Schools target development role

The pool of people involved in the redevelopment of several Charlottesville public housing sites is about to get much bigger, thanks to a new course at Charlottesville High School.

The Charlottesville school division is creating a new program within the high school — dubbed the 21st Century Learning program — that is designed for students to work with community organizations and local leaders to get hands-on experience. The program will offer two courses, one in urban design and a summer enrichment preparatory course that will serve as a prerequisite.

High school administrators hope to partner with the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority to engage students in the redevelopment process of many of the city’s public housing sites.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg with courses that could be taught in this way,” said Thomas Taylor, the high school’s principal.

City officials are currently planning the redevelopment of Charlottesville’s deteriorating public housing sites, most of which were built in the 1980s and 1990s.

The course, which the School Board approved Thursday along with nine other new courses for next year, will be available to all students and particularly targeted toward rising 10th-graders.

But the division hopes that at least 60 percent of students enrolled live at one of the city’s 11 public housing sites. Taylor said a sizeable number of the division’s students live in the city’s 376 public housing units, and these courses would allow them to learn about urban design and shape their homes’ future.

“The idea is an even-handed majority of students, because there is a personal stake with this particular project,” he said.

The course proposal grew from an informal discussion Tuesday among Taylor; division Superintendent Rosa S. Atkins; Gertrude Ivory, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction; board Chairman Ned Michie; and board member Kathy Galvin, who serves on the housing authority’s redevelopment committee.

“I can’t get over the fact that this has happened in the last 48 hours,” Galvin said, referring to how quickly the course proposal came together.

Board member Juandiego Wade said it was good to broaden the base of people involved in such a large project for the city.

“We’re used to seeing the same crowd [at meetings],” Wade said.

The idea to engage students is something that parallels the resident involvement goals of Joy Johnson, vice chairwoman of the Public Housing Association of Residents board and a Westhaven resident. Johnson said she plans to get anyone she can involved in the public housing site redevelopment process — whether or not they’re the head of the house.

“Once those kids hook onto what their rights are and what their parents’ rights are, and how they can contribute to the process, they’re going to take it and run with it,” said Johnson, who has lived at Westhaven since 1983. “I’m just one, but that’s what I intend to do.”