“Helping, Valuing, Mentoring”
The motto of Happy Valley Middle School continues to ring true for this academic year.
Following an initiative held in conjunction with the school and Niswonger Foundation, HVMS now have the options to pursue specific high school credits prior to graduation.
“We had talked through our supervisor and one of the folks at Niswonger about getting the middle school online classes started,” HVMS principal Jonathan Minton said. “It was something Niswonger talked about doing through the i3 grant to get it exposed in middle schools. I just think it was perfect timing. We inquired about it and they were talking about doing it so it turned out to be a perfect opportunity for them and us, too, to pilot the class with some students.”
For the current semester, the school selected 10 students to participate in the online courses, delving into a personal finance course. The class is a requirement by the state for high school students to graduate, and the online classes allow middle school students to be “one step ahead of the game,” according to Minton.
“We were able to get 10 students in this semester,” he said. “We’re hoping to get 10 more students for the next semester. We hope this can afford the students some opportunities of, who knows, maybe graduating early or even getting an early start on college or postsecondary school courses when they move on to high school.”
Minton also praised the efforts of the students working in the course.
“It’s a perfect opportunity for the students to receive half a credit for the course,” he said. “The students taking the course now have been fantastic. They’re really putting the work in and are even working together on their personal time.”
Setting a standard was a hard opportunity to pass up, according to student Hailey Pearman.
“I think it’s really important because it is something our school hasn’t done before,” she said. “I think it’s really cool to be part of that.”
Olivia Abshire also added that it was a great opportunity to get an early start on their high school career.
“I think it’s pretty awesome because not a lot of people get to do that,” she added. “We get to go ahead and get a credit for high school.”
Lucas Shausse joined in with his classmates’ remarks, adding that it was “really cool to be part of the class.”
Being the inaugural group of students to take part of the class is something the students don’t take lightly. While setting up a foundation for future students, the camaraderie Minton spoke of by the class is showcased when the students discuss the class.
“It feels great to work together and be able to achieve our goals,” Shausse said.
“We all know each other and it’s fun to work together,” Abshire added while Pearman followed up her comment by stating, “I love how it’s a great effort. I think it really helps out alot. I’d tell students coming up that the classes aren’t that hard. Don’t be scared of it. It’s actually kind of easy since it’s online. Our lesson plans are online and it’s really fun to be part of.”