School tours given at Decatur meeting

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

— Community members were given a tour of the elementary and high schools, led by principals Leslie Sharp and Bobby King, at Monday’s town hall meeting.

Superintendent Larry Ben said it is traditional for school board members to tour facilities during their August meeting. Since Decatur holds town hall meetings in place of school board meetings, Ben suggested this would be an appropriate time to conduct the tour.

King showcased the high school’s classroom technology and distance learning program. Every classroom in the high school has an Elmo and SMART Board projector. Math classes also have technology which enables teachers to put problems on the board, and students can answer with a hand-held remote. The system allows kids to be involved without being vocal in the classroom, King said.

The technology was installed last Christmas, using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Teachers have noticed a major improvement in the amount of student involvement with the new technology, King said.

The high school also offers a distance learning room where students can take classes via video conference and over the Internet. Students can see their teachers as well as students from other schools on big-screen televisions at the front of the classroom, and each student has a computer to work over the Internet.

The distance learning lab allows students to take classes such as advanced-placement calculus, biology and French — courses that would not otherwise be offered because there would be too few students to justify hiring a teacher and filling a classroom, Ben said. Students can also take college-level courses, allowing them to begin their first year in college with six to nine credits under their belt.

King said the goal is to offer enough college-level courses in the future so that students could enter college in the second semester of their freshman year or even in their sophomore year.

“I’m pretty proud of this place,” King said.

The high school also has a mobile “COW.” The COW is a cart that holds 30 laptop computers and a wireless receiver. Teachers can use the cart in the classroom for one day or several days, making it possible for every single student to work on a laptop.

“We might be a small district, but we’re still providing the same opportunities kids have at the bigger schools,” King said.

Sharp led a tour of the Northside Elementary school, emphasizing the school’s focus in literacy.

SMART Board technology is also standard in elementary school classrooms. The elementary school’s literacy program begins with pre-kindergarten. Students have access to stateof-the-art technology as well as a cutting-edge curriculum.

In fact, Decatur’s pre-kindergarten is one of only four in the state to have such a high level of technology in the classroom, Sharp said. The program has already received the highest rating possible — a level three — she said.

The focus on literacy continues as students move onto kindergarten and higher grades. Teachers work with students in small groups and help them learn to take responsibility for their own education. The goal is to help students understand the idea that “I am responsible for my own learning and I know how to do it,” Sharp said.

Community members also toured the parent resources room, the resource room for teachers, the music room and the art room.

“You should be very proud to have this beautiful building in your community,” Sharp said.