Fairview Middle School principal breaks down walls, renovates and unifies campus
Rusty Edwards has been the principal of Fairview Middle School for three years. For most of his tenure, he's been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
But that hasn't stopped him from taking the middle school to another level.
With physical and educational renovations, Edwards said Fairview is truly the hidden gem on the south side. This Saturday, the middle school will have an open house from 9:30 a.m.-noon for parents and students.
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There's a misconception that Fairview is a school with an independent magnet program, Edwards said. Fairview is a Title I school, meaning it receives federal assistance because at least 40% of students are considered low-income, but it also offers a Pre-IB program.
"We've taken a lot of steps to eliminate an invisible division within the school. The school itself is more unified," he said.
The Tallahassee Democrat spoke to Edwards about what's new at Fairview, what he's most proud of and what's to come for the middle school on Zillah Street. (Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Q: The hallways have street signs and college pennants on the walls. Why is that?
Edwards: "The hallways have street signs because our faculty is extremely intelligent and creative. The signs remind our students that these are the characteristics we're trying to instill. The door everybody walks through is Optimism Hall, because realistically, you should be walking with an optimistic view every single day.
"The other hallway that goes through the length of the building is Integrity Hall, because as long as you're walking in life, you should be expected to walk with integrity. Now you have Perseverance Hall, Acceptance Hall, Kindness Hall and Devotion Hall, all inside building three. And the building outside, just at the end of the building three, is called Courage Hall. These are the core tenets that we're instilling."
Q: What about the pennants on the walls? There's a Harvard one, right next to University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Edwards: "You see that there is a ton of schools that a lot of the kids have heard of right around a bunch they have no clue about. Students, they know Georgia Tech, but how many know Utah State University?
"I think we have a diverse student population and a diverse tolerance for other cultures and other mindsets. Why not do the same and explore options on where to go what to do?"
Q: You said you've taken steps to eliminate division in the school. Can you explain how?
Edwards: "One kid has four class teachers, and those four core class teachers have the same 28 kids. It's something they've had in the magnet program for years. But we adopted it to the entire school.
"Now you have four teachers who are easily able to identify when somebody is struggling with something that they can have conversations with parents, they can sit there and go, 'Hey, I've been talking to Johnny's mom about him showing up forgetting his lunch every single day' or 'I've been calling him or calling Johnny's mom because he's having difficult to get this homework done. We need to figure this out together.'
Q: What sets Fairview apart from other middle schools?
Edwards: "We actually have the largest most extensive language program because we offer Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. We have draws, like any magnet program. We have a very successful math competition team. We have a booming robotics team. We have a very solid band and orchestra. Our chorus is also a draw. We have activities, events, Key Club, Spanish club, Chinese club, Science Olympiad... We want them involved, we don't want students to come and take classes and leave. We want (them) to be invested in the school that is investing in (them)."
Q: Fairview has gone through major renovations. Can you go through what's changed?
Edwards: "Nothing is as it was, in fact the parking lot out front used to be the cafeteria, the administration offices, the ESE offices, but all that's been torn down. The gym opened the month before I got here (in) June 2019. The classrooms are new. We have a brand new cafeteria, kitchen, administration offices and ways to serve the community. There's nothing here that has not been renovated outside the athletic field. That investment, coming into this school, has uplifted the community."
Q: What are you most looking forward to?
Edwards: "I'm excited about sitting down and having CTE (career technical education) courses with Rickards High School and Nims Middle School to see what programs we can put in that are not necessarily college readiness only.
"Rickards has a medical program. What can we do to help facilitate the growth of that medical certification program? Right now we have one course that is a life saving course. But what can we do to build up that program? I'm really excited for, I'm gonna be honest, I'm really excited for a normal year."
Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County principal talks about new building, new outlook
