Written By Alison Johnson
Walter Segaloff is happy for all the children whose families have enough money to meet their basic needs and still pay for vacations, trips to museums and theaters and after-school activities. He applauds kids labeled as “gifted and talented” at a young age.
But he has no interest in recruiting any of them for his school.
Segaloff, founder of An Achievable Dream Academy in Newport News, is passionate about just the opposite kind of kids. Many students come from poor, single-family households, where a parent might work two, three or even—in one mother’s case—five jobs to cover such basics as food and housing. “Our kids come in ‘experientially deprived,’” Segaloff says. “They don’t even have the same vocabulary as more fortunate kids. But we can take these kids and develop some very gifted and talented kids.”
Segaloff created the school as a businessman frustrated at trying to hire minimum-wage employees to pack boxes for his father’s clothing company. “Many of the applicants, although high school graduates, were functionally illiterate,” he says. “Some couldn’t even write a coherent paragraph answering why they wanted to work there. They also didn’t have interview skills. It was an enormous waste of brainpower for our country, and there was no ‘American Dream’ for these children.”
About the school
An Achievable Dream began in 1992 within the Newport News public school system. The school reflects Segaloff’s life philosophy that everyone has a responsibility to help make the world a better place. The effort began as a summer enrichment program for 95 fourth-graders and has grown into a year-round school with 1,250 students from kindergarten through high school.
An Achievable Dream uses a longer school day—8 ½hours, which Segaloff would expand to 10 if he had the money—to add social and moral education to traditional academics. Classes include language skills, conflict resolution, financial know-how, ethics and etiquette, from table manners to behavior at sporting events. Students wear uniforms, start each day with a handshake with an adult, go on eight to 10 field trips a year, tour college campuses and sign pledges to steer clear of crime, drugs and pregnancy. They also do community service projects and take tennis lessons. The program costs about $2,200 per student above the state per pupil allowance for public education.
Last year, faced with a drop in funding in a troubled economy, Segaloff organized Run for the Dream, a half marathon and 8K running event held in Colonial Williamsburg. This year’s races will be held May 19 and 20 (details
on p. 41). The race also benefits the Wounded Warrior Project. A former Army reservist, Segaloff is passionate about supporting and honoring veterans, especially after watching injured soldiers compete in a marathon four years ago.
IN HIS WORDS
What makes me most proud of An Achievable Dream is… proving that the Social, Academic, Moral Education (SAME) concept works. We have a 100 percent on-time graduation rate, and 95 percent of our students attend college; about five percent join the military or go to a technical school. Many go on to pursue master’s degrees and Ph.Ds. They are lawyers and engineers; we even have a Naval Academy graduate. In 20 years, we’ve only had a few cases of minor shoplifting, marijuana usage or pregnancy. We’ll match our statistics against any school in America.
Learning etiquette is just as important as academics because… it gives children self-confidence, and they become comfortable in any setting. They don’t have to worry about what fork to use during dinner. They can go on job interviews and know what to do and how to act. It gives our students a leg up for their future.
One of the toughest challenges our Dreamers face is… learning how to overcome the destructive culture of the streets, manifested in the “no snitching” psychology and the negative belief that being smart and educated is a student “trying to be white.”
The “daily handshake” teaches… the importance of first impressions. You sometimes only have one or two seconds to make a good impression. A firm handshake and looking a person in the eye gives a positive impression. These kids also feel loved the minute they walk through the door, and that compassion can help shape their moral compass.
Tennis is our sport of choice because… it supports our SAME curriculum. Tennis is a sport of ladies and gentlemen. It has rules and etiquette such as shaking hands. It is affordable and is a lifetime sport. Tennis takes our students into an upwardly mobile world. It’s important for careers and to the world of business. A lot of networking and business deals are made on the tennis court.
Something few people know about me is… I’m really an introvert.