical engineering,
and then all of the pathwayshave a capstone course and
(23:26):
there's they're given a budget,they have to solve a problem,
they come up with prototypes andthey present in programming.
The students take a computerscience course and they're
working with VR headsets andcreating video games.
And then our globalentrepreneurship students are
taking entrepreneurshipleadership development.
They're also taking marketingclasses and global commerce
(23:49):
classes, so they are ready to go.
Richie Babb (23:51):
Are they beating down your door over there at the
STEM Academy?
It sounds like they would be,to say the least.
Meredith Strahan (23:57):
Yeah, I mean we really try to get out there
and connect with the students atall levels.
I think one of the coolfeatures of it is that every
class has their own specificfield trip, and so we go out all
the time.
I am actually laugh, because Idrive that activity bus like
it's nobody's business and Ieven have, and that's not a
(24:17):
simulator either.
Richie Babb (24:18):
No, it's not.
Meredith Strahan (24:20):
Yeah, good for you, I actually have a
chauffeur hat that I do wearoccasionally to liven it up a
bit.
Matt Graham (24:27):
That's awesome.
Now, Dr Windham, can you tellus a little bit about the
Science and Medicine Academy andthe IB program?
Dr. Shonda Windham (24:34):
Yeah, absolutely so.
As Meredith just shared, theacademies are highly sought
after by our students.
One of the perks of being inthe IB program is the potential
to obtain an internationallycredentialed diploma, which
means these students can applyto universities and colleges
across the globe.
(24:54):
Additionally, they can earncollege credit from their
coursework From ninth to 12thgrade.
The students are co-ordered,meaning they have their IB
classes together with other IBstudents and they develop very
strong relationships with oneanother.
On the flip side of that, wehave the Science and Medicine
Academy.
They have wonderful communitypartners from Chesapeake
(25:16):
Regional to EVMS, chkd, odu,allowing the juniors and seniors
the opportunity to job shadowand intern in the Hampton Rose
community.
So we're very grateful forthose partners.
They definitely help to beef upthe program.
Richie Babb (25:32):
Yeah, no doubt.
Meredith Strahan (25:33):
And the cool part about all three of the
academies is we really docollaborate a lot and sometimes
we'll go on field tripsaltogether All together yeah,
okay, I'm going to say itthey're great All together, All
together.
Richie Babb (25:44):
All together.
Meredith Strahan (25:45):
Airplane, but so the students really have that
opportunity to collaborate andto really work together.
Last night we had our firstAcademy night at Indian River
Middle and we all had studentrepresentation and it was so
neat to see the students go.
Oh hey, you know, I rememberyou from middle school and all
(26:07):
in their different academies.
Matt Graham (26:08):
So tell us about that Academy information.
Meredith Strahan (26:10):
Yes.
So we tried to make sure thatwe hit every single student and
family, and so have eight, hadeight family parent nights
planned at all of the differentschools, as well, as there will
be a virtual opportunity comingup on the 30th of November as
well, in case you want to listenin your pajamas, which I
totally get.
So that the families have thatopportunity to really find out
(26:34):
what's going on in Chesapeake.
Okay, right.
Richie Babb (26:37):
So I have an eighth grader.
Let's say I'm fortunate that Ido not.
But let's say I have an eighthgrader and I hear this and I'm
like man, you need to go to oneof those academies.
What do they need to do?
What's the process?
Meredith Strahan (26:49):
So that's actually really easy.
The application itself opens upon December the 1st.
It'll be on the division'swebsite as well as on all three
of the school's websites for thestudents to go to.
They just need to open up thatapplication and apply.
The application itself is supersimple.
Now the more difficult part isthe assessments that they'll
(27:10):
take in late January, early tolate January and early February.
Each one of us have severalSaturday testing dates, and so
the students choose from thosedates and then they will come in
and they will complete theirassessment.
Matt Graham (27:22):
And if you're that eighth grader, maybe thinking of
multiple academies, do theyhave the ability to apply to
more than one?
Dr. Shonda Windham (27:29):
Yes, they can, so the application lends
itself to do that.
Meredith Strahan (27:33):
They can select one, two or all three and
be considered for each academyIf you have an interest, we want
you to apply, we want you to bea part of any one of the
academies.
They are all excellentopportunities.
They're all designed tochallenge you, they're all
designed to motivate you, and Ipersonally kind of take it on as
(27:54):
a challenge, as I am your verygodmother.
We sit down and try to make allof your dreams come true,
whatever that is for their nextenrolled and listed service
academy, employed from day one.
So we work very, very hard allof us do to make sure every
student has an amazingexperience.
Richie Babb (28:14):
So it's tough for you to remember whether to wear
your fairy godmother hat or yourchauffeur hat.
Dr. Shonda Windham (28:19):
A lot of hat , a lot of glitter, a lot of
glitter, right, right.
Matt Graham (28:27):
Thank you for listening to this episode of
Amplify the Chesapeake PublicSchools podcast.
If you are interested in any ofthese programs, please visit
cpschoolscom to learn more today, or to even apply and make sure
that you follow Amplify theChesapeake Public Schools
podcast wherever you listen toyour podcasts.
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