ORMOND BEACH -- When Kalyn D. arrived at the Pace Center for Girls last year, she only came to school for an hour at a time.
But instead of scolding her for skipping school, the teachers at the alternative school for at-risk girls praised her for the progress she was making.
"These girls have already been punished and failed," said Pace Center Director Renee McQueen . "Our role is to get them back on track, if you are going to show up one day we are so happy that we are going to celebrate."
It might seem counterintuitive but Pace Center's philosophy has become a national model to keep young girls out of the juvenile justice system. During her first week back at school this year, not even an allergic reaction to oyster sauce kept Kalyn from missing her classes. And that milestone did not go unnoticed by her teachers, who commended her during the school's morning rally. (The News-Journal is not publishing the students' last names in keeping with U.S. Department of Justice restrictions.)
During her first year at Mainland High School, Kalyn D.'s anxiety attacks were so severe she ended up missing five weeks of school during her first semester, and was on the verge of failing her advanced placement classes. She didn't feel like she could talk to her teachers about her problems, she said.
"When I was at school, I would feel like I was going to throw up and if I felt like I was going to have an anxiety attack that day I just wouldn't go to school," Kalyn said.
Friends, guidance counselors or teachers usually refer the high school girls to Pace, but the choice to enroll is voluntary. To qualify students for enrollment, faculty members must identify a risk factor such as poor academic performance, abuse, family conflict, substance abuse or behavioral problems.
Pace is funded through the U.S. Department of Justice and operates 17 schools in Florida. The Ormond Beach center serves the Volusia and Flagler public school districts. Of the 132 girls that entered the school last year, 80 percent had been suspended or expelled from their home school, 65 percent had serious physical health problems and 59 percent reported substance abuse.
Progress is measured through standard testing and the number of girls who stay out of the criminal justice system up to three years after leaving Pace. Last school year, 89 percent of the girls at the Ormond school reduced their behavioral problems and involvement in the juvenile justice system.
McQueen attributes that success to Pace's holistic approach to education, which addresses a girl's home issues as well as her mental and physical wellbeing. In addition to teachers, the girls are assigned to counselors and case managers. If a student does not show up for class more than three days in a row, faculty members will come to the home.
"We have such a hands on approach and we insist that families are involved," McQueen said. "The families know upfront that Pace is going to be in their lives. We are getting involved in family secrets--we want to know what is going on."
Positive reinforcement is a constant at Pace. During Friday morning rallies, counselors and teachers publicly acknowledge girls who made improvements that week by handing out colored beads symbolizing the center's principles. When a girl improves her grades or attendance, she is granted a trip to the reinforcement closet to pick out shoes, clothes or makeup. Each girl is required to enroll in self-esteem building classes called "Spirit Girls."
McQueen, however, acknowledges that the support and encouragement the girls receive at Pace isn't always the case in the real world.
"No one is going to jump up and down if you showed up to work---if you don't show up to work you are going to get fired," McQueen said. "Our idea is to show we care and that they need to care about themselves because that's their future. Then they can go back to the real world."
During her sophomore year at Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Beth S. started experimenting with prescription drugs. When her habit grew into a full-blown addiction she began showing up at school high on Xanax and Lortab pills. When teachers discovered the pills in her purse, she was suspended from school.
A guidance counselor referred Beth to Pace where she was able to find the resources and support she needed to break her addiction. She has been sober now for more than two years and just started her freshman year at Daytona State College, where she plans to earn her degree in psychology.
"Had I not found out about Pace, I would have been dead by now," Beth said. "Any conversation here is so open, you can tell your teachers anything and they will listen to you and let you talk about it."
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