Yearlong Courses Plan Ready for Approval After 'Successful' Forum

Principal Bill McGowan said he plans to ask the Winnacunnet School Board to formally sign off on the district's yearlong courses plan, hopefully finalizing a shift that many officials feel will yield positive results for the school.

McGowan lead a community forum Wednesday night to reach out to the community and discuss the administered to parents, teachers and students.

After gathering public input through that forum, McGowan said he feels the plan is where it needs to be, and the only remaining step would be to receive formal school board approval at the board's June 20 meeting.

"I think we all agree," said McGowan. "I'd like them to say, 'Yeah, go ahead, move forward."

Roughly two dozen individuals attended Wednesday's forum, including: state Sen. Nancy Stiles; Winnacunnet School Board members Wayne Skoglund, Chris Muns and Leslie Lafond; Hampton Selectman Mike Pierce; former Hampton Selectman Jerry Znoj; Hampton School Board members Peppa Ring and Art Gopalan; Superintendent Bob Sullivan and Assistant Superintendent Barbara Hopkins; six students, and several parents and WHS staff members.

While the turnout was lower than hoped, McGowan still deemed the night to be "successful" because individuals like Znoj and Pierce were able to voice their concerns about the change and provide their feelings about the overall level of instruction at WHS.

McGowan said he and other administrators "don't want to work in isolation," and he said any kind of feedback from the public aids the yearlong courses process.

"It's a chance to get out the positive information [about the change]," said McGowan of the district's multiple yearlong courses , of which there will likely be more. "Any time with community input is a positive experience, and allows us to move forward."

The school's yearlong courses plan involves making several changes over the next few years in order to turn essential core subjects into full-year classes, as some subjects aren't currently taught in all three trimesters of a given school year.

If approved by the school board, WHS would add one teaching block of instruction in 2013-2014 to make school a six-block day. Freshmen English and math would also become yearlong courses, while some sophomore geometry and junior geometry would also make the full-year shift.

The school would then make all levels and grades of algebra 2 a yearlong course in 2014-2015, which would effectively make all WHS English and math courses full-year classes. The opportunity will also exist for designated elective courses and other core subjects to also be taught as full-year classes.

The various changes involves revamping the schedule format, and McGowan said there will likely be many questions that will arise. He said the district will continue to answer those questions, although he said they can't let questions stop them from "moving forward" with the plan.