Curriculum changes planned for Johnston High School

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While Johnston continues to undergo substantial economic changes following the Great Recession, with the introduction of new industries and financial institutions making inroads in town, the Johnston High School administration is making concerted efforts to ensure that their students are prepared for the jobs and opportunities of tomorrow.

Following administrative changes at the high school last year with the departure of principal Zachary Farrell, who took a position with Cranston’s schools, former Ferri principal and current high school principal Dennis O. Morrell, along with his team of assistant principals – Michael Mancieri and Donna Pennacchia – are excited with curriculum changes they’re implementing. It’s their belief that significant changes in their education processes will provide students with advantages that will target their skill sets and enhance their development.

“Since we came together as a team at the end of August, we started to look at the programs of studies and course offerings on behalf of the kids and we wanted to see where we could further improve upon what was already being offered,” said Morrell. “We’re trying to make everything more real for the kids, more hands on, more applied learning.”

Hoping to align their students with 21st century skills that employers crave, the school took a serious look at its curriculum choice and what their kids will need to survive after graduation, Morrell and his team continue to focus on college preparation but look to target those who may want to go to a two-year school or a trade school.

Recently, the state’s Board of Regents restructured the graduation requirements in 2016, which go into effect in July 2017, driving discussions to make changes. Some of the major changes they look to implement at the beginning of the next school year include a revamped English curriculum, bringing back exciting elective courses, especially in the area of social studies. The school plans on offering a course on Rhode Island state history, along with African and Asian studies.

All 9th graders will now take World History, followed by a year of U.S. History. More choices are available during junior and senior years, which allows for more flexibility. French is returning to the school after years of absence, which may correlate to better performances in English.

Additional changes will include a renewed focus on economics and statistics. Aligning with Gov. Gina Raimondo’s recent initiative on computer science, all ninth graders will now be required to take computer science. Personal financial literacy will now also be a requirement for graduation.

“We’ve upped the graduation requirements from 23 to 24 credits, trying to make it a little more rigorous so that we’re on par with some of the students in surrounding districts,” said Morrell. 

The school is also “one to one” when it comes to MacBooks, continuing a trend started in the middle school in which each student is provided their own device.

“Teachers have embraced it. We’re still on a learning curve, we’re still getting to know one another and the technology,” said Morrell. “A lot of the support that we’re giving, we’re trying to do it slowly because if you want something done well it really has to be planned out and thought out. It’s really been a team effort here.”

With a litany of school-related experiences to build upon with their experiences from other districts – Mancieri is a long time educator, Pennacchia used to teach at Scituate High School, and Morrell taught for 20 years at Cranston High School West – the team believes the foundation is set for continued development at all levels.

“The dynamics of high school are changing, too. We really needed to take a look at what we were offering, probably every year, especially with the changes in technology,” said Pennacchia. “The Pathways program we’ll implement is something special, with a certificate that goes along with a student’s diploma. Maybe the students could have something that they can actually use, for example, in the medical field, so it’s not just about going to college. Maybe students could now get an internship working for someone, like the way it used to be done, only now it’s so much more technology savvy.”

Pennacchia provided examples of students who decide that they’re interested in medicine may want to take biology, and then they take microbiology and keep taking these classes as electives in addition to all of their other college preparatory courses. However, they’re also zoning in on classes they enjoy, such as in the arts or their new music classes, along with video production and photography that the school now offers.

“With Pathways, we’re looking at things students can do locally such as internships. With Citizens Bank coming into town, for example, that’s our vision, to partner with them,” said Morrell. “We’ve had preliminary discussions with the superintendent, and we have the green light to proceed with these plans. He was instrumental in these discussions to get out there in our community.”

Both administrators praised their school’s department heads, who have been helpful in developing courses and restructuring course offerings. Special education is another area that they plan to continue to focus on, which they hope offers children more access and opportunity with the curriculum.

“A lot of these students have strengths in certain areas, and we want to give them the opportunity and ability to capitalize on that, to take a course where they’ll feel like they are successful,” said Morrell. 

Piggybacking on those proposed curriculum changes to enhance their skill sets, the school last week held a career fair, where more than 60 representatives from the business community from nearly every field, including nursing, firefighters, nursing homes, funeral directors and even tattoo artists.

Last year, the school’s graduation rates were around 93 percent and above the state average.

“I’m very hesitant to look at percentages and statistics because they are too black and white, and there are too many variables in place,” said Morrell. “When they start grading a school based on scores, that’s not fair, there are just too many variables. I think we need to find a better way to hold teachers and administration responsible for their work.”

While the changes continue to evolve and are rolled out, it’s apparent that administration at the school is excited about what the future holds.

“Come back next year and see all the changes we have in store,” said Pennacchia.

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