FARMINGTON – Regional School Unit 9 board members met on zoom Tuesday Night to hear the first reading of the potential changes in the board’s graduation requirements.
Curriculum Coordinator Laura Columbia presented the possible change in requirements to the board. The changes would open up possibilities for students fulfilling their social studies credit requirements. Currently, students must fulfil 3.5 social studies credits and must take an economics, government, and a U.S. history course.
The new wording will allow for a variety of .5 credit history courses to be offered alongside the required courses. Some of the choices students would be able to take would include indigenous studies, African American history, America at war, protest, activism and U.S. history.
“We have a lot of half credit classes so students can mix up their choices. We’ve taken the same themes but we’ve broken them up into half year courses and then focused them on an area that we think students may be more interested in,” said Columbia.
Interim Superintendent Monique Poulin reported that Franklin Memorial Hospital has reached out and is offering to begin setting up an in school vaccination center for students age 12 and older.
“We intend to move forward with collaborating with them. It will be a Franklin Memorial Hospital offering and they’re asking to access our spaces during the school day to make that happen,” said Poulin.
Mt. Blue High School Principal Joel Smith reported that the school is intending on having an in person graduation on June 13, which will follow all CDC guidelines. The senior class is also planning the senior trip and is looking for something within the district. Mt. Blue State Park is being considered.
“We’re planning on doing an in person graduation on the thirteenth and we’re trying to make that happen weather cooperating so we can have all of the students together in one venue. If that doesn’t happen we have a back up plan where we’ll be inside and it will be to accommodate social distancing and other guidelines,” said Smith. “We’ll have two separate graduations, but kind of in the same day, same time frame. Those events will be live streamed.”
The board voted to ratify the Mt. Blue administrators collective bargaining contract for years 2020-2024.
The board also voted to appoint Christian Elkington as the new RSU 9 superintendent beginning July 1 2021.
“I’m flattered. I’m really looking forward to joining RSU 9. I’ve always been impressed with the differing programs and the efforts that have been made in Mt. Blue when it comes to music, when it comes to the arts, when it comes to trying to find the best way to educate kids,” said Elkington.
