Gloucester's Lebel Puts Foot Into Soccer and Academics

For Gloucester resident P.J. Lebel, soccer is much more than a temporary diversion from his middle school studies.

PJ Lebel drills a shot for his Baystars FC U-13 squad

Not that his studies are causing concern. Lebel, a straight “A” student last year at Peasley Middle School, was recently inducted into the National Junior Honor Society and is getting prepared to take Geometry as a rising eighth grader at Page Middle. Math is his favorite subject, mainly because of the challenge it presents.

“It’s pretty hard,” says the 13-year old.

But, as the captain and center midfielder for the Baystars FC U-13 Riptides team, Lebel, who has played soccer since age four, has made the sport a yearlong endeavor. Over the past year, he participated in fall, winter and spring leagues with the Riptides, a team that is coached by his father Pete Lebel.

Founded in 1991, the Baystars FC was originated to promote and develop youth soccer on the Middle Peninsula. With ten teams and over 150 players, the Baystars are a traveling team which represents players between the ages of 8-18 from the Gloucester region in the Virginia Soccer League (VSL). The VSL hosts over 320 teams and 4,500 players from the southeast sector of Virginia (and N.C.’s Outer Banks), making it the fourth largest league in the state.

“We are looking for players from the Gloucester area who are interested in playing (soccer) in high school and college,” said coach Lebel. Speaking to the credentials of the Baystars network he adds, “All of the coaches in our organization have (certification) licenses to coach youth soccer. We are committed to educating young people about the importance of sportsmanship and fellowship while providing a high quality soccer experience that will give them a strong foundation to build upon.”

The spring season was particularly memorable, as the Riptides finished undefeated (6-0-2) and won their division. As a capstone, Lebel, the team’s leader in assists, was nominated by his teammates to represent their team at the first annual VSL East-West Showcase last month, a match which was won by his East squad 3-2. For the rising eighth grader, it was his first selection to an All-Star team with the Riptides, a team he has played with for three years.

The Tides were able to extend their season by entering two teams in a recent sand soccer tournament, held at Hampton’s Buckroe Beach. Asked about the experience, the younger Lebel noted that it was “fun.” Asked about the tiring effect of playing in the sand, he added that “my legs were sore, but it depends on how many games you have to play.”

Another highlight from the season was the Riptide’s involvement in the “Play on the Pitch” program, sponsored by D.C. United of the professional MLS league. As a participating team, the Riptides were able to play a scrimmage against a team from Northern Virginia on the same field which the United employs, the pitch at R.F.K. Stadium in southeast D.C. For P.J., the event was simply “awesome,” while coach Lebel remembered the RFK turf as “like walking on a carpet.”

With the season now complete, both father and son will enjoy a short break until fall practice, this time with the U-14 team, starts up at the beginning of August.

Concerns from the Field: Looking at the Future of Special Education

As some of you may know, I am up to the final course of my doctoral program at William and Mary. For my "last hurrah," I have chose a course in Special Education Administration. As a practitioner, it is of utmost importance to be aware of the special education rules and regulations, at least for the purpose of avoiding a lawsuit. However, many of the concerns among special education teachers mirror those of their general ed colleagues. For my own purposes, I also want to better understand some of the issues that my wife talks about from time to time. Since she works in the juvenile justice system and deals with many of these issues on a daily basis, it was also nice to be able to include her in a post.

Recent interviews with three special educators from the Hampton Roads region showed a wide variance in the scope of concerns which need to be addressed in their field.

The initial question asked each teacher/administrator to identify their top three concerns related to the provision of educational services to students with disabilities.

The first teacher, Samantha Rozakis, is a former graduate student at the College of William and Mary. Currently, she teaches special education students between the fifth and eighth graders in rural Mathews County. Rozakis had little trouble identifying her three concerns. The  first concern is “actually providing an appropriate education. For example - should students with multiple disabilities really be in a public school in a self-contained class if their behaviors are extreme? It is important to find the most appropriate setting to provide the child with the best education.” 

Rozakis’ second concern is with accommodations. As she noted, “the purpose of accommodations is to "level the playing field" for the student and allow them to work at the same level as their peers. However, if you put too many accommodations on the child, he/she becomes accustomed to having these accommodations even if they don't need them anymore. For example, having a child have every assignment read to them stops them from learning to read because they won't have to read - someone will always read to them. The third concern was with staff training. Rozakis feels that teachers “are not being fully educated on how to work with students with special needs, and in turn, are not working with the children properly. For example, if you are working with a student with autism and don't understand the characteristics of the disability, how can you help the child succeed?"

Her final point is mirrored by Michele Mitchell, who serves as the director of special education for Newport News Public Schools. The Newport News system has shown great progress in recent years, particularly with issues of recidivism and helping dropout students find their way back to school to earn a diploma or GED. Mitchell is overseeing the improvements in her department, and lists her three concerns as follows:

·          the decrease in the number of students going to college specifically for special education

·          the special education general curriculum degree vs. students having expertise in specific areas of special education such as LD, ED, ID

·          the frequent change in state assessments for students with disabilities

Elizabeth McGrath teaches in Newport News and has a specialized student body, that being the young men and women housed in the juvenile detention facility. Although she listed more than three concerns, one of them also dealt with the training given to teachers. As she said, “all teachers, regardless of content, should know exactly how to service special education students. Additional training must be offered. A teacher education program should include more than a Special Education law class.”

McGrath’s other concerns are standardized scores for students with disabilities. Like Rozakis, she frames the issue into a question, “How can the bar be measured with students missing the prerequisite knowledge and the critical thinking skills? Her third concern is the misidentification of minority males as learning disabled students.

The interesting comparison among the three responses is that all responded to the provision of educational services for special education students by looking at the qualifications of the server. Rozakis looked at the issue through the lens of staff training, which includes educating all teachers, not just the special educators. Mitchell addressed the issue from an angle of specialization; that is, how education students should gain specialty training in LD, ED and ID, much like a medical student might focus on cardiology or pediatrics. 

McGrath also looks at training for all teachers, with a specific focus on servicing special education students.

The second theme mentioned more than once was that of standardized testing for special education students. While Mitchell commented on the constant change in expectations, McGrath focused on the lapses between what the student knows and is expected to know.

The final theme looks at the identification and placement of the special education student with the concern being the attempt to match properly qualified teachers with properly categorized students. Rozakis used extreme cases as an example, while McGrath’s concern was more with the identification of the student’s disability, as well as the practice of categorizing minority students as learning disabled, even when the label is unjustified.

A Graduation Trend at Phoebus HS

Proof positive that there are some amazing student-athletes doing positive things at their high schools. Phoebus is a high school located in my neighboring town of Hampton. While their athletic program is highlighted by the four consecutive Virginia state titles won by their football team, the school boasts some notable athletes in other sports. Here is the story of a few.

As graduation time approaches, the annual wave of chaos ensues for high school seniors. The eruption of events begins right after spring break as tests, proms, sporting contests and college choices fill up the time of many students. The uncertainty spreads to the teachers and school administrators who have to plan many of these activities, long before the pomp and circumstance which accompany the final turning of tassels.

At Phoebus High School, there has been one constant at the graduation ceremony since 2009. For the past four years, either the valedictorian or salutatorian has been a member of the boys or girls soccer team.

This year, Ian Griffin, a forward/midfielder with the Phantom team, will represent the Class of 2012 as the salutatorian. He will follow in the steps of past Phoebus soccer players, such as Zack Peters (2011 valedictorian), Caitlin Kremp (2011 salutatorian), and Christopher Russ (2010 salutatorian). Russ was also a recipient of the prestigious Bill Gates Millennium scholarship, making Phoebus one of the few schools nationwide to have multiple award winners. This year’s valedictorian, Mia Knowles is also a Gates scholar, which provides a full scholarship to the college of choice for 1,000 minority high school students each year.

For Griffin, the correlation between hard work in sports and academics has been part of the reason for his success.

“There is something about the doing the work. You have to dedicate yourself, building up your conditioning and skill level. It’s all about the work ethic, and once you develop it in the sport, you also develop it in the classroom.”

While he acknowledges the diversion that soccer provides from daily schoolwork, Griffin does have a favorite course.

“AP Psychology. The teacher (Mr. Carpenter) took it to a whole new level. It was just a fun class. Some teachers can just do that – make a class.”

Griffin will attend James Madison University next year and is considering the idea of continuing his soccer career as a walk-on.

The work ethic tie-in between sports and academics is a concept shared by Phoebus’ boys soccer coach Ryan Pringle.

“Of course I put an emphasis on grades, but there is a connection between certain sports and academics.” As proof of this, he shares a favorite quote, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Another Pringle saying was quoted by Peters at last year’s graduation ceremony. “I’m glad that something I said stuck with him, and he thought it was important enough to repeat in front of the student body,” said Pringle, proud with his recollection.

The trend may continue into the Class of 2013.

Junior goalkeeper Jack Peters (Zack’s brother) is currently ranked first in his class, putting him in position to serve as next year’s valedictorian. In spite of the family connection, the younger Peters feels “no pressure,” and is staying focused on his plans to major in engineering, possibly at Virginia Tech. As part of his training, Peters is enrolled in the “Lead the Way” program, which includes an engineering centered curriculum of five courses, beginning in ninth grade, and culminating with a project. The final step involves the creation and development of a product, seeing the process from its embryonic formation through the stages of production to manufacturing and marketing.

With modesty in check, Peters said, “Hopefully, this (program) will help me in the future.”

As the soccer season reaches its conclusion for the Phantoms, the future is indeed bright for Griffin and Peters, the latest soccer players to top their classes on Ireland Avenue.

Challenge for the Future at Mary Washington: Identifying and Compensating New Professors – A Peer Study (data compiled by McGrath Educational Services)

As part of my search for meaningful data, I stumbled upon an interesting tidbit. If one were to examine a particular university which is driving to upgrade its status and "brand name" in the collegiate community, one way to do so would be by identifying, properly paying, and retaining its young professors. The University of Mary Washington (formerly Mary Washington College) in Fredericksburg, VA could be identified as one of those schools. For the record, I have no ties to UMW and culled this information out as part of an analysis on the general professor salaries in the Southeastern United states as well as Virginia. I particularly like the comparison to Christopher Newport University, a school in my town of Newport News, which makes no secret of its desire to become the "Harvard on the James (River)"

In recent years, there has been a movement at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) designed to enhance the stature and “brand name” of the institution. The long-term objective is to build the school into a top-flight college with a strong reputation in the Southeastern United States, as well as nationwide.

The first step in this direction occurred when the school’s name was changed from Mary Washington College in 2004. The latest expansion projects, Eagle Village and the William M. Anderson Center, completed in the past two years at a cost of $115 million, are further examples of institutional progress.

McGrath Educational Services was “hired” to conduct a study – one which would make recommendations on how the school can better hire and retain young professors for its various programs. After an initial consultation, it was agreed to work on a professor salary study.

To understand UMW’s place among “peer” schools, one must understand the identity of UMW. Currently, there are almost 4,400 undergraduate students, mostly women (64%). UMW is a four-year institution and accepts first year students on a full-time basis.

To find the peer schools for UMW, the first database studied was from SCHEV (Schools and Colleges of Higher Education in Virginia). Their list was not accepted because of the influx of Northeast and Midwest schools. However, an initial list was developed from the NCES (National Center for Educational Statistics). The list of 36 was narrowed to 15, all four-year schools with 1,000-5,000 students, located in the Southeast. Here is how UMW compares in average associate and assistant professor salaries:

Institution Associate Professor Assistant Professor Lecturer Bluefield State College 54512 49705 40356 Christopher Newport University 73087 56727 50135 Citadel Military College of South Carolina 68140 56117 49000 Elizabeth City State University 69438 62321 56294 Fairmont State University 58099 48707 40984 Francis Marion University 59881 53130 47499 Henderson State University 53048 48999 38809 Kentucky State University 58303 47373 41248 Longwood University 62978 53778 56383 Shepherd University 61370 52865 Blank South Carolina State University 61272 57489 43430 The University of Virginia's College at Wise 60041 55810 43300 University of Mary Washington 63386 53768 52667 University of North Carolina at Asheville 67703 61218 Blank Virginia Military Institute 62789 52005 41514

The findings from the initial search suggested that while some valuable information was gained from the salary comparison, it would be advantageous to perform another search to clarify the findings. It was decided that the second search would be restricted to all four-year schools in Virginia.

Based on the results of the second search, the data now shows new trends, especially as to where UMW ranks among its peer schools in Virginia, of which there are as many as five. The new breakdown looks as follows:

	Avg. Salary		Avg. Salary		Avg. Salary
	9 Mos.		9 Mos.		9 Mos.
	Associate		Ass't		Instructor
	Professors		Professors
	2010-11		2010-11		2010-11
Christopher Newport University	73087		56727		50135
College of William and Mary	81108		66312		42922
George Mason University	83149		68538		55845
James Madison University	66941		58357		50003
Longwood University	62978		53778		56383
Norfolk State University	69299		56575		50499
Old Dominion University	73816		66627		44942
Radford University	64910		56717		49010
UVA-Wise	60041		55810		43277
U. Mary Washington	62768		53877		52561
U. of Virginia	92539		76654		50815
VCU	78471		62387		47568
VMI	62789		52005		41514
Virginia Tech	82021		70900		45009
Virginia State	64425		64613		50184

This comparison provided more meaningful data. For average salary paid to associate professors, assistant professors and instructors, UMW is on par or slightly below schools such as Radford, Longwood, VMI, Virginia State and U. Virginia-Wise. However, a deeper analysis shows that UMW is in the high range (3rd of 15) for compensating lecturers. In a matchup against Christopher Newport, a future athletics (Capital Athletics Conference) rival and school of roughly the same demographics, there is a significant difference. UMW is approximately 5% (for assistant professors) and 15% (associate) behind CNU for average salary. Also, UMW is 20-30% behind the College of William and Mary and 35-40% behind the University of Virginia. There are several recommendations. First, in order to attract and retain younger professors, UMW needs to stay ahead of the average salaries of its “peer” schools. Second, because Fredericksburg is now considered part of Northern Virginia, and has a high cost-of-living expense, UMW also needs tom keep its average professor salaries competitive with CNU, which is the highest paying peer school. UMW should also aim to close the gap with W&M, VA Tech, GMU and U. VA. If this cannot be accomplished, alternative retention methods should be found, such as providing accessible affordable housing in Spotsylvania and Caroline Counties.