Seven Hills Academy
Tallahassee
Published September 2011
When Debra Clayton was told her son would be held back in third grade because he was too “immature,” she finally had enough. Here was a youngster who had shown promise since before entering kindergarten, who was a whiz in Head Start, and yet she had to fight to keep him from being placed in exceptional education and struggle to keep him from being labeled as a failure.
That was the year Darius Sapp was introduced to the Step Up For Students Scholarship and to private schools in Leon County that took a different approach. Now a 10th grader at Seven Hills Academy in Tallahassee, Darius is a smart, well-rounded student on track to fulfill his dream of becoming a brain surgeon. This summer, Darius traveled to Europe with the student ambassador program People to People and visited Holland, Belgium, Wales, France and Ireland.
But getting to this point required a mother’s determination to convince others to see the promise in her son. In his earliest years, Darius could recite his full name, his father’s name, his address and his telephone number. His mother enrolled him in the national Head Start school readiness program at age three, and he could read so well that the other kids were excited to listen to him.
So it frustrated Debra when elementary school teachers and principals couldn’t agree what to do with her son and sometimes tried holding him back. One administrator thought Darius’ interactions with other students in kindergarten were unusual and wanted to enroll him in exceptional student education. But his teacher disagreed and his doctor found no reason for the placement. When Debra marched into the school district’s exceptional education office for answers, she told administrators, “either you take him out or I’ll make the biggest stink in Tallahassee.”
But more frustration followed. Another principal in another school believed Darius was too “immature” to advance to the fourth grade, even though Darius was on the honor roll. Again, a teacher disagreed, but said it was out of her hands.
Debra had resigned to homeschooling her son until Darius’ doctor told his mother about the Step Up program. Soon, she found herself choosing from a variety of schools in Leon County. At Seven Hills, Darius – who counts music and drama as two of his favorite subjects – is active in the school chorus and performed in two student plays last year.
“He’s coming into his own,” said Headmaster DuWayne Baum. “He’s done very, very, well with us and he’s developing into a fine young man.”
For Darius, Seven Hills’ focus on fostering an academic environment where an education program is designed specifically for each student is the perfect fit.
“They have teachers that will help you to do things to the best of your ability,” he said. “You’re challenged.”
The lesson Debra learned: No matter the credentials Darius’ previous principals brought to the job, they didn’t know her son like she did.
“When you keep on persevering,” she said, “the better off your child will be.”
About Seven Hills Academy
Founded in 2008 as the sister school to Betton Hills Academy, Seven Hills Academy is situated on 4.2 acres on Tallahassee’s north side. The school enrolls about 135 students in grades K-12; about 45 students are Step Up scholars. The school administers the Stanford Achievement Test to track students’ annual progress. Tuition is $8,000 for all students. Seven Hills is accredited by the Association of Independent Schools of Florida.