Saint Clair Evans students overcome odds; improve school grade to a B

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Saint Clair Evans Academy is in the heart of Moncrief and just yards from the neighborhood's welcome sign.

The elementary school is home to more than 400 students, and 93% of them are African American. It's also in the 32209 ZIP code, an area that's seen its share of economic challenges and crime.

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In April, a shooting nearby sent bullets flying toward the elementary school. At least one of the bullets went through the window of a classroom full of third graders.

No one was hurt, but they were shaken up. The shooting happened within an hour of students wrapping up state exams for the day. Action News Jax anchor Tenikka Hughes recently sat down with Principal Lawanda Polydore.

"I can't say that it wasn't traumatic, but we had to understand we had to keep everyone safe and just get back to business and that's educating students," Polydore said.

She said the school had to get back to business because the students still faced another day of testing, which the state later allowed them to postpone for a few days.

"We just loved on them for the next couple of days and let them know it was OK, but they still had work to do," Polydore said.

Then, her students finished the task they had worked toward all year. In July, state school grades revealed Saint Clair Evans Academy went from a D to a B.

Polydore described the moment when they learned the news: "Lots of screaming and dancing like we practiced in our faculty meeting, because we knew we were going to move up and all of my faculty and staff practiced for the celebration," she said.

Assistant Principal Katreci Seals said parents also played a key role in the improvement.

"They really showed up this year and their involvement had a really huge impact on us getting that B, so despite the area we are in, we do have parents who care and that are involved," Seals said.

After the bullets, the school's students earned a B, after the bullets.

"I knew they had it in them and they knew they had it. Teachers knew they could do it so it was just a matter of showing everybody else," Polydore said.

In many ways, their effort was symbolic of the resilience and determination Polydore and her staff said they know their students will need to rise above the circumstances and challenges they face beyond the school walls.

"I try to instill in them that this is the way you can get out of some of the societal issues," Polydore said. "You have to know how to read. You have to learn. You don't have an option. Our slogan is ‘Eagles never give up.'"

Former student Tytionna Thomas, who came back to the school to volunteer for the summer, said that message still motivates her.

Thomas said, "It doesn't matter where you come from. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, where come from. You have to change the place you're in. You have to show them and prove them wrong."

The school is celebrating but the principal said it still has work to do.

Saint Clair Evans is on the list of the state's 300 lowest-performing elementary schools, based on a three-year average of points for language arts and learning gains.

Polydore said the school plans to get off that list by doing what it did this past school year, which includes its Blue Million Word reading initiative.

Polydore said the school will also incorporate some new reading and math resources from the district superintendent, Dr. Diana Greene.

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Cox Media Group