Greene County goes back to school
School bells are now ringing at all five school districts in Greene County, and the 2009-10 school year is officially under way. Each year, the Messenger takes an in-depth look at the changes that are in store for the students as they prepare for another year of school. Administrators at each district said the new school year is bringing in many new faces to their respective faculties as well as continued enhancements and improvements to curriculum and technology.
This week, the Messenger focuses on the changes that are in store in 2009-2010 for the Jefferson-Morgan and Carmichaels Area school districts.
Jefferson-Morgan
As students filled the Jefferson-Morgan School District classrooms for the first time since spring, they faced changes aimed at increasing student achievement.
Although District Superintendent Donna Furnier said the district is in the top 50 most-improved districts in the state, she emphasized that changes in the curriculum for the 2009 to 2010 school year, specifically in math, should further increase student achievement.
She said the district added five new teachers and expanded the math department to reduce class size. Math tutors also are available for additional instruction.
Jefferson-Morgan earned Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in all but one elementary subgroup for the 2008-2009 school year. To address that subgroup, Furnier said elementary school teachers developed interventions directly related to each student’s strengths and needs.
Furnier said the district will continue with Science Matters, a science curriculum program designed for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. An anti-bullying program targeting students in kindergarten through 12th grade will continue through this academic year. She said the program, Project BRAVE, which is an anti-bullying initiative, has had a positive effect in the district.
This year, the students and teachers will be exploring the world of online courses. For the first time, the high school is offering an online French class. The online instruction will take place during a regular-scheduled class period.
“This is a pilot of online learning,” Furnier said. “We may be able to have other offerings in the future.”
Students taking the online French course also will interact with a Jefferson-Morgan teacher. Furnier added that the course is different from cyber school because the students are physically attending a scheduled class and interacting with a teacher.
In addition to the academic changes, Jefferson-Morgan Rocket football fans will be able to enjoy a new public announcement system for the first home football game on Friday, Sept. 11.
Carmichaels Area
Carmichaels Area High School began the 2009 to 2010 academic year by introducing a new, 32-minute class period.
Superintendent Craig Baily said the high school added the period to offer students additional Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) instruction and tutoring. Baily said the school started 10 minutes earlier to accommodate the additional class time.
Baily said the district made Adequate Yearly Progress in all but one subgroup. He added that the extra period allows for extra instruction time to students who did not reach the proficiency level on the PSSAs.
Junior-senior high school Principal John Menhart said about 14 students are assigned to one teacher during the additional instruction time. He said the teachers focus on a different concept each morning. The teachers use video-clip lessons created over summer break and during in-service days for instruction. Assignments follow the video clips. Menhart said half of the time is spent addressing reading, and the other half is spent addressing math. Teachers switch back and forth on a weekly basis.
“We want to really enhance our scores and try to help the kids,” Menhart said.
Menhart added that there are student helpers in each classroom. The helpers are seniors who were advanced or proficient in either math or reading. They are assigned to each group to serve as student consultants. He said that during the additional instruction time, teachers also will be incorporating a writing curriculum, and Menhart plans to incorporate a “drop-everything-and-read” session into the additional class time.
During “drop everything and read,” everyone in the school, including administrators, faculty and staff, must stop whatever they are doing and read.
In addition to the extra class period, the high school students are enjoying a remodeled art department and band and choral area. In the elementary school, the district installed SMART boards in 37 classrooms.
“We’ve enhanced all of our programs to make sure the students are achieving what is necessary to make them successful in their careers,” Baily said. “I talk to graduates all of the time and get feedback asking them what to do to make (the district) better for the next generation.”
Baily added that he relies on the district’s alumni to give him feedback on whether or not Carmichaels’ graduates have the skills necessary to be competitive in the college setting, and he tries to make adjustments according to graduates’ feedback.