RSU 39 superintendent says yearbook will work better as a for-credit class than extra-curricular activity
CARIBOU, Maine — The RSU 39 board of directors voted to add a yearbook class as a fine arts credit during their August 17 meeting.
According to Superintendent Tim Doak, the school is in need of not just fine arts electives, but electives period.
“We used to rely heavily on the tech center for these courses,” said Doak. “High-schoolers were going in for an hour each day, but that’s no longer happening.”
A recent decision made by the Maine Department of Education requires all tech center courses to be three hours as opposed to just one. According to the school board, this decision is making it increasingly difficult for students to obtain fine arts credits while still hitting their other requirements.
“Plenty of people have been questioning this decision,” said Doak, “especially at places like Presque Isle and Caribou where they have Tech Centers right at their high school.”
As a result, schools that once gave students creative opportunities in their vocational departments will now have to create additional electives to compensate.
Board member Ron Willey supports the class, but adds that it will “only be useful to a handful of kids.”
“What we need to do is research and see if we have created a problem for kids unable to meet the class requirements,” he added.
The superintendent believes that, along with the creative and artistic component, the yearbook course will teach students about business, since students have to sell and market a product for the community.
Doak also stated that the yearbook group will be much more effective in a classroom setting than if they had to meet after school.
“It’s better as a class, no question,” Doak said. “As an after-school project, you start out with 25 and end up with four, then they fight all year over who did what. As a class, it’s a controlled environment where everyone works together.”
Willey asked CHS Principal Travis Barnes if any efforts were being made to alter the schedule so students have an easier time taking AP (advanced placement) and fine arts credits along with the rest of their required courses.
“We know we need to look at our schedule for Caribou High School,” said Barnes. “It’s tough and it’s something that all of our staff is recognizing. We do offer AP French at 7:30 in the morning, and need to be more creative with our schedule in the future. Changing the schedule will affect the staff, so we need to talk to them as well.”
During an August 25 phone interview, Superintendent Doak said that the board is talking about adding more courses and taking a look at the schedule.
“Sometimes it’s just a matter of looking at credit count, the schedule, and what teachers can offer as an elective,” Doak said. “We do need to look at some more offerings in the future.”
The superintendent stressed that fine arts is necessary to help foster a well-rounded child.
“A student that leaves our school should have fine arts education,” Doak said. “It teaches right brain thinking and that leads to innovation in the future. A lot of schools are eliminating these classes from their schedules because of budget cuts, but I still think it’s needed.”
