Melissa Bailey Photo
After getting kicked out of traditional schools and labeled as a “special needs” kid, Christian Pabon defied expectations by shaking that label — and then walking down the aisle at his 8th grade graduation.
After joining a city charter-school experiment in the fall, Christian graduated from special education in January when tests showed he was ready to return to a mainstream classroom.
On Wednesday, he joined 15 other students as the first graduating class from Domus Academy. The school opened last fall, serving a few dozen kids with behavioral or emotional problems in grades 6 to 8. As part of the city’s school reform drive — which is experimenting with several different ways to try to “turn around” failing schools — New Haven engaged a not-for-profit charter company to run Domus.
Standing in a long robe and a mortar board in the gymnasium of the school at 130 Leeder Hill Dr., Christian said he thought the day would not come.
“I didn’t think I was going to graduate,” Christian said.
He arrived at Domus in the fall after bouncing around four other public schools, from which he got “booted” for getting into fights. When he showed up at Domus, he said, “I was very bad at first. I used to curse the teachers out.”
“I changed my ways,” Christian said. Now he’s heading back to mainstream education as a freshman at Eli Whitney Regional Vocational Technical School.
Around 10:30 a.m., his parents turned to take photos with their cell phone cameras as he processed into the gym.
His mom, Elisabeth Pabon, said Christian went through Mauro/Sheridan, Beecher, Micro-Society and Area Cooperative Education Services (ACES) in Hamden before finding a school that helped him thrive.
At the other schools, Christian was often truant and acted out in class.
“They labeled him special ed and he wasn’t,” she said. “They didn’t understand him.”
Christian took his seat along with fellow graduates. In the front row, Tracey Maria Biggs (pictured) shed tears of joy.
Adults choked up several times, too, as they introduced each graduate from the podium. Teachers recounted tough conditions — “occasional to frequent” outbursts of violence and ugly words — and how kids opened up by the end of the year to build relationships with adults.
Jenna McDermit recounted how, when she walked into her own classroom, one of her students would “yell at me in my face and tell me to leave.” She praised the student Wednesday as “sassy, forthright and inspirational,” and gave her a big hug.
Stouffer Bramble, the school’s “problem-solving manager,” gave Christian’s introduction.
Bramble praised Christian as a “patient fisherman” who worked hard and made it onto the honor roll.
Bramble took him fishing, twice, along the Mill River in East Rock, Christian later said. They didn’t catch any fish, but they had fun.
Christian said he decided to change his behavior because when he got in trouble, he would miss out on after-school activities that are part of Domus’s extended day. That meant he would spend time in a classroom while other kids played in the gym.
“You don’t want to sit in detention,” Christian explained.
He finally earned his black shirt, which indicates he made the honor roll.
Overall, kids in the 8th grade class showed up to Domus three to five grade levels behind in reading and math, according to Richard Cheng, the school’s director of curriculum. By the end of the year, they had made an average of two years’ worth of gains in both of those subjects. That’s based on the STAR Enterprise tests.
That should leave the graduating 8th graders “within a year” of their peers as they enter high school, Cheng said. “We’ve leveled the playing field for a lot of our kids.”
Domus Academy Principal Mike McGuire said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that the gains will be seen on the high-stakes Connecticut Mastery Test, which 100 percent of students participated in. “We believe the results will be surprising.”
Christian attributed his own success to the small school setting. At Domus, the average ratio of students to teachers is 7 – 1. By comparison, there are 19 kids in the average New Haven Public Schools middle school classroom, according to schools spokesman Chris Hoffman.
“You get more attention,” Christian said.
His mom (pictured, along with Christian’s dad, William Pabon) said the school tested Christian in January and determined he no longer had “special needs.” They told him he was ready to back to mainstream education. They offered him the opportunity to transfer schools.
Christian didn’t want to switch schools, his mom said. She said Domus is the only school where his behavior has improved, and his academics followed suit. She attributed his success to the small size and to the staff, who called home every week with updates.
“They took the time,” Elisabeth Pabon said. “They understand him.”
In the fall, Christian will join his brother at Eli Whitney, where he’ll study in the auto mechanic shop.
Rashida Whitley said her son, Rashid, is heading to Hillhouse High.
Other graduates are going on to a mix of mainstream and alternative schools, said Domus Principal Mike McGuire. They’re off to New Haven Academy, New Horizons, and Hyde Leadership Academy, as well as Wilbur Cross and James Hillhouse, the city’s large comprehensive high schools.
McGuire said the 8th grade class started the year with 18 students. One got promoted into mainstream education, and another transferred out of the district, he said.
In total, eight of the 44 kids who started the year at Domus, as well as three staff members, have left the school. One left to be home-schooled. Others were special needs kids who went back to ACES, where they’re educated in self-contained classrooms, McGuire said.
Those students sought “a more structured” environment, McGuire said. Domus students are mixed together during the day, moving classrooms for subjects, and joining up for group activities during after-school programming. McGuire said for kids who are used to self-contained classrooms, where they stay with the same students and teacher the whole day, Domus provides “a lot of stimulus.” Some kids “couldn’t adjust,” he said.
McGuire said he expects the school to return to full capacity, serving 48 kids, in the fall.
Domus Academy is the city’s first charter experiment in the school reform drive. It was formed from the ashes of Urban Youth, a middle school that earned a failing grade and was dubbed a Tier III turnaround school. The district hired a private not-for-profit outfit called Domus, which runs two charter schools in Stamford, to take over management of the school with a new crew of unionized public school teachers who agreed to work extra hours.
Domus Academy is based on a model Domus developed over 11 years at Trailblazer Academy, a Stamford middle school serving a similar population.
McGuire said in its first year, the school worked hard to establish the culture of the school, which includes wearing uniforms and reciting a school pledge. The Domus model includes “family advocates” who visit families at home to help tackle problems that get in the way of learning in school.
The school also held eight “family nights,” which drew an average of 75 family members for the 36 students. Staff would personally pick up kids at home in the morning if need be, driving attendance up to 85 to 90 percent.
By the end of the year, 97 percent of students are now connected to a clinical resource, social/emotional support group, or an extracurricular activity — a sign that kids are getting the help they need, and have deeper connections to their communities, McGuire said.
“We’re incredibly satisfied with our first year,” said the principal, “understanding that we have a long way to go.”
Dad William Pabon agreed. “It feels great,” he said, after taking a photo with the newest graduate in the family. “I feel really happy for him.”
Past Independent stories on Domus Academy:
• “Reform” Principals Check In
• Charter Experiment Banks On Rookies
• Domus Kids Learn New Math, Circa 2010
• Parents Get The Drill For An Experimental Year
• City To Double TFA Hires
• Two Failing Schools Aim High
• Domus Gets New Domus
• Challenges Await “Turnaround” School
• Mr. Paul Delivers The Pants
• “Turnaround” Work Begins At Urban Youth
• Schools Get Graded — & Shaken Up