Students opt in to success at Project Chrysalis
Project Chrysalis’ reputation for excellence didn’t come by accident. The East End middle school was built with student success in mind.
This school with an unusual origin has consistently landed on best-of lists. It’s been named “exemplary” by the Texas Education Agency, included in the Texas Business and Education Coalition’s Honor Roll, named a National Blue Ribbon Award winner and recognized by Texas Monthly as one of the best public schools in the state.
Recently, Project Chrysalis Middle School was one of two campuses in Texas and 63 nationally to be recognized as a National Title I Distinguished School for closing student achievement gaps. In addition, Children at Risk ranked Project Chrysalis as No. 1 among Gold Ribbon Middle Schools in Houston.
The organization, which seeks to recognize low-income schools that are beating the odds, counted Project Chrysalis as fourth overall in the eightcounty region and 12th in the state, soaring ahead of others on the list.
Nearly 95 percent of the school’s 267 students are Latino. Asian students account for 3.4 percent and 1.8 percent are white. About 88.4 percent of students come from economically disadvantaged families.
That’s part of the reason principal José Covarrubia was drawn to his post. “I myself am a child of poverty,” he said. “I know how difficult it is to climb out of that. I can relate.”
Raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Covarrubia said his family faced a number of hardships. “I know what it’s like to not have electricity, to not have food in the fridge,” he said. “And I know you can overcome it. The only way out is through an education.”
Covarrubia was working as a fourth-grade bilingual teacher at Cage Elementary when a group of middle school teachers started dreaming up the idea for Project Chrysalis.
“In the early ’90s, there were some students who were not ready for a traditional middle school setting,” Covarrubia recalled. “They were the most atrisk kids. Should we move them forward to a traditional middle school when we know they won’t make it, when we know they won’t receive the individual attention they need?”
The teachers decided to try a different approach. Instead of sending the fifth graders on to their next campus, they kept the students at Cage, adding a sixthgrade class.
“It started with 25 kids in 1995,” Covarrubia said. “The kids were so successful, we kept them for seventh grade. Then, we added another 25 for sixth.”
Before long, an eighth-grade class was added to the mix. There were 75 middle school students studying on the Cage campus, and they became the founders of Project Chrysalis, named after cocooned butterflies by teachers who hoped their students would transform into something wonderful.
And the middle schoolers were exceeding their expectations, Covarrubia said.
“At first, we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” he said. “It was a new and innovative idea. People were skeptical that it would not work. But we had to do something for these kids who would otherwise fall through the cracks.”
The program had a few factors in its favor. Classes were small, and the students were already known to the staff. Individual attention was part of the daily routine, and teachers were personally invested in each child.
Project Chrysalis continued to expand. By 2005, there were 50 students per grade, and by 2013, that number doubled.
“The word was out that this was a really good school,” Covarrubia said.
Academic rigor is key to the campus’ success.
“We have really high expectations for our kids,” Covarrubia said. “Attendance is extremely important. You have to be here in order to learn. You have to be prepared for the challenges you’re going to face.”
Covarrubia said students have risen to the challenge. The campus has close to 99 percent attendance. The day starts at 7:30 a.m., and instead of ending at 3:15 p.m. continues for another hour, providing time for additional tutoring.
Another way that Project Chrysalis sets itself apart is by focusing on communication. Students are encouraged to text or email their teachers to ask about homework or class material.
The discipline system is also unique and based on respect. When a student has an issue, a group of teachers will meet with the child and discuss possible solutions. The student is taught to be responsible and empowered to make a change.
Students are required to volunteer 20 hours per year, and their parents are expected to do the same. Half of the volunteer hours can be completed on campus, and students can choose from a range of tasks, including tutoring, gardening, cleaning or working in the school store.
Covarrubia said that the program evolved over time and credits a course at Rice University for helping the school find its voice.
“We were attempting to be a traditional middle school, but we couldn’t because we were small and had small personnel,” he said. “We needed to realize we’re about academics. We’re preparing kids for high school, where they will compete with other kids who have advantages that they’d never have.”
That meant sports and clubs would not be a major part of the school. Instead, students are welcomed to engage in extracurricular activities at their zoned campuses.
Students opt to go to Project Chrysalis. And Nereida Zamarripa, 14, is glad she made the choice. She will soon complete eighth grade there.
“At the beginning, it was rough,” she admitted.
The support from teachers made the challenge worthwhile. “They’ll do anything for you to be a success,” she said. “It’s not easy, but the teachers do everything to encourage you to do better. And for hard work, there’s recognition.”
Zamarripa has gone on school field trips to visit college campuses. In sixth grade, they check out universities in the Houston area. The next year, they visit other Texas schools. In eighth grade, they go out of state.
Zamarripa went to Boston to see MIT and Harvard. “It gave me a view of what to expect on campus and where I would like to go later,” she said.
She already feels confident about her next steps. “I’m used to pressure and stress,” she said. “If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere.”
In addition, she is heading to East Early College High School next year, where she plans to graduate with an associate’s degree.
Zamarripa said Project Chrysalis gave her a leg up. “I highly recommend it,” she said. “It gives you a lot of opportunities.”
Valerie Kubos, who teaches U.S. history, has been with the school for the past seven years. The formula breaks down to “grit, determination, hopes and dreams,” she said. “There’s just a sort of magic here.”
Both the students and their parents make her job rewarding. “For me, it’s home,” she said. “I never noticed the longer school days. I complain about not having enough time.”