Special Programs

Students follow different paths in their educational journeys and benefit from a variety of opportunities to attain their goals. The St. Tammany Parish Public School System Virtual Academy offers students an exciting, new approach to learning. This program is not for students interested in a full online high school. 

The Virtual Academy relies on technology designed to support teaching and learning in various educational settings. The Virtual Academy allows for anytime, anywhere access, partnered with unlimited collaboration possibilities—available at the click of a mouse. 

For more information about the Virtual Academy, contact your high school guidance counselor or the Virtual Academy administrator at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or phone 985-727-5518.

The St. Tammany Parish Public School System A3 Virtual Academy Program is committed to creating a student-centered virtual environment that offers immediate accessibility to learning and empowers students to learn anytime, anywhere.

The Virtual Academy Program offers coursework to St. Tammany Parish Public School System high school students only through an online platform. Students interested in the Virtual Academy Program must first meet with their local high school administrators/guidance counselors. Upon meeting the criteria for enrolling, students will be assigned courses for which they have been approved.

For more information about the A3 Virtual Academy Program, contact the School Administrator at robert.deroche@stpsb.org or phone 985-727-5518.

Click here for the High School Summer Application (pdf)

Click here for the High School Summer Application in Spanish (pdf)

Project Believe
23636 Sparrow Rd., Quad C, Mandeville, LA 70448

Phone: (985) 727-6031, Option #2
Fax: (985) 727-6034

Principal: Payton Monteleone (click to email)

Slidell –              P/U:  8:00am – 8:20am           D/O:  2:05pm

Brooks Educational Center – 2544 SGT Alfred Dr. Slidell, LA 70458

Pearl River –     P/U 8:00am – 8:10am             D/O 2:05pm

Pearl River Police Dept. – 39470 Willis Alley Rd. Pearl River, LA 70452

Lacombe –         P/U 8:40am – 8:45am             D/O:  1:40pm

St. Tammany Parish Library – 28027 US 190 Lacombe, LA 70445

Mandeville –     P/U 8:00am – 8:40am             D/O:  1:50pm

LA State Police Troop L – 2600 N. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville, LA 70471

Covington –       P/U:  8:00am – 8:10am           D/O:  2:05pm

Harrison Curriculum Center – 706 W. 28th Ave. Covington, LA 70433

The STPPS Project Believe program is designed in accordance to the definition of alternative education programs set for in R.S. 17:416.2 ©.

Alternative education programs have been designed to offer variations of traditional instructional programs and strategies to increase the likelihood for unmotivated, unsuccessful, or disruptive students in traditional school environments to remain in school and obtain a high school diploma.  Alternative schools may include, but are not limited to, programs that hold students to strict standards of behavior in highly structured and controlled environments, sometimes referred to as “boot camps”, “police schools”, or “court schools”.

Our mission is to educate, train, and inspire the cadets so graduates are highly motivated, self- disciplined leaders of character committed to the values of becoming successful life-long learning citizens prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to their self and community.

Our vision is to create a highly structured learning environment that will transition students back to their traditional school setting equipped with the academic and behavioral skills necessary to reach graduation.

Project Believe is an alternative to expulsion offered to at-risk students inside the STPPS.  Students participating in the alternative setting at PB will be enrolled in core curriculum, engage in physical training, participate in military-focused drill activities, and attend graduation ceremonies all led by drill instructors and facilitators.  We utilize a 2-phase graduation system at PB and have tailored it with guidelines, and privileges to encourage students to earn their way back into a brick and mortar school setting.  The minimum assignment to PB is 45 calendar school days for a student to be granted successful completion of the program, Yet, the Administration of PB will use his/her discretion before the final decision of a student’s return is granted.

Project Believe focuses on the following daily operations:

·         Provide a high-quality education through a variety of teaching methods

·         Provide physical training that re-focuses the students’ overall self-worth.

·         Provide a highly structured learning environment that is conducive to continuously improving all students academically, behaviorally, socially, and emotionally.

·         Promote self-improvement through a strict focus on the 7 habits of highly effective people.

·         Promote and increase student awareness of individual accountability by focusing on attendance, good behavior, academic responsibility.

Goal:  Project Believe is designed to educate, train, and inspire students in a variety of different settings.  Our daily operations are centered around the end goal of successfully transitioning the student back to their home-based school better equipped to receive their high school diploma.

We believe creating a supportive and collaborative network composed of the student, parents/guardians, and faculty/staff here at Project Believe will aid in a successful completion of our previously stated goal.

Individual and group conferences will be held daily with the student to establish a baseline of data, which will be used to help measure student progress within the program.  The data points will be focused around academic and behavioral progress coupled with overall performance to determine if the student is progressing through the phases explained below of Project Believe. 

·         Phase 1 (Entry Level) is a duration of 22 school days at a minimum. 

o   Cadets will be required to wear a navy-blue shirt during this phase.

§  Completion of Phase 1 will be granted if the cadet has illustrated:

·         Attendance record

·         Fewer than 2 unexcused absences

 

§  Good behavior in regards to discipline

·         Fewer than 2 minor disciplinary infractions

 

§  Is in good academic standing

·         Holds a 67% or higher at a minimum in each class

 

§  Is illustrating proper effort during PT

·         determined by assigned drill instructor

 

·         Phase 2 (Platinum Level) is the remainder of time until graduation/return date.

o   Student will then be eligible to wear a Grey uniform shirt.

o   Completion of Phase 2 will be granted if the cadet has illustrated:

§  All continued requirements outlined in Phase 1

§  Completion and Submission of required Essay

 

Students must serve a minimum of 45 days in the alternative setting.  Unexcused absences will extend the students graduation/return date.  Project Believe reserves the right to extend the graduation/return date in regards to the above evaluation guidelines.

Believe in yourself

Believe in your hopes

Believe in your dreams

We Believe in you!

1.       Students are not allowed to attend any STPPS school or district sponsored events other than those on Project Believes campus during their enrollment period.

 

2.       Participation in all assigned academic classes, drill activities, and ceremonies is a requirement of the program.

 

3.       Students are required to wear the Project Believe para-military uniform each day. 

a.       A document outlining the required garments of our uniform will be issued to the parent upon registration.  The student will not be allowed to begin the program until he/she is in proper attire upon arrival to the appropriate morning bus pick-up site.

b.       Additional dress-code requirements include:

                                                              i.      Hair:  All hair must be clean, well-groomed, and have no lines cut in the hair line or eyebrows.  No Mohawks, braids, dreadlocks etc.

1.       Males – must have a neat military style haircut with a length of no more than 1” on top of the head.

a.       NO Head Covering for males are allowed.  

2.       Females – with long hair must have it secured tightly in a bun with a hair tie of some sort.

a.       No Head coverings for females are allowed.

                                                            ii.      Females may wear ear rings in their ears only. 

1.       Nose piercings, necklaces, and rings are not allowed at Project Believe.

2.        Males are asked to remove all jewelry and/or accessories prior to boarding the bus each morning. 

                                                          iii.      Females may not have fake nails longer than a ¼” from the fingertip.

                                                          iv.      No outside food or beverages are allowed on the bus or campus. 

                                                          v.      Students will address all staff at Project Believe using proper manners, such as Yes Sir/No Mam and Yes Master SGT/ No Staff SGT. 

 

4.       Parent/Guardian is not only responsible for transporting student to appropriate transportation site each morning, but also picking up their student every afternoon from the appropriate site.

a.       In the event a student misses the bus, the parent must contact Project Believe and have student to campus before 1st Period, which begins at 9:35am.  

b.       Part of the requirement with Project believe is for the cadet to ride the bus from each designated site during their assigned time.

 

5.       STPPS district policy in regards to absences outlined in the Student Handbook will be strictly followed. 

a.       Excused absences will be granted once the proper documentation is submitted to the Project Believe administration. 

b.       An unexcused absence will result in the student’s graduation/return date being extended 1 full school day per absence. 

c.       In the event a student misses 3 consecutive days and no communication is established with parent/guardian with Administration the student will be turned over to Truancy.

 

6.       Cell Phones are not allowed on Project Believes campus. 

a.       A parent wishing to have a communication device for their student must hand deliver it to the drill SGT upon arrival to the morning bus stop. 

b.       Any and all electronic devices found on the student will be confiscated and a person on the student’s emergency card must come and retrieve it from Project Believe. 

c.       No cell phones will be issued back to the student.

 

7.       The student is not allowed to bring any other items besides the STPPS issued Chromebook and/or charger.

a.       Any items confiscated will not be issued back to the student.  Parent/Guardian must come to Project Believe in order to collect wanted items.

 

8.       Personal vehicles are not allowed at Project Believe, therefore No student is allowed to drive to Project Believe. 

There is a statement of acknowledgement form in the printable version of the handbook (see the link below).