Highland School Board Approves Later Starting Day For 2012-13 School Year

Monterey, VA – At its meeting earlier this month, the Highland County School Board voted to change the school calendar so that school will start after Labor Day for the 2012-2013 school year. Elementary School Principal, Teresa Blum, reviews the four calendar options that were considered for next year.

“Four options were presented to the teachers; two of the options, one and two, were our typical calendars, they were the pre-Labor Day start,” she says. “Option one had the full week of Thanksgiving off, option two had a little longer Christmas [but] only three days at Thanksgiving, so the two [other] days were added to Christmas; that was the difference in one and two. Three and four were teachers come back the week before the [Highland County] fair, no one’s here the week of the fair, and then students begin after Labor Day.”

“In option three, the one they selected, they have a full week at Thanksgiving; option four was again the after Labor Day start but only three days at Thanksgiving and only a day more at Christmas.”

The school calendar proposals were discussed at length by Board members and Superintendent Crawford. During a meeting earlier in April, by a vote of 27 to 11, teachers and some parents approved option three in which school would start after Labor Day, on Tuesday September 4. Under this calendar, the teacher’s school year would end June 18. So this plan will shorten the teacher’s summer break.

This option will also give the students and teachers the full week of Thanksgiving off. School Board members were concerned that a bad winter with extra snow days could shorten the teacher’s summer break even more. However, they approved the calendar change.

Ms. Blum goes on to talk about the results of the state Destination Imagination tournament.

“Our two DI teams journeyed to the state tournament on March 31st,” she says. “Our Movie Makers placed sixth out of 21 teams and our Star Shiners were sixth out of 10 teams. They represented us well; the year is over, they don’t journey onto globals.”

Ms. Blum also reported on another event at the school in March.

“We also had our family fun night, an SOL-family fun night put it together this year to save on gas for parents; that is supported by Title One and special education advisory committees,” says Ms. Blum. “We fed 98 folks that night. The K-2 crowd participated in Zumba [dance class] under the leadership of Lisa Roberson and their parents got involved and they had a movement activity. Grades three to five were in a scavenger hunt with SOL questions; if they got all of their questions correct they got a five dollar gift card to Family Dollar. It was a fun evening for all.”

High School Principal April Goff discusses a new course requirement.

“The Personal Finance Requirement is a new requirement for the class of 2014, which is our current 10th graders,” says Goff. “And there’s three courses that have been listed that specifically meet the requirement. We currently use the Business 6120 economics and personal finance already in our classrooms. It is currently offered to all students as an elective through the business department.”