Marlboro Superintendent Michael Rydell highlighted several actual and proposed courses and sports activities for next year in a slide presentation to the school board at their last meeting.

 

“The first slide is a little different model that we’re looking at for intramurals to get our students physically active and involved, maybe during a sports season when they’re not in a school sport but also to incorporate our sixth graders,” he said. “We’re going to see how this works out for the spring and maybe it is something we replicate for all three seasons by having different rotations of sports.”

 

Rydell, in consultation with Athletic Director Philip Cancellaro, is hoping to launch outdoor Soccer and Flag Football programs and an indoor wrestling schedule for grades 6-8, starting on March 11 that will run through June 7. They would be held at the Middle School following dismissal.

 

Rydell said flag football and soccer will be offered two days a week and on two other days students could participate in wrestling.  He is hoping there will be enough interest so that a modified wrestling team can be established sometime in the near future.  

 

Rydell said the school board suggested the district to look deeper into how well they are preparing their students in what they choose to pursue after high school graduation.

 

“One of the challenges that was presented to our High School faculty was to take a look at the courses we’re currently offering and what could be changed, what could be adjusted and then meet with our students and see what their perceptions are on what we currently offer and what maybe we could bring into our schools,” he said.

 

Rydell said students began learning about a number of possible courses  through the school’s arena scheduling. A posting on the district website described this type of scheduling in more detail; “Marlboro students in Grades 9-11 attended the High School’s first Arena Scheduling Day on January 30. During their English classes, the Dukes visited the Library Media Center, where they had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with experienced faculty members to learn about the school’s existing courses and electives, as well as some exciting new offerings that are being proposed for next year.

 

Arena scheduling is a personalized process that is designed to put students at the center of building their own schedules and determining which course options they need to take to fulfill their graduation requirements. Arena scheduling not only creates a simpler and more streamlined process for school counselors, it also teaches students valuable lessons in time management and responsibility.”

 

Rydell highlighted a number of courses at the high school level; Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Money Management (to replace Financial Literacy), Career and College Planning, a half-year Sports and Entertainment Marketing course followed in the second half of the year by Advanced Marketing Management. Work Based Learning that was started this year allows high school students to receive credit for work they are doing outside of the school day. It is expected to increase next year. In mathematics, Financial Algebra is also replacing Financial Literacy.

 

Rydell said course names/content were tested with some students; asking, for example, what they thought they would learn in an Entrepreneurship course. He noted that some of the course names are very similar to what the school has offered, “but we’re re-branding it, giving it a name that may be more applicable to actually what’s happening and also what could entice more students to take these courses. It also makes their high school transcripts accurately reflect the rigor that they experienced.”

 

Rydell said they want to add Creative Writing, Journalism and Mythology II in the English Department.

 

In the area of Science, the district wants to include a course in Genetics and possibly a multi-year process in Scientific Research. This latter discipline would allow students, “to enter a number of competitive but also very prestigious competitions and if nothing else, we’re teaching our students what scientific research is all about and how to go ahead and do that.”  

 

In Technology, Rydell said Technology I will be called Introduction to AutoCad; Technology II will be 3D Printing and Design; Game Design will be expanded to Computer and Game Design and Video Production is now Media Production.

 

The district is adding Sculpture and Graphic Design in the Arts Department and a Criminal Justice elective to Social Studies, “which had quite a bit of interest,” along with Pop Culture in Modern America and the Seal Of Civic Readiness; “I think it is essential that our students be civic minded by the time they graduate from high school.”  

 

Rydell concluded by saying that these course changes and additions, “is all about expanding the educational opportunities to give a premier education to our students.”