Eleven Virginia Beach schools will participate in the second annual Realizing the Dream summit, an event designed to help equip and inspire African American male students with the tools and determination necessary to succeed in school. The summit, which also will honor the great civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and President-elect Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, is scheduled to take place at Tallwood High School on Saturday,
January 17 from 7:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Registration begins at 7 a.m.

The goal of the Realizing the Dream second annual summit is to prepare students for academic and personal success through a series of workshops that will stress academic preparation, accomplishment, community service, self-awareness and development of productive relationships with teachers, to name a few.

Tallwood High School Principal Jobynia Caldwell planned and  hosted the first summit at her school last year in response to the Virginia Beach School Board's goal of improving the academic performance of African American males. Additionally, schools across the city implemented strategies to help meet that goal. Progress has been made on many fronts. The School Board recently received a progress report, Improving the Academic Performance of African American Males , which is now posted on the school division's Web site, vbschools.com on the "School Data/Research" page.

For this year's summit, Tallwood will be joined by students from Green Run, Kempsville, and Salem high schools and Virginia Beach Central Academy as well as Brandon, Kempsville, Larkspur, Plaza and Salem middle schools and the Center for Effective Learning. It is estimated that approximately 1,350 students will receive an invitation.

"Tallwood High School is very pleased to partner with 10 other schools to host the Realizing the Dream summit," Caldwell said. "Virginia Beach schools recognize the need to provide targeted resources and services to students so they can reach their potential in the classroom and move successfully toward graduation and even beyond. We believe the summit's workshops will help provide a fine blueprint for these students' academic and personal lives. We are particularly excited that the students will see firsthand that success is within their grasp, especially when the summit honors both the late Dr. Martin Luther King and President-elect Barack Obama, two African American males who overcame obstacles to achieve greatness."

Among those participating in the summit are the Rev. Todd C. Davidson, a member of the Virginia Beach School Board and senior pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. Reverend Davidson will be the event's keynote speaker. He is a former teacher, coach, and Dean of Students for the Norfolk Public Schools. Affiliated with several education and ministerial organizations, Davidson holds a master of divinity degree from Virginia Union University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and elementary education from the College of William and Mary. He is pursuing a doctorate of education from William
and Mary.

The Realizing the Dream summit also will feature a workshop designed for parents, which will provide parents with information about academic programs and services. Parents will also have the opportunity to offer suggestions for continuous improvement of those programs and services.

At the conclusion of the presentations students can mark the historic election of Obama by writing congratulatory letters which will be mailed prior to his inauguration.