Learn about magnet choices before the fair

Learn about magnet choices before the fair

Choosing a magnet school can be overwhelming for Wake County parents, and if you wait until Saturday's magnet fair to find the program that best suits your child's needs, you're already running behind.

Before you head to the fair at Southeast Raleigh High School, start by considering the instructional themes available, including creative arts and sciences, gifted and talented, international studies, international baccalaureate, leadership, Montessori, museums, university connections, center for leadership and technology, and year-round schools.

Check out the various programs and schools online at www.wcpss.net/magnet or visit the Magnet Resource Center at 1600 E. Millbrook Road in Raleigh, which also offers monthly magnet sessions. That way, you can begin to figure out how the system works and how the programs differ.

At the fair, be prepared for a crowded scene, or what Marjorie Salzman, the magnet program coordinator at Ligon Middle School, describes as a "high-volume, high-energy festival of all the magnet schools have to offer."

As you enter the school, you will find tables for transportation and student assignment. Recruiters from the 35 magnet programs and 20 year-round schools will be there. It might remind first-timers of a scene from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," with joyful noises coming from videos, student work that includes robotics, people racing around in colorful outfits and onstage performances.

To make it easier to locate the various programs, the schools are divided into levels and clustered by program type. In the gymnasium, you'll find the elementary school programs. The cafeteria will host the middle and high-school programs. Year-round school displays can be found in the hallways.

Take notes, and talk to as many people as you can. Ask for the contact information for the PTA, transportation schedules and information on school open-house sessions.

Be sure to involve your child in the process. Before our boys entered kindergarten, we briefly considered a year-round program. At the time, we felt the academic ground the children might lose over a long summer break could be detrimental.

As we discussed the options with our children, they agreed to regular study sessions at home over the summer. Deciding on a school with a traditional calendar gave us more flexibility with summer art programs and time for a summer swim team.

As our older son approached high school, he became interested in Southeast Raleigh High's leadership and technology program. He believed the architecture and computer courses there would help him on his career path.

It was surprising to discover the simplicity of the magnet application process. He didn't have to take any tests to prove he was academically gifted. While the magnet application process is a lottery, we thought our son's chance of being allowed to go to Southeast Raleigh was good because his grades were high; he was assigned to an overcrowded school, Green Hope; and his socio-economic background would help balance Southeast Raleigh.

The rejection letter surprised us. Our son knew he could appeal the decision, but first he wanted to review his priorities and visit Green Hope to get a better idea of how it differed from Southeast Raleigh. Once he took into account the long drive to Southeast Raleigh, Green Hope's excellent marching-band program and the school's academic strength, he decided to go there instead. He has been happy with his choice.

That's what the magnet system gave him: a choice.

High school students who want a more rigorous academic environment with an emphasis on international studies might thrive at Enloe, which offers an International Baccalaureate diploma program.

Middle-school students who want to explore real-world issues and interact with college professors may find the Centennial Campus theme a good fit.

For elementary students, it may be more difficult to select a program that best suits a child's emerging gifts and talents. Magnet elementary programs offer opportunities for a diverse learning environment with a variety of teaching approaches, such as Montessori, and expanded curriculum offerings, such as the emphasis on creative arts and science at Bugg.

Magnet schools have their shortcomings. Children can be on the bus much longer than if they attend the neighborhood school, and the future of the magnet system is uncertain.

While it's here, though, parents should take advantage of the education choice they're given.

(Liza Weidle is vice president of the Wake County PTA Council. She can be reached at familyfilter@nc.rr.com or http://home.nc.rr.com/lizaweidle.)