
DATE: Sunday, June 1, 1997                  TAG: 9705300262

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY SUSAN SMITH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  154 lines

SCORE ONE FOR EDUCATION INDIAN RIVER MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS CITY'S ONLY TOMORROW'S THUNDER PROGRAM FOR GIRLS.

THE BASKETBALL changed hands as fast as the clock ticked off seconds in the first girls' Tomorrow's Thunder tournament at Indian River Middle School. There was more scrambling than dribbling and more misses than swishes, as the sixth-grade Red team chased the Blue for the ball.

But while there was not much of a score on the court, girls like Ajah Hameed, 14; Erica Barfield, 14; Vickie McGrath, 13; and Evonna Elliott, 12, had racked up lots of classroom points.

The Tomorrow's Thunder tournament games were a culmination of a year of hard work for about 35 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade girls who were participating in the motivational and developmental program for the first time.

Besides concentrating on school work, the program's goals include teaching respect, discipline, team work, responsibility and leadership skills.

``The girls were chosen because many of them see themselves as poor students or they have accepted low standards,'' said Lee Hickman, a guidance counselor and director of Tomorrow's Thunder at the middle school. ``The program gives many of them their first taste of success.''

Each week, the girls had to turn in a status report from their teachers based on attendance, behavior, class work and homework. They received three points for excellent work, two points for good work and one point for a poor performance. They had to earn a minimum of 10 points, and any poor ratings disqualified them from a reward of a weekly basketball game.

As part of the lesson in teamwork and dependability, a participant who did not earn the necessary points had to sit out the game. Since no substitutions were allowed, the two remaining players proceeded with the game while their teammate sat on the bench.

``I felt bad for my team because I couldn't help them the week I had low scores,'' said Tamela Durce, 14, who once had to sit on the sidelines while her friends played. ``But I paid attention and got my homework in on time the next week so I could be back.''

The end-of-the year tournament players were kids who had scored the most points when all the weeks of consistent work were totaled. Barfield, with 145 points, and Hameed, with 134 points, finished the season with almost perfect marks.

Tomorrow's Thunder was born in 1989 when Todd Nelson, now a guidance counselor at Oscar F. Smith High School, was asked to work with a group of boys who were potential school drop-outs.

``I went home and prayed about it and came back the next day with two requests and four rules,'' said Nelson.

He wanted to use the gym, and he wanted weekly progress reports for each boy based on ethics not grades. In order to play basketball once a week, the boys had to agree to attend school, turn in their homework, participate in class and avoid school suspension. They also had to promise not to quit the program.

``Within weeks we started seeing some positive changes because the kids had found something to plug into,'' said Nelson. ``There were better grades because of regular attendance and completion of school work and less self-defeating behavior.''

Eight years later, more than a thousand boys from Great Bridge and Oscar F. Smith high schools and Oscar F. Smith, Crestwood and Indian River middle schools have been on Tomorrow's Thunder teams. In 1995, Nelson was named one of the Reader's Digest American Heroes in Education.

Nelson said his studies show 92 percent of students involved with the program maintain or increase their grade-point average. He has received inquires from as far away as Alaska and Europe for details about starting the copyrighted program.

Last fall, Hickman, invited the middle school girls to try the Tomorrow's Thunder plan. He met with teachers and other counselors to select girls who with some positive motivation, incentives, individual attention and the guidance of the Tomorrow's Thunder plan, might improve personally, socially and academically.

Teachers Holli Manning and Gayle Davidson, coach Lee Smith and administrative assistant Dorian Kellihan agreed to sign on as coaches and mentors to the girls.

``Being there for the girls was one of the most important parts to the program,'' said Kellihan. ``We listened to concerns about teachers or assignments or even problems with friends. And then tried to make suggestions or help them sort a troubling situation.''

Evonna Elliott was one of the girls recommended for the program. Because of low self-esteem, several discipline trips to the office and frequent incomplete assignments, it became obvious that Elliott needed help. With her mother's approval and Hickman's encouragement, Elliott decided to give Tomorrow's Thunder a chance.

``Before I knew it, my grades were getting better, and I learned not to get upset when people said stuff I didn't like,'' said Elliott, who with 118 points and zero trips to the office was the girls' top sixth-grade scorer.

``Two teachers recommended me because they cared about me and they knew I could do better,'' said Barfield. ``I started off working to prove to them I could, but now I do good work for myself.''

J. Robert ``Bobby'' Glisson, the school principal, said students often sign onto the program with low self-confidence and few positive school experiences. But as they begin to make day-to-day changes and receive re-enforcement from their team coaches, good things begin to happen.

``The program works on behavior and grades in a fun way,'' said Glisson, ``We've seen better attendance, less student referrals and improved study habits.''

Shawn Stevenson, 14, an honor-roll student who has been on the boys' team for three years, said he often went to his coach, Steve Tyree, when he needed to work through a problem.

``I use to have a short fuse, and now I've learned how to talk it out or walk away from trouble,'' confessed Stevenson. ``Or I wait until I get on the court and just run off the frustration.''

Jeannetta Bowser, 14, said she once fussed at teachers or blamed her problems on them. Now she takes responsibility for her own actions.

``Sometimes it's not easy especially when you don't feel like paying attention or finishing a paper,'' said Bowser, an eighth grader. ``But when you get a good grade back or get to leave class to play ball, you know it was worth the effort.''

Leaving class does create some concerns and differences of opinions about the program from the teachers.

Betty Montcalm and Dawn Beasley, sixth-grade teachers, said they like the concept, but they had concerns about struggling students missing more class time or hurriedly completing assignments to get points instead of turning in quality work.

But sixth-grade teachers Heather Beck and Charlotte Bowser said they liked the way the program encouraged better behavior and habits and smaller goals, which would lead to more successful students.

``And Tomorrow's Thunder creates a safety zone that someone does care about them,'' said Charlotte Bowser.``That's an important lesson some are learning for the first time.''

Elliott admitted she lost a few friends when she first entered the program.

``Some were jealous and some just thought I was trying to be good,'' said Elliott. ``But in the program, I learned I was good.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos including color cover by MORT FRYMAN

Jennifer Hall, left, Tchara Gibson and Vicky McGrath enjoy their

academic reward, a Tomorrow's Thunder basketball game at Indian

River Middle School.

Gail Davidson, a volunteer coach, and sixth-grader Debi Lowe enjoy

the action from the sidelines at the final tournament in the

Tomorrow's Thunder program for girls at Indian River Middle School

The end-of-the year Tomorrow's Thunder tournament featured female

players who had scored the most classroom points when all the weeks

of consistent work were totaled. The students received a T-shirt and

certificate proclaiming their participation.

Waiting for their game to begin at Indian River Middle School are

Hillary Anden, left, Emilee Hanson, Evonna Elliott and Dana Fulcher.