Visitors to the Mt. Laurel Board of Education meeting last week got a quick snapshot of the school district as Superintendent Antoinette Rath presented her annual State of the District.
The presentation served as a highlight of the district’s activities and accomplishments in the previous year. Rath went through the State of the District by emphasizing progress in student achievement.
Of all of the programs Rath was proud of from the past year, she was especially happy with the progress the district’s STEM program made.
“Our STEM grant and the grants we received for our STEM initiative are our greatest points of pride this year,” she said.
The district received a number of grants for the program. They included a $15,000 grant from the Sallie Mae Foundation and $4,000 from the Federal Naval Air Grant with Lakehurst Naval Air Station.
The school also expanded its STEM curriculum at Harrington Middle School. Courses such as iPublish, Crime Scene Investigation and Show Me the Money incorporate other subjects into STEM classes.
“We really took STEM and really broad based it into other course areas,” Rath said.
The district also added an arts component to STEM. STEAM allows students to participate in classes where they develop mobile applications, perform audio and visual work and do other technology-based activities with an emphasis on creativity.
Rath’s State of the District didn’t just focus on the students. She also acknowledged teachers who received awards from outside organizations.
“I’m very proud for the accolades for all of our teachers,” she said. “When they are recognized by outside sources, it’s really a great feeling.”
The report touched on areas outside the classroom as well. Rath talked about departments such as facility maintenance, transportation and food service, giving a look into how each operate on a daily basis. She credited each department’s supervisor for running an efficient organization.
“These are unsung hero departments that, without them, we wouldn’t be who we are today,” she said.
The full State of the District report can be found on the school district’s website, www.mtlaurelschools.org.
In other news:
• The Board of Education discussed adding an extended kindergarten program for the 2014–15 school year. The new program is in the earliest planning stages, according to director of communications Marie Reynolds.
Parents who register their child for kindergarten will be able to fill out a flyer saying they are interested in an extended program.
“Children will have to be enrolled in kindergarten to be eligible for the extended day program,” Reynolds said.
The extended program will be tuition-based. Reynolds said the district will be distributing flyers and putting information on its website to give parents more information. The district will make a decision based on the feedback it receives from the community.
• The next Mt. Laurel Board of Education meeting will be a work session on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the district administration building.
