LINDEN — Middle school students in the North Montgomery School District will soon be able to earn high school credit.
On Monday, the school board heard from middle school principal Benjamin Moore and high school principal Jonathon Guthrie. The pair have been working on a plan to add additional classes as well as transportation to the high school.
Currently, middle school students can earn high school credit in algebra and Spanish. Next year students will have the opportunity to earn class credit in additional departments, such as science and English. Also, these classes, which currently offered once per day will be expanded and offered in the morning and afternoon.
“The additional classes will give our students a head start with their high school classes,” Guthrie said. “This will give students more flexibility with scheduling. We also hope to sprinkle the middle school students into the high school classrooms.”
Guthrie said moving to the semester schedule, which includes seven periods instead of six, has helped the music department. More students are in choir and band this year and he said the additional classes will help students continue to participate in the arts.
School board member Karin Odle is pleased with the plan to add the classes.
“Offering more classes at the high school is over the top,” Odle said. “Again, we are a school corporation that is doing big things.”
The board approved a contract to pave the high school and middle school campuses this summer. The contract was awarded to Baumgartner Asphalt Company in the amount of $725,355. Funds to pay for the project will come from the Rainy Day Fund.
Middle School student Nicholas Duran was the honorary board member for the meeting.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the retirement of long-time Pleasant Hill administrative assistant Joan Airey.
• Approved the employment of Katie Burris as middle school language arts teacher.
• Approved field trips for the high school choir on May 10 to Kings Island; the high school FFA on March 15-17 to the FFA Camp in Trafalgar; the high school Scuba Club on March 22-27 to Ponce De Leon, Florida; and Sugar Creek Elementary on March 21-22 to Camp Tecumseh.
