By SANDY McGEE

CUMBERLAND — Very rarely does a mayor attend the first day of school, but for the 76 youngsters at Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley, Monday marked the start of something brand new for them and the state.

Mayor Daniel J. McKee welcomed students and parents to the state's very first mayor-led charter school, Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley, early Monday morning outside the former Our Lady of Fatima school building.
Approved by the General Assembly in 2008, Mayoral Academies are a new form of charter school that combines school operations with a mayor-led, local governance structure.
The schools are allowed more flexibility, under new legislation, to design its own teacher salary scale, health and retirement benefit structures and incentive-based pay. A non-profit umbrella organization, Rhode Island Mayoral Academies (RIMA), oversees the charter school.
“To have the first Mayoral Academies school up and running is pretty amazing,” said Michael Magee, RIMA CEO.
“Mayor McKee approached me about three years ago about changing education in Rhode Island. Seeing this partnership at work between the mayor and school operations has been amazing. So far, it has been a marriage made in heaven.”
The first Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley class consists of 76 kindergarteners who hail from four communities: Cumberland, Central Falls, Lincoln and Pawtucket.
The students, which represent the college Class of 2026, attend the new type of public education for free. The children were randomly selected from a lottery held this past July.
As the students began their first day of school on Monday, they passed by a giant banner emphasizing the school's maxim: “Work Hard. Go to College. Change the World!”
Inside the school building, college pennants, banners and flags decorate nearly every wall and door.
On one door, a crimson pennant points the way to the “Harvard University” classroom. Further down the hall, the dark blue of Harvard's well-known rival, Yale, maps the way to another academic area.
“It's one of the ways we are reinforcing the message of heading to college,” Magee said. “Those little messages are very important.”
The school's four kindergarten classrooms are each named after a lead teacher's alma mater: University of Rhode Island (URI), Harvard University, University of Michigan and the University of Texas at Arlington.
The classrooms are also painted in university colors.
The URI classroom is painted white, navy blue and the light blue officially referred to as “Keaney blue” after the 1920s URI athletic director, coach and chemistry instructor Frank W. Keaney. The University of Michigan walls are  covered in a bright maize and light blue, and so on.
“Every student here is on the path to college,” said Seth Andrew, founder of Democracy Prep Harlem and superintendent of Democracy Prep schools in the New England area and New York.
Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley is modeled after its Harlem predecessor, which opened three years ago.
At Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley, the school culture is identical in every room, according to Andrew. All children are taught a behavioral framework that spells out DREAM: Discipline, Respect, Enthusiasm, Accountability and Maturity.
During one class on Monday, the children were encouraged to use the term “discipline” in one-on-one talk exercises.
The kindergarteners were also instructed to sit-up straight, keep their hands folded together, eyes towards the talker and to “open their ears” to listen.
“There are essential elements to building a successful school culture,” Andrew said. “You have to have high expectations for students and make sure they meet those expectations. You have to have great teachers, a supportive environment and rigorous instruction.”
Democracy Prep refers to its students as “scholars” repeatedly. The scholars  are also required to wear a uniform.
On the first day of school, the girls wore navy plaid jumpers with a white-collared shirt. The girls, however, may choose to wear the same uniform as the boys did on Monday - gray slacks and a navy polo shirt.
Each classroom is filled with only 19 children, who are under the direction of a lead teacher and a “teacher fellow.” The young teachers also wore a uniform of navy polo shirts and khakis.
Democracy Prep scholars attend school longer than kids in other public schools. Scholars attend class Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:45 to 4 p.m.; and on Wednesday from 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The children are dismissed early every Wednesday in order for teachers to attend three-hour professional development workshops.
The scholars also attend school 190 days per year, 10 more than the state mandate.
Each school day consists of three hours of literacy instruction, two hours of math and an hour of science or Social Studies. The school day also includes physical education, art, music, chess and Spanish.
“Every kid will be taught chess and learn how to compete,” Andrew said. “Chess has the ability to teach logic and strategy.”
Chess is also offered through the Office of Children, Youth and Learning (OCYL), which shares the same building with Democracy Prep.
To make sure every child receives a quality education, Democracy Prep has employed two Spanish-speaking teachers and three translators. One third of the school's students are from non-English speaking families.
School policy also mandates that each child receives three handshakes from an adult each day. This is to foster professionalism in the child early on.
“In the world of work, politics and academics, when you greet someone, you look the person straight in the eye, give a firm handshake and speak in full sentences,” said Jeremy Chiappetta, head of school for Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley. “We are teaching our scholars that from day one.”
While these students complete their first year of education on Fatima Drive, RIMA officials will continue to search for a larger facility. The current building only has space to house kindergarten and grade 1 students.
The vacant St. Patrick school building on Broad Street could be considered as a Democracy Prep facility, according to Magee.
“It is an option,” he said. “We are looking at what facilities would be suitable for a kindergarten to grade 12 system. We want to be able to provide great school facilities at reasonable costs. We also want a place that would be the easiest to transport student to.”
RIMA officials are also working with the Rhode Island Department of Education to develop a new transporation policy.