Getting down to business
Who: Raine, Faculty & Staff
When: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, afternoon
Where: Clairbourn Auditorium
What: Raine has decided that some things need to be addressed.
Raine sat at her place on the stage next to the podium, watching the faculty file in. The staff had been there for about half an hour prior, going over the agenda and bringing up problems they felt needed to be addressed.
As she looked over the crowd, she spotted a few confused faces, a few that looked resentful, and a few more that simply looked bored. Here and there someone stuck out to her - carrying notes, a report, something they had brought to the table. Those would be the ones she was keeping her eye on, the ones who could contribute to some of the problems around the school.
When they had all come in and taken their seats, Raine stepped up to the podium. "Good afternoon, faculty and staff. I am Raine Sage, Clairbourn's new principal." She paused. "As reluctant as I am to brag, the staff felt it would be a good idea for me to give you a little background on myself before we begin. I graduated with honors from Sarah Lawrence University. My undergraduate degree was in art history and education, and I hold an M.A. in secondary ed. I spent a year with Teach for America in New York City, and now I'm here.
"During my time in Teach for America I worked with many troubled students - students whose families were below the poverty line, who had sub-par literacy skills, who were involved with gang violence, drugs and other criminal problems. Some of these students were in desperate need of a guiding hand, while others were beyond hope. But regardless of their level, many of the schools I was placed in ignored their needs for one very simple reason - funding.
"The lack of funding to struggling schools is one of the main causes of low graduation rates and high drop-out statistics. Fortunately, that is not a problem we have at Clairbourn. We have pulled very high standardized test scores for the past three years, and due to a quirk of... mismanagement, much of our funding has remained unspent.
"This leaves us in a unique position. Clairbourn ISD's graduation requirements state that a student must complete four credits in English, three in Sciences, three in Mathematics, three in History, one in Humanities, two in Physical Education and one in the Arts, with the remainder of a child's schedule left to be filled by electives."
Raine paused again, looking over the gathered faculty. "However, the state doesn't mandate how those credits are to be achieved. We have already begun to instate some interesting alternatives to the standard curriculum - we boast an Ancient Literature class, a Comparative Religion class, and several other classes that most high schools can only dream to have. What I propose is that we allow students to fill out their schedules with classes they are actually interested in, classes that would allow them to learn something they enjoy. I understand that there are several student clubs popping up around campus which display an interest in unconventional physical education subjects, such as martial arts and ballet. What I would like to hear are some ideas for how your subjects can become more appealing to our students. I would also like to hear from you what you feel some of our biggest problems and challenges are on our campus.
"Faculty, you have the floor."
She remained at the podium, looking out over the sea of faces, and waited for the questions and suggestions to begin.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, afternoon
Where: Clairbourn Auditorium
What: Raine has decided that some things need to be addressed.
Raine sat at her place on the stage next to the podium, watching the faculty file in. The staff had been there for about half an hour prior, going over the agenda and bringing up problems they felt needed to be addressed.
As she looked over the crowd, she spotted a few confused faces, a few that looked resentful, and a few more that simply looked bored. Here and there someone stuck out to her - carrying notes, a report, something they had brought to the table. Those would be the ones she was keeping her eye on, the ones who could contribute to some of the problems around the school.
When they had all come in and taken their seats, Raine stepped up to the podium. "Good afternoon, faculty and staff. I am Raine Sage, Clairbourn's new principal." She paused. "As reluctant as I am to brag, the staff felt it would be a good idea for me to give you a little background on myself before we begin. I graduated with honors from Sarah Lawrence University. My undergraduate degree was in art history and education, and I hold an M.A. in secondary ed. I spent a year with Teach for America in New York City, and now I'm here.
"During my time in Teach for America I worked with many troubled students - students whose families were below the poverty line, who had sub-par literacy skills, who were involved with gang violence, drugs and other criminal problems. Some of these students were in desperate need of a guiding hand, while others were beyond hope. But regardless of their level, many of the schools I was placed in ignored their needs for one very simple reason - funding.
"The lack of funding to struggling schools is one of the main causes of low graduation rates and high drop-out statistics. Fortunately, that is not a problem we have at Clairbourn. We have pulled very high standardized test scores for the past three years, and due to a quirk of... mismanagement, much of our funding has remained unspent.
"This leaves us in a unique position. Clairbourn ISD's graduation requirements state that a student must complete four credits in English, three in Sciences, three in Mathematics, three in History, one in Humanities, two in Physical Education and one in the Arts, with the remainder of a child's schedule left to be filled by electives."
Raine paused again, looking over the gathered faculty. "However, the state doesn't mandate how those credits are to be achieved. We have already begun to instate some interesting alternatives to the standard curriculum - we boast an Ancient Literature class, a Comparative Religion class, and several other classes that most high schools can only dream to have. What I propose is that we allow students to fill out their schedules with classes they are actually interested in, classes that would allow them to learn something they enjoy. I understand that there are several student clubs popping up around campus which display an interest in unconventional physical education subjects, such as martial arts and ballet. What I would like to hear are some ideas for how your subjects can become more appealing to our students. I would also like to hear from you what you feel some of our biggest problems and challenges are on our campus.
"Faculty, you have the floor."
She remained at the podium, looking out over the sea of faces, and waited for the questions and suggestions to begin.