Less than a year after District Judge Bob Armstrong met with the Selma City School Board to introduce the expansion of the Phoenix Alternative Program to Hope Academy, Armstrong was back in front of the board to discuss the success the program has seen.

The first board meeting of the school year was held Thursday at Selma High School where Armstrong took the floor.

Hope Academy, which opened its doors in October 2014, is a behavioral rehabilitation program that services troubled youth within Dallas County.

With Armstrong was Hope Academy’s principal, Michael Bowers, who also spoke about the past year and the positive experiences that he encountered.

“We are becoming a world class organization,” Bowers said. “It’s all about children.”

Dr. Angela Mangum, superintendent of Selma City Schools, had nothing but positive things to say about the program.

“The Hope Academy program and Phoenix has been a huge success for kids because it really gives them the personalized attention that they need,” Mangum said. “It really unearths the deep reasons or the root causes for their behavior, it provides individual academic support for children and it also exposes them to mentors that can help them.”

Mangum said Hope Academy has been a wonderful outlet for troubled youth in the community, and she is glad to see the program in place.

“It has been a huge success and a huge blessing for the students of Dallas County and I’m really elated that we have such a program that sets a model for the state and the nation in what we can achieve for students that have some behavior difficulties,” Mangum said.

Before Bowers took the floor, Mangum thanked Armstrong and his involvement and said a few words to the board.

“I heard about Hope Academy before I even applied to be superintendent of Selma City Schools,” Mangum said. “The things that are going on there are just a blessing to the children of Selma City and Dallas County and it is phenomenal for the families.”