HOUSTON – This story is part of KPRC 2′s ‘Focus on Fleming’ series chronicling one year inside an NES school
You get a free trip to Japan, you get a free trip to Japan, you get a free trip to Japan!
That’s what the eighth-grade students at Fleming Middle School heard during their lunch period two weeks before the Thanksgiving break.
As part of the district’s New Education System (NES) model introduced by Superintendent Mike Miles, 800 students will be granted the opportunity to take an all-expenses paid trip to Japan.
“As a part of the year 2035 initiative of the superintendent, we wanted to make sure that we were preparing the students for the global economy, and really making sure they have the international experience,” principal Devin Adams. “Many of the students within our community may not know of other cultures and may not go outside of our community or city in their lifetime.”
To qualify for the seven-day trip, which will take place in May 2024, students are not allowed to have more than six absences and zero out-of-school suspensions.
“We love our babies dearly, but if they are misbehaving in school, we don’t want to take them to another country,” Adams explained.
The students who were selected said they’ve been working hard with the new challenges presented through the NES model, which comes with a more structured lesson plan, timed DOL’s, cameras inside classrooms and little to no room for downtime or free time.
“I think this is going to be the catalyst for everybody to get on board. Just out of transparency, we did have to do a reset with the eighth graders last week, they were a little bit rowdy. They were not making the best choices, and so, I did a reset and I was happy that we were able to let them know about this. So on top of the reset, if you continue to do what you should do as a Viking scholar and as a student in the Houston Independent School District in our NES model, we will reward that, and we will make sure that you are receiving every single experience possible,” Adams explained.
The students were overjoyed, with many of them saying it was a trip they’d only dreamed about.
“I wasn’t expecting my name to be on the list to go to Japan,” eighth-grader Katy Runyon said. “I’ve always heard pretty rumors about Japan, and I’ve never been able to see it. I’ve never traveled.”
The students will have to get permission from their parents to attend by filling out a packet and for those who don’t have their passport, Adams said he will work with the parents and the district to make sure eligible students have them in time for the trip.
“The Vikings are going to take over Japan,” Adams said.
MORE ON FOCUS ON FLEMING:
Focus on Fleming: HISD looks to reduce achievement gap between students
‘I don’t like that 10-minute timer’: Students express concerns with NES Model
Inside Fleming Middle School: Who is Devin Adams?
First look inside Fleming Middle School, the HISD campus KPRC 2 will spend a year chronicling