When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, the Harper Park Middle School “Hurricanes” sprang into action.

“The students here really took it to heart and really wanted to help out others,” principal William Shipp said. The Leesburg students raised $13,500 and donated it to the Red Cross. After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the students raised more than $10,000, he said.

Like other middle schools in the district, Harper Park students are placed on academic teams. The teams are broken down by grade level, and each team is assigned to a different group of teachers who have the same students and a common planning period. These teachers also are available to help with students one-on-one during the students’ “resource” period.

According to the school’s 2005-06 school improvement plan, one of Harper Park’s goals – along with other schools in the district – is to have at least 90 percent of students pass all required SOL tests. Test results from 2005-06 indicate 68 percent of sixth-graders, 79 percent of seventh-graders, and 86 percent of eighth-graders passed all portions of the SOL test. As a whole, the school has a 79 percent pass rate average for all three grades.

Like other public schools in Loudoun County, Harper Park is working to close the achievement gap between white and minority students. The improvement plan indicates a 100 percent pass rate on both the Algebra 1 and Geometry SOL exams for all students. While 89 percent of white students passed the reading portion of the SOL, 65 percent of Hispanic students and 58 percent of black students in grades six through eight passed. The pass rate for eighth-grade black students decreased from 57 to 47 percent from the previous year.

To keep parents involved, the school has a Parent-Teacher Association as well as many parent volunteers. One program, called Dads at School Helping, or DASH, is a way to encourage fathers to be more involved in the school. Fathers will sign up to spend a day at the school, and can attend some classes with their child as well as get to know some of the school staff. In addition, there are evening events like heritage night and family fun night to bring parents into the school.

Extracurricular activities include a variety of clubs and sports, including math club, photography club, yoga club, ecology club, Odyssey of the Mind and drama club to name a few. There is an activity bus that provides transportation home after these activities.