Escambia County (Ala.) School Superintendent John Knott told the Board of Education last Thursday that he felt '99.9 percent' sure the W. S. Neal High School graduation could be held in the newly renovated auditorium this Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m.
“The building inspector with the Alabama Building Commission made a full inspection yesterday,” said Knott. “All the items for us to be able to gain entry were up. The handrails are in place and all other safety items were in place.”
Knott said there are still punch list items that need to be done, but that overall, the building will be fine for the ceremony this Thursday.
Next, Knott discussed the new Data Analytics and Communication System being implemented as a way to address the recent failing grade received after state testing.
“This new system integrates all student information in one place,” said Knott. “It will allow us to see trends, such as behavioral, academic and attendance trends, as well as trends of at-risk students. It's a powerful communication component for teachers, through emails, texts and telephone with parents.”
Knott said it will replace the current communication system, Remind, and that because it is backed up on a cloud hosted by the provider, it will not drain the system.
ECRC
Escambia Career Readiness Center Technical Director David Lanier presented to board members the success of the programs offered at the school, noting that it received gold status during National Career Tech Signing Day. Lanier said that 15 students signed up for business apprenticeships and 24 out of 25 students who passed the test to receive their certified nursing assistant (CNA) certificates received either job offers or scholarships.
“Many parents did not realize this is free,” said Lanier. “Once they discovered their kids could take advantage of these post-secondary classes through these programs, at no or little cost to them, they were thrilled. They realized how much money they saved by having the students get certified through our programs, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Future Farmers of America (FFA) and SkillsUSA. This program has been very successful this year and we hope to see it do even more in the coming years.”
Virtual demonstration
Federal Programs Supervisor Sarah Watkins then handed out Viewmaster virtual goggles to board members and others at the meeting to demonstrate electronic virtual field trips and exploration.
Everyone got to see how Watkins could program a location using an application in her ipad and that place would appear in the glasses, which is a very useful tool in the classroom, according to Watkins. The group got to experience the solar system in outer space, India's Taj Mahal, Macchu Picchu in Peru, ancient Egyptian pyramids and the Nile River and underwater off the Galapagos Islands in a 3-D, fixed position aspect. The teacher can use a pointer on her screen to direct students' attention, and can see where they are looking.
“They will be available for teachers this year, to check out of the central office,” said Watkins. “It has taken a white to get all the equipment, but I'm hoping to have two kits that can be checked out. I'm going to train the library media specialists first, then go to the schools to show teachers how to use it. It's another way for teachers to show them something that will be meaningful and impactful.”
The board also approved the following items:
-Approval of Redemption's Promise Ministries (RPM) Outreach Program for the 2019-2020 school year
-Approval for Board Attorney Broox Garrett to contact the town of Flomaton attorney to develop an addendum to the Hurricane Park Lease Agreement to address modifications to the agreement. Once the agreement is prepared and is amicable with all parties, it will be presented to the board for consideration. Modifications to be addressed and considered include; revising the dates the board will use the baseball and softball fields to Dec. 1 rather than Feb. 1, and establish a flat fee annual payment proposal for utilities that are used during the baseball/softball seasons.
