ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Over the last few years, Elizabeth City Middle School has undergone some major changes. At one point it was considered a low-performing school.
In 2017, there were more than 1,000 office referrals. One year, later that number was pretty much cut in half and now there are about 250 of them.
The reason is the result of a model that helps de-escalate conflict and creates real conversations with the students.
J'Vonn Davis is a 6th-grade science teacher. He says over the last few years, there was a lot more conflicts instead of conversations within the school.
Today, Davis and the other teachers have good relationships with the students.
Delishia Moore took on the role of principal in 2017. She tells News 3 she wanted to reverse the number of students who were being sent to the office.
Moore said, at first, the school underwent methods to tackle trauma among the students and teachers.
"We had to start teaching our kids about what do you do when you're upset and giving them, some coping skills with how to do that," she said.
Ervine Jones, the behavior specialist for the school, says it's critical teachers treat how a student acts and reacts to conflict as a language. This means taking students out of a classroom setting and allowing them space in another room to decompress and essentially talk out their feelings with a teacher.
As a school with mostly a Black demographic, Jones said what's also helped, for this school specifically, is having teachers who not only understand the kids on a psychological level but on a personal level.
Today, there are 14 male black teachers in the school. which is more than any other school in the district. Jones believes it's made a big difference in establishing trust and a mutual understanding between a student and a teacher.
"Many of the teachers we have can relate to many of these kids. There's a handful of them who grew up without a father figure," Jones said. "So, we got together and say hey we understand the importance of having a strong male in your life. So, we have become that substitute that gives them a little encouragement a little nudge just something positive in their life."
School district leaders say it's also made a difference in how the kids behave academically. As the grades go up, the school district wants to use this model for other schools.
"Elizabeth City Middle School had one of the highest growth indicators of every school in the northeast region," said Superintendent Keith Parker. "I think that speaks to the fact when the kids have a positive relationship with their teacher, they excel."
The school said many of the teachers have formed outside-of-school relationships with the kids, some even attending recitals and after-school activities as well as mentoring beyond school hours.
Principal Moore said this attention to the children has inspired them, all because they have been shown the affection of a friend and even a father figure.
