Manassas Park Set to Have Largest—and Smallest—Graduations in History Today

Manassas Park High School is set to have both its largest and amazingly—its smallest— graduation ceremonies in history today, as more than 150 seniors pass through the school’s gymnasium one last time as students.

 One-hundred and seventy nine graduates are expected to receive their diplomas during a commencement ceremony at 9:59 a.m., the largest graduating class ever, Manassas Park City Schools Superintendent Dr. Bruce McDade told City Council earlier in the week.

 In an amazing stroke of irony, the school will also graduate its smallest class ever later on in the evening when a second commencement ceremony is held for four seniors who will be competing miles away in the school’s first state soccer championship.  The championship game takes place at the exact same time as the morning graduation ceremony, McDade said.

 It can be said with certainty that the class of 2011 has had an eventful and celebratory year in more than one arena with the great successes of its sports teams and academic team.

 But getting the students through the school year and to this momentous day wasn’t an easy feat for the administrators and educators charged with the task, as the school division’s educational path was thwart with setbacks such as budget cuts and furloughs for staff, the latter being the first of the system’s kind.

 Administrators have repeatedly said they strive to have the correct tools and funding to meet the demands of educating a growing and highly diverse school division while preparing students for graduation and beyond.

 Educating a Diverse Population

 Although diversity is welcomed and is what sets Manassas Park apart from other school systems, it also presents administrators with an unique challenge.

About 44 percent of students in the district are Hispanic, with more than 28 percent classified as English learners, according to 2010-2011 Manassas Park City Schools data.

 More than 42 languages are spoken in the homes of Manassas Park students.

 “We embrace it (diversity) with our arms wide open. We think the opportunity to have the students learn from one another is huge for students,” Manassas Park Middle School Principal Eric Neff said in an interview earlier this year.

 Ten years ago when he was the principal of Manassas Park High and Neff, was his assistant principal, it was a totally different story, McDade said.

 McDade said he remembers looking out over the cafeteria at lunch times and seeing two tables of Hispanic students all sitting together—then a minority in the midst of the student body.

 “Now its completely different,” McDade said. “We’ve gone from two tables to roughly 44 percent being Hispanic. We’ve kept up (and) we’ve proud of it and we embrace it.”

 According to U.S. Census Data, the city of Manassas Park has the highest percentage of foreign-born people in the Commonwealth with 30.9 percent.

 McDade fits right in with the demographic of Manassas Park, as he was born in Nova Scotia, a Canadian province.

The superintendent came to the U.S. to pursue a Master’s and then a doctorate degree which he earned from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

 He held work visas, student visas and finally a green card for years, he said. That changed this school year when he and his wife were naturalized as U.S. citizens, McDade said.

 His being a Canadian helped him form a communion with his students, McDade said.

 “ …  When I was the principal at the high school, if we had kids that were struggling, like some Latino young men, I felt that I could connect in a way that others couldn’t. We would have conversations and I would show them my green card and share my story and my pursuit of the American Dream,” McDade said. 

 “ I would tell them, ‘Education is a ticket to a better life.' I had creditability; that’s where kids will connect with you—if you’ve got creditability, they will listen to you. And you know word gets around—they knew I wasn’t an American. And I struck a cord with them when we had those conversations.”

 In the schools all the different cultures and backgrounds seem to mesh well, Pam Burkhalter, assistant principal of Manassas Park Middle School said in an interview earlier this year.

 “Everybody seems to have a nice appreciation of different groups and perspectives and is really willing to learn some of the cultural aspects of what they bring to the table,” Burkhalter said. “It’s cool to see the different backgrounds. It’s an appreciation of diversity and a celebration of it, really.”

 With celebration comes struggle, as many students find it difficult to grasp the English language.

 More than 28 percent of the students in the division are classified as English learners, according to data.

Others have conversational fluency, but lack the academic skills they need.

 The school division employs English As A Second Language (ESL) teachers who work with such students on a daily basis.

 ESL teachers build a comfort level with the students that help them communicate in a variety of different ways, she said.

 Languages barriers don’t stop faculty from communicating with parents who may not speak English, as other students and even custodians have even been used to help translate, Neff said.

 Administrators said Manassas Park schools help their students reach graduation in other ways besides catering to diversity.

 Neff said they begin preparing students in middle school for college and beyond through the open enrollment program, which allows any student to take a higher grade level class.

 For example, seventh graders are able to take algebra, he said.

 “That would set them up for geometry as an eighth grader … there is the opportunity to gain high school credits,” Neff said. “We don’t just (limit that to students) with A-averages; if a child wants to attempt it and they think they can be successful, then they can. That starts the process of them thinking about the transcript and getting them ready for college.”