Western Academy at the Neblett held its launch celebration Saturday morning at the H.L. Neblett Community Center. Students participating in the program were given an introduction to what the program would hold for them.
Western Academy is Owensboro’s first of its kind, with a goal to close the academic achievement gap among black males in the Owensboro Public Schools district. The 21 students in this year’s pilot program will meet at the academy every other Saturday. These 4th-6th graders are expected to show up for each session, where they’ll be taught two hours worth of project-based curriculum, a “power story” presented by a black male who will share his success and curriculum that will focus on reading, math, robotics and STEM.
At Saturday’s launch, Owensboro High School Coach Rod Drake sought to inspire the students at Western Academy.
“Fifteen years from now, you’ll look back over this [moment] and realize you were the first ones to be a part of this program,” Drake said.
Drake said he had three rules for his basketball players at OHS, “Be on time to practice, focus during practice, and “don’t do anything that’s going to put the team, or yourself, in jeopardy.”
“You need to turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones,” he said. “Everybody’s path to where you want to be is going to be different.”
Drake said he didn’t become a teacher until he was 46 years old, and that each of the Western Academy students needed to “stay in their lane,” and that, with a little focus, their lives could be changed.
In 2015, Drake said, several members of his basketball team decided to quit the team one night. OHS went on to win the state championship that year. On the last day of school, some of those guys approached Drake and expressed their regret for having quit the team.
“They were selfish,” he said. “It was all about themselves. You have to stay focused. Don’t worry about what’s going on around you.”
Martiza Meeks, site coordinator for Western Academy, said a strategic planning team had been implemented for the academy, consisting of individuals from OPS and the Neblett Center.
“I work with parents, students, teachers at OPS,” she said. “School counselors will be communicating with me regarding our scholars. Even though they’re only here two Saturdays a month, I’ll know everything that’s going on with them at school.”
Meeks said students were chosen for the academy for a variety of reasons. Some struggle academically, while others struggle in social aspects.
Different field trips taken by Western Academy scholars will include the Muhammad Ali Center, Kentucky Kingdom, the Louisville Slugger Museum and the Louisville Zoo.
“We want to drive them toward their purpose,” she said. “We’re excited because our program curriculum is driven around our end-of-the-year trips. There’s a disconnection between what they’re learning, and what’s for real. They’re learning, but they think they have no use for it. We want to show them the connections between what they learn, and what’s out there in the real world.”
