The Regional School Committee (RSC) met on May 19 and the theme was everyone is finishing the final month of school strong while starting to plan ahead for the next school year.
Superintendent Greg Martineau said it is far too early to speculate what the fall return will look like.
“We all hope that it looks far more normal than it did this past September,” he said.
Other highlights from the meeting:
- The RSC unanimously opted out of school choice, as did the Northborough and Southborough K-8 School Committees. Some members said it is something that should be considered another year as the district would receive $5,000 per student. This is, however, far less than the district’s expenditure per student of $18,621.13 based on Fiscal year 2020 data. A few members expressed concern with school choice and the ability for a district to depend on that money for incoming students, a number that could fluctuate and possibly create a budget deficit. (School choice is when students from other towns can be enrolled in another district.)
- The last day for senior students is Thursday, May 27. A special Senior Night is being planned to include a parade, food trucks and an outdoor movie. Graduation is scheduled for Sunday, June 6 at 10 a.m. on the football field.
- Weekly pool testing continues for students and staff. Per the district dashboard data reported for week May 17-23, the average participation rate for students is 50 percent, and 58 percent for staff.
- Northborough and Southborough have one of the highest rates of vaccinations in the state.
- Naming the new ARHS mascot will include polling communities and gathering information from students. The process will be discussed further at the Wed., June 16 meeting.
- The student handbook is being revised and has removed reference to the Tomahawk. A member of the RSC recommended that an educational component about why the school is named Algonquin be included.
- There a few additions to the program of studies to offer students some unique electives. A weight training and conditioning class has been added, as well as two math courses that focus on applications of math in the real world and a class to examine American pop culture.
- Social Studies teacher Brittany Burns was part of a segment on WGBH. She spoke about teaching the history of the Holocaust and classroom discussions surrounding race and current events. A course, The Holocaust and Human Behavior, examines central issues of human rights, civic responsibility and social justice through the analysis of the Holocaust and other modern genocides.
- The full meeting can be viewed online.