Nome Public Schools is looking to shake up the schedule at Nome-Beltz. At last week’s school board work session, Superintendent Shawn Arnold announced the district may adopt an innovative calendar at the junior and senior high, starting next school year.
“School doesn’t have to look the same way as it did 10, 20, or 30 years ago — you know, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., you rotate through classes,” said Arnold.
Instead, the district is considering a schedule based on seven-week quarters — where students focus on core classes — followed by two-week exploration sessions, where students choose from a range of rotating electives.
The goal is to give students some variety and take advantage of local knowledge and talent. Arnold said the school would invite community members to teach electives on everything from art and music to shop and subsistence skills — topics that draw on community expertise and engage students in a different way than subjects like English and math.
Arnold said the Copper River School District has adopted a similarly unconventional schedule this year, with great success so far. But before any changes are made to the Nome-Beltz 2017-18 calendar, he said the district will discuss the idea with staff members as well as seek input from students and families.
At Tuesday’s work session, the talk about schedules came on the heels of a larger conversation about student wellness and social and emotional learning.
“Our students are a whole person,” said Arnold. “Our young men and women are much more than just the academics.”
Arnold and the board heard presentations about programs used across Nome Public Schools to help students develop good values and wellbeing.
Colonel Bob Blake explained the life skills curriculum covered in JROTC, while social worker Julie Falle spoke about Character Counts, a program new to Nome Elementary that’s been aligned with the Inupiaq values. Beth Sandefur — assistant principal at Nome-Beltz — also shared information about The Fourth R, a course that teaches students about relationship building.
“I feel really passionate about social and emotional learning,” said Sandefur. “I believe that when we do this, it’s taking some time away from academics, but the academic gains the kids will have — when they feel safe and they feel cared about in school — outweigh that minimal time that we’re giving up for those activities.”
And the district is looking to do more. Sandefur said The Fourth R — now used only in seventh grade — could expand through the high school next year. Falle said Nome Elementary is considering a dedicated curriculum on social and emotional learning. And Blake suggested the JROTC life skills class be taught to all ninth graders — not just those training as cadets.
These ideas are all part of a growing district effort to educate students on conflict resolution, communication, and healthy relationships.
“Students need to know life is about relationships, and when you learn about how to build positive ones, it makes a big difference,” said School Board President Barb Amarok.
But to make that difference, the district will need funding — and some is already on the way.
Arnold said the district recently won an i3 grant to support culturally relevant programming on social and emotional learning. The $3 million grant will be split between Nome Public Schools, the Bering Strait School District, and four other Alaska school districts.
And while recapping October’s Norton Sound Education Summit at the work session, Tyler Rhodes announced another financial help.
“At the last NSEDC board meeting, they approved a $1 million set-aside to support a ‘Growing Our Own Teachers’ initiative in the region,” said Rhodes, the COO for the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC).
While the initiative’s details are still in the works, NSEDC’s commitment follows the message reiterated by many at the summit: Local knowledge and culture are crucial for the region’s schools, as is developing and hiring local teachers.
The school board’s next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8.
