My son went to Kenilworth the year before it became a charter. I was not satisfied, I was afraid to send him to school each day and I worried all day long that he would be hurt. There were several acts of violence that year; one included 2 students being shot as they arrived home from the bus and the other involved a child being slashed in the face on school grounds. My son did not like the teachers, he was constantly yelled at and screamed at.

Last year, when Pelican came in, I was very skeptical. I did not know how someone was going to change that environment. By the end of the year, I was telling everyone I knew about Kenilworth. Mr. Dokeman and his staff are SO INVOLVED in the education of these children. You can just tell that these people CARE. My child was able to attend school on Saturday so that he could raise his LEAP score. The teachers CARED. No one yelled at him. If his behavior was not in line with what it should have been, I received a phone call. The school gave him a behavior tracking sheet. He LOVED going to school. I felt comfortable emailing and calling the teachers until WE had his behavior to where it needed to be. The office staff was involved with encouraging him.

By the end of the year, he had a 3.3 average and his LEAP scores had improved and my child who used to cry and be scared about going to school was actually SAD on the last day of school! I could not be more excited to send my son to Kenilworth Science and Technology School.

The only sad thing is that Pelican does not have a High School…

Victoria E. Levie

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To whom this may concern,

I attended my child (Aaliyah Courtney) seventh grade honor roll ceremony. I enjoyed the spirit of kindness, caring, loving and honesty that was presented. Aaliyah is my daughter and she loves her school from the bottom of her heart. Let’s continue with these kids and let God lead you daily.

Mrs. Courtney

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Subject: thank you

I just want to take a few minutes to say thank you to all the staff and teachers. I have never seen my son so excited about attending school as he is this year. He has had behavior problems in the past and I asked him this morning what was so different this year. He told me that now he doesn’t worry about getting sent to the office or being suspended for the least little thing. It seems that my child was attending school under a cloud of constant fear and depression. And I want to thank all of you for allowing him to see that school is a place for learning and expanding his horizons, not a place to be afraid. Keep up the good work and thanks again. A grateful parent,

Ada M. Jones

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I feel a change in the school’s appearance such as new paint, marble entrance, and cleaner environment has lifted the spirit of the school.  

During the state visit, administration put a lot of trust into staff and made it a very relaxing environment. 

Parent involvement has increased tremendously from having less than a dozen at a school event to well over 60. 

Jessica Rizzuto, GSW