The educational environment and the physical surroundings at Pea Ridge High School will be noticeably different when students return to the classrooms.
"We're very excited for our cultural shift this year," Chip Greenwell, assistant principal at Pea Ridge High School, said.
Greenwell and principal Jon Laffoon said there are three major vehicles which will be used this year in the high school.
They are:
• Flex Mod Schedule
Laffoon said the flex mod schedule systemically allows students to customize their learning and receive individual help during the day.
• One-to-one program
"We believe that technology is so important to set our kids up for success in a dynamic 21st Century world," Laffoon said. "We want to teach them to use technology as a tool, both in and out of the classroom, for life in general as well as the classroom." He said providing a chrome book for each student will enhance their technological education.
• More options
Thirdly, there are many changes being made to the building itself, Laffoon said, including updating the facility, adding an arts wing, making a college hall and providing "social nests" for students to collaborate together outside of the classroom in a more relaxed environment.
"This is a continued evolution," Laffoon said. "I think we've been doing great things for years; this is just the next step in that growth process."
Both administrators said character education is essential. They said that educators would focus on students by personalization, allow creativity and put an emphasis on character education.
"I'm excited about the one-to-one," Laffoon said, recalling that when he first came to Pea Ridge, there was one room of computers on the entire campus. "We have a wonderful School Board and superintendent who have allowed us to get the resources we need for our students to get a relevant education."
The chrome book is a "Google laptop that operates with Google chrome that was specifically created for schools," Greenwell said. The laptop is provided to the students to use for a year; they may take it home with them.
"There's no software; it automatically updates itself. Google handles all that," Greenwell explained. "When you're a Google for education school, you get all storage for free."
Greenwell said that there is an application that can be downloaded to a mobile phone through which he can access his Chrome book files. "It's interfaced with all devices; it works online and offline as well."
"You can work offline. Everything is saved," Laffoon said.
College-like environment
"We've designed common areas where students can go work, collaborate, socialize," Laffoon said, adding that there are several spots with "charging stations" for electronic devices. Some of the areas are beside the gym; there are stand-up counters with charging stations in the cafeteria, the hallways.
"It will be like the college union," Greenwell said.
There are 10 television monitors on the walls which will be used for announcements and will have displayed timers to help students keep track of their time.
"This building is 15 years old. It's never been renovated. Part of our responsibility as administrators is making sure facilities are adequate," Laffoon said.
A room formerly used for art has been redesigned into a "large collaborative classroom that will seat 60 students," Laffoon said.
"We saw the idea at Springdale Harbor... and saw it again at South Carolina when we went out for the flex mod training," Greenwell said. "Two of our English teachers will co-teach together. There will be a lot more collaboration. It will be a very engaging environment."
Safety net provided
"We've provided a safety net. We have a number of tiered interventions," Greenwell said, adding that there will be "everything from weekly grade checks with home room teachers" to opportunities for intervention if a student's grade falls below a certain threshold.
"We will rely on our teachers to know the students," Laffoon said. "The big thing is relationships. They really take a personal interest."
"Every student will be paired with a teacher," Greenwell said, "who will get to know that student and help push them to their potential."
"Each teacher will be paired with 12 students who they will see everyday -- checking grades, building relationships, character education," Greenwell said, explaining that the character education will include "very practical measures -- how do we use technology responsibly, how do we manage our time."
"We are building work ethic, personal responsibility, oral and written communication ... skills that no matter where you go after education, you will need to be successful," Greenwell said.
Community on 08/12/2015