Heeding the call of a Virginia Beach School Board goal, Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach will host a Living the Dream summit for African American male students who attend Tallwood High and neighboring Brandon Middle School next month.

Tallwood High’s ninth- and 10th-graders and eighth-graders from Brandon Middle are being invited to attend the Living the Dream summit on Saturday, January 19 at Tallwood, located at 1668 Kempsville Road. Registration will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held the following Saturday, January 26.

At its retreat this summer, the School Board included a goal of improving the academic performance of African American males as a part of its School Board Program of Work for 2007-2008. Under the plan, other Board goals include developing a new strategic plan to guide the school division from 2009 to 2015; accomplishing improvements in special education and the elementary teacher workday; and other initiatives.

Following registration, students will be motivated to excel in their academic careers after hearing a panel composed of African American educators from the school division, as well as other accomplished black men from the community, discuss the academic and personal challenges they overcame to become successful in their professions.

To further inspire students towards scholastic achievement, the summit will also offer sessions focusing on advice on being well prepared for examinations such as SOLs and the SATs; building effective relationships with teachers; using technology to improve tests scores; the importance of enrolling in rigorous courses; and how to deal with peer pressure.

The summit will end with a panel of selected Tallwood High African American male upperclassman sharing their advice and experiences on being successful in school as a black male student.

“ Tallwood High School is very proud to be a leading participant in the School Board Program of Work for 2007-2008 goal that aims to close the achievement gap for African American males in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools,” said Jobynia Caldwell, principal of Tallwood High. “Although Tallwood High’s administration and faculty and staff have always ranked individual achievement as a top priority for all Tallwood High students, we are extremely cognizant of the present priority to equip our African American male students with the proper educational tools and information to close the disparity between them and better performing student demographical groups. Giving these students what they need to effectively progress on the same level as their peers is the aim of the Living the Dream summit. This event is purposely being held close to the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose dream included a vision of educational equality for all. We want our African American males to live Dr. King’s dream.”