Berlin School District Ripe With Fun Learning Opportunities

by Phillip Zema
There was little talk of multimillion dollar renovation projects, but the Berlin Board meeting still had plenty of pizzazz. The faculty is currently involved in a number of fun and intellectually stimulating projects and activities. Area residents should be happy to hear about the many learning opportunities open to Berlin’s students. Moreover, math scores appear to be rising, and the District hopes these improvements continue. But at Tuesday’s School Board meeting several community members voiced their concern with the District’s policies and financial plans.
Church And State
James White, pastor of the Grafton First Baptist Church, expressed concern with a decision made by the Grafton Elementary School Principal, Eileen Leffler. The kindergarten class was intending to sing “Go Tell It on the Mountain” at a local senior center. The Principal, however, claimed the song, which celebrates Christ’s birth, violated the separation of church and state and so it could not be sung to the seniors. The Principal also feared the song would offend people of other faiths. White discussed the matter with Leffler, but during their meeting, she never claimed her decision was based on school policy. Accordingly, he asked the Board to investigate whether the Principal followed appropriate school protocol.
Another concerned resident gave a detailed presentation to the Board. In short, his presentation revolved around the following question – “what is the strategic vision of the Berlin school district?” He briefly talked about the District’s long and short-term strategic goals (e.g. student learning, instructional needs and economic development) and the relative cost of educating each student. Berlin spends roughly $5,000 more per student than most of its neighboring school districts. He was chiefly concerned, however, with the possibility of substantial budget increases. Currently, the District’s school budget is roughly $18m per year. But because of future capital improvements (e.g. renovations, additions, a new bus garage), instructional enhancements, post employment benefits and student population decline, Berlin may have 80 less students by 2014, the District will have to make roughly $5m in future economic adjustments. He claimed that in order to avoid drastic budget increases, the District must modify its financial plan. The Board made no response to his presentation.
Student Math Scores Rising
High School Principal Dennis Healy and Lauren Nichols, the District’s curriculum coordinator, were pleased to announce that Berlin’s math scores have risen. For several years, a substantial amount of students were not proficient in math. Yet recent scores reveal a noticeable improvement, especially in the middle school. For example, in the eighth grade the proficiency level has increased from roughly 25% to 75%. While across the board, scores have risen, the administration still aims to have 90% of students reach proficiency levels. It also hopes to see a 10% increase in the amount of students who achieve mastery level. A number of factors contributed to these improvements, the most notable being the incorporation of an additional classroom instructor.
Science Department Presentation
During the meeting, Audrey Vanderhoef, the seventh grade science teacher and science chair, gave the Board an opportunity to take a rare field trip. The science faculty had set up a display in the school’s library, and she thought the Board ought to take a look. The display included various student assignments (e.g. roller coaster and trout preservation projects) and featured a salt-water touch tank; the tank complements the school’s tropical fish aquarium and serves as an innovative learning tool. The touch tank was brought by high school science teacher Matthew Christian. In her presentation, Audrey Vanderhoef expressed how the department is excited about Berlin’s science-related academic opportunities, which include new forensic and marine biology courses and an assortment of extracurricular activities (e.g. Science Bowl and the Future City competition). She asserted that such opportunities will encourage students to excel and pursue science careers.
Field Trip Galore
In closing, Berlin’s faculty has a number of field trips planned. The eighth grade faculty will be taking their students to Medieval Times. Mrs. Walsh, the eighth grade science teacher, claimed the trip would give the students a taste of medieval culture. Also, from May 13-16 the student council will go to Niagara Falls and Toronto. Forty students and eight chaperones will attend, and the trip includes a visit to the Ontario Science Center and the Casa Loma Castle. Lastly, Diane Mosher will be taking her Housing, Event Planning and Catering classes to New York City. The students will visit several of the city’s popular clothing/fashion districts. A number of faculty/student-run fund-raisers are planned to help make the Niagara Falls/Toronto and New York City trips more affordable.