Academic excellence is riding on the wheels of some gnarly skateboards at a new academy in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District.
For the past 60 years, Parkway Middle School has been an educational anchor in La Mesa, as part of the Junior Seau Sports Complex off Fletcher Parkway.
Last month, the school was renamed the Parkway Sports & Health Science Academy, joining the district’s other academy model campuses that include specialized curricula in STEAM, dual languages and the arts.
Paxton Hart, 12, is a seventh grade student in his first year at the new campus. Along with his core subjects, he is enrolled in the engineering and skateboarding elective.
He’s also a member of the Friday skateboard club.
“When I’m on the skateboard, I just feel the wind on my face. I want to go fast, I want to do tricks. I’ve just been learning and getting my blood flowing. I love that,” he said.
The Parkway Principal, Jacob Ruth, got his job in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis a couple of years ago. School shutdowns and the resulting mental health and social-emotional breakdown of students got Ruth and his teaching staff thinking about recovery solutions.
“Parkway Middle School has always been a great school, but how do we take it to the next level?” Ruth said.
The idea for a radical change from middle school to a specialized sports and health science academy came from the staff, who then got the support of parents and the community.
Final approval from the La Mesa-Spring Valley School Board happened last February, triggering a record-fast rebranding effort that is still a work in progress.
“We have a big group of skateboarders at our school and that’s a big thing. So, connecting to that social activity and the ability to make friends and skate and think about that in an academic way has been really powerful,” Ruth said.
The redevelopment of Parkway is not just about skateboarding. Besides the state-required subjects like reading, math, and science, the master plan includes other electives like history and hiking, the financial literacy of baseball and sports medicine.
“We have a lot of athletes at this school who participate in outside activities,” said Nicoll Lindsay, who teaches the sports medicine elective along with her duties as a certificated P.E. instructor. “They’re able to apply the knowledge they get (from the academy electives) to either themselves, their friends, or teammates.”
Engineering teacher Patrick Martin is also a long-time skateboarder. In class, he gives lessons on the dynamics and functions of skateboarding. Right now his students are designing models for a skate park using cardboard, paper, straws, and hot glue to create replicas.
“The education value is learning about scale and how things are put together. We are assembling them so they’re working as designers, they’re working as engineers. They see how they need to be supported. How the pieces fit together,” Martin told KPBS News.
Along with classroom work, there is outdoor practice.
Eighth grader Isabella Culver, 13, had never skated. About a year ago, she started watching her cousin in action. Now she has her own skateboard and a desire to master this new skill.
“Considering where I started, I have grown a lot and I’m really proud of where I’ve come from since the beginning,” she said, “I like the motion and the way the board rides. It’s really, I want to say, empowering. It makes you feel good.”
In its first semester this fall, enrollment increased by 80 students who wanted to be included in the new curriculum. Next year, the Parkway Academy will add a sixth grade class to the roster.
Families from anywhere in San Diego County are welcome to apply to attend the academy.
Choice applications for the 2023-24 school year will be accepted from Dec. 1, through February 2023.
“With sports, it’s not only about winning and being the best. It’s learning how to be a good teammate, how to collaborate, how to communicate and persevere and be resilient when things get tough,” said Principal Ruth.
