education

It seems like only a year or two ago that my school board engaged in heated discussions about banning cell phones, iPods and other electronic gizmos from school. We talked for hours about cyberbullying and cheating versus the needs of parents to arrange for rides to sports and activities, emergency uses and more. We tried to establish limits: use in cafeterias or buses only, or limiting the hours of use to before or after school. We had the superintendent bring us policies and we wrangled on into the night and from meeting to meeting.

Wow. That’s the first word that comes to mind after my visit to the new Windham High School. Last month’s column on changing technology prompted an alert reader to suggest I pay a visit to this 21st century school to see how technology is already being implemented in a big way.

For staff and students at the Lamprey River Elementary School, the past two years have proven that change is possible. The kindergarten through grade five school in Raymond is one of two pilot schools in New Hampshire (the other is the Mildred Lakeway Elementary School in Littleton) provided a Healthy Schools Grant by the New Hampshire Partners for Healthy Schools (NHPHS) to improve both indoor air quality and the environment. One result of their program participation was being selected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive its 2009 Tools for Schools Leadership Award.

Have you ever been the last domino in the hiring process? It works something like this: School A advertises for a principal. School B’s principal applies and gets the job. School B advertises and takes an assistant principal from school C. You are school C, and it’s August 25. What to do?