Every Monday, the vibrant notes of music waft through the entrance of Beechfield Elementary/Middle School, welcoming students as they step into the building. A DJ enthusiastically greets the kids, joined by a chorus of welcoming adults. There’s dancing, there’s echoes of greetings, but mostly, there’s an abundance of positive energy.
At Beechfield, the welcome dance celebration is part of a focus on community and student wholeness that has led to an increase in academic performance, as reflected on the Maryland Report Card. The report card uses star ratings, a measurement tool that uses state assessments, surveys, and other data to determine academic progress and school climate. So, what sparked this positive transformation? The answer lies in a dedicated focus on student wholeness. For Baltimore City Public Schools, wholeness signifies an environment where students are inspired to pursue their passions and achieve their full potential. This is made possible through engaging, safe, and supportive surroundings that cater to students’ academic, social, emotional, and physical needs.
The best way to start? Building relationships.
“Principal Carideo is like the mayor of Beechfield,” Kelly Wilhelm, Assistant Principal, said. She’s the mayor of three buildings and over 700 students and their families. You can tell as she walks the hall that the students respond to her as a trusted adult. Everyone at Beechfield we spoke to talked about the school as a community, and as a family, a feeling some didn’t have before implementing some of these wholeness practices.”
Principal Carideo implemented restorative practices as one of the first measures, replacing the previously unbalanced disciplinary approach. Wilhelm emphasized the effectiveness of training teachers and staff in these practices, which encourage reflection on the impact of actions and aim to restore relationships. Students, especially older ones, delve into real-life court cases to understand the consequences of their behavior.
Restorative practices have been embraced by both staff and students, as evident in the transformed school environment. Principal Carideo, addressing over 700 students by name, actively engages with them during her travels through the halls. When a student deviates from the rules, her question is, "What am I going to say," prompting immediate self-correction from every student observed during our brief visit.
Finding the cause of some behavior was also key. The staff actively listens to students’ needs, and that has led to additional services such as a washer/dryer on campus for students to do laundry if needed, changing the school uniforms from khaki pants to black pants, and offering free haircuts.
They also worked on social-emotional learning. Teaching skills are part of every morning announcement, plus the wholeness specialist Scott Paynter will go into classrooms to teach specific concepts and help students work through the skills. On our visit, one student was asked “what strategy are you going to use to calm?” The student immediately took several deep breaths.
A big part of wholeness is the idea that the school helps students find their passions and the pathways born from them. To this end, Beechfield started implementing after-school clubs and middle school sports. “There was nothing,” Wilhelm said. “Now we do clubs and are looking to do more, like start a graphic design club where students can learn to make t-shirts.”
Sparking those passions also means exposure to different environments. The school hosts Broadway Show trips for older students who meet academic, attendance, and behavior metrics. They also arranged college tours, and a group of eighth-grade students flew to Costa Rica in May.
This relationship building doesn’t stop with students; families are an important part of the community building at Beechfield. “Parents like to see the principal,” Principal Carideo said. The school does bi-weekly Zoom meetings for parents and guardians called “Beachful Buzz.” When some of the older guardians couldn’t navigate the technology and the late night, they offered the same meeting in person during drop off to accommodate their needs.
Principal Carideo is also quick to point to her staff as a big reason they were able to increase their star rating. There’s little turnover at Beechfield, with most of the staff staying with Carideo the entire seven years she’s been there. “Buy-in from the staff was key. We had to work together to improve,” Carideo said. “And accountability. We start with the data, and I hold my staff accountable for it. One hundred percent of your paycheck is because you’re responsible for these student’s education.”
“I think the biggest thing I took away from this process is how long it takes to see improvement,” Principal Carideo said. “We had to really deep dive into the data. And understand what the goals were. And then check in with teachers to see what they needed to be successful.” One of the needs? A paraeducator. “Every grade level also has a paraeducator,” Principal Carideo said. “It frees teachers up to plan lessons. And it gives students the support they may need.” Pre-K through second-grade classrooms have an individual paraeducator, and the higher-grade bands share one paraeducator for small-group instruction. The team started with a strong focus on pre-K through first-grade English Language Arts and reading. “If you can’t read, you can’t do a lot educationally.” Thanks to strategic training for teachers and pushing for teachers to understand the curriculum, they’ve seen gains in literacy and are now focusing on math proficiency.
Beechfield’s remarkable transformation serves as a testament to the power of prioritizing student wholeness and fostering strong relationships within the school community. Through visionary leadership, restorative practices, and a commitment to addressing students' holistic needs, Beechfield has not only improved its Maryland Report Card star rating but has also created a vibrant, positive, and inclusive environment. Principal Carideo's emphasis on accountability, coupled with the dedicated efforts of the staff, has laid the foundation for academic success. By continually adapting and evolving strategies, Beechfield remains focused on cultivating a culture that supports both social/emotional well-being and academic growth. The school's journey underscores the profound impact that investing in the comprehensive well-being of students has on students’ overall success.