Parents had the opportunity to learn about Career Academies during an open house hosted by New London High School on Monday Oct. 1.
The district implemented the career academies has an effort to provide more educational opportunities to meet the needs of students and better prepare them for their future career of choice.
The structure is designed to group students into academies focused on particular career groups allowing them to put academic studies in a more real-world context.
According to Superintendent Bill Fitzpatrick, the open house was part of an ongoing effort to share the academy structure and the rationale for its inception.
“The effort is to combine academic rigor with workplace relevance in a supportive environment,” Fitzpatrick said.
In addition to welcoming the community to learn about career academies, the district welcomed members from the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Wednesday Sept. 28.
The district has implemented various Project Lead the Way (PLTW) programs with the most recent being engineering and biomedical sciences.
The Milwaukee School of Engineering had a site certification team come to the district to reviews lessons, equipment, and the overall instruction environment for the PLTW. The team also interviewed teachers, students, parents, counselors, administrators and community members to ensure the district has demonstrated its commitment to the high quality and standards of the programs.
The visit from the team was successful and the district has attained national certification for the PLTW program for Engineering and Biomedical Sciences.
With the national certification, students will have the opportunity to apply for college credit or college-level recognition when they successfully complete PTLW courses in high school.
“We are proud of this accomplishment and the opportunities national certification provides our students,” said Kathy Gwidt, Director of Teaching and Learning Services.
Homecoming
Homecoming festivities for New London kicked off on Monday Oct. 8 in preparation for the football game on Friday Oct. 12 against the Seymour Thunder.
Events are planned for various days of the week and will end with the Homecoming Dance on Saturday night. Monday was Neon Day; Tuesday is Farmer Day; Wednesday is Costume Day; Thursday is Ugly Formal Wear Day; and Friday is Bulldog Day.
Friday will also feature a Pep Assembly to be held in the morning followed by the Homecoming Parade in the afternoon.
In addition to the traditional Homecoming festivities, there will be a special presentation during half time of Friday’s game.
According to Fitzpatrick, representatives from the Monsanto Company will be presenting the district with a $10,000 check to publicize the Fuel for Our Future grant the district was recently awarded.
This grant will be utilized for programming within the Agriculture, chemistry, biology and environmental sciences to enrich students in the understanding of the impact of renewable energies.
High School Musical
The fall high school musical production for this year is Once on This Island. This musical is an adaptation of the fairy tale The Little Mermaid, according to Fitzpatrick.
It tells a story of a Ti Moune, a peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with a wealthy boy from the opposite side of her island. When the boy is returned to his people, the fantastical gods, who rule the island, guide Ti Moune on a quest to test the strength of her love against the powerful forces of prejudice, hatred and death.
Performances will be held from Nov. 1-3 at 7 p.m. at the New London High School Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased at the Main Office of the High School for $10 beginning Tuesday Oct. 23.