Page 2 - 2016BackToSchool

STEM/STEAM education
and coding emphasis at El
Dorado schools this year
EL DORADO — New Arkansas Science Standards aim to prepare students to understand and apply science concepts to real-world situations now and beyond high school. In our continued efforts to exceed standards and improve learning at El Dorado schools, we are now beginning STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in kindergarten classes, accord- ing to El Dorado School District officials.
Washington Middle School Cyber-STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Academy will be offering a new class next year. It is a competitive STEAM. In this class, students will be participating in competitions within the classroom, as well as across the state and nation. Students will be competing in the Future Cities competitions, where they will be developing a city for the future. Students will be creating models of cities for the future by using computer animated design and also scale models using recycled materials. Students will solve problems and make presentations involving how to make the world a better place.
Competition STEAM students will also be involved in working with drones, robotics and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). Groups will be raising money to compete in various events across the state and nation. Washington Middle School is striving to move America forward through unique, one-of-a-kind experiences for students.
Beebots will be used in kindergarten classes to teach early coding concepts. Students will use the Beebots to learn math and literacy facts, programming the bots to move to the correct answers to questions.
Barton Junior High will incorporate new coding curric- ulum with classes for seventh and eighth grade students. Facility upgrades in the El Dorado School District over
the summer included: the track at Memorial Stadium was re-surfaced over the summer.
The technical wiring at Washington Middle School and Barton Junior High was updated to provide better quality learning experiences utilizing technology.
El Dorado High School offers 18 Advanced Placement courses
EL DORADO — Advanced Placement classes are college-level courses taught in a high school setting by College- Board teachers, and El Dorado High School offers 18 AP courses for stu- dents, according to Bonnie Haynie, federal programs and special projects for the El Dorado School District.
AP courses that will be offered during the 2016- 17 school year include Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1, Physics 2, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Computer Science A, World History, U.S. History, U.S. Government and Politics, Psychology, European History, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature and Music Theory.
“The teachers have to submit a syllabus for College Board to approve and they have to use a col-
lege textbook. Most col- leges will give credit or made some concessions for students who make a pass- ing score of 3, 4 or 5 (on their AP exam). There’s lots of research that shows students who take an AP course are more successful in college, even if they don’t make a passing score, than students who don’t take AP classes,” Haynie said. The El Dorado School District starts Pre-AP classes in the fifth grade and continue through the eighth grade.
“Pre-AP and AP cours- es are open enrollment ... anyone can sign up. You don’t have to be a genius to be successful, you just have to work hard. We have Saturday review sessions and we’ll have 200 students come to study. This year we had 210 passing scores. Murphy Oil Corp. gives the students and teachers money for their scores,” Haynie said.
Terrance Armstard/News-Times
Promise signing: Hundreds of El Dorado High School Seniors prepare to receive the El Dorado Promise Scholar- ship during the 10th annual Academic Signing Day held earlier this year in the high school gymnasium.
El Dorado Promise scholarship established and funded by Murphy Oil Corp. in 2007
Counselors provide an essential role in El Dorado School system
The El Dorado Promise is a unique scholarship program established and funded by Murphy Oil Corp. in January 2007. The Promise pro- vides graduates of El Dorado High School with a scholarship covering tuition and mandatory fees that can be used at any accredited two- or four-year, public or private educa- tional institution in the U.S. The maximum amount payable is up to the highest annual resident tui- tion at an Arkansas public univer- sity, which is now the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, according to Sylvia Thompson, Promise director. Currently, the El Dorado Promise pays $8,138.70 a year.
Since the beginning of the Promise, there have been 1,797 Promise schol- ars and for the fall 2015 semester, 552 students were enrolled – 82 percent were enrolled in Arkansas universi- ties.
The top five colleges in Arkansas that Promise scholars attend are South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado, 28 percent; Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, 20 percent; the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, 18 percent; the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, 13 percent and Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, 7 percent.
Other schools in the top 10 are Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
Today, nine years later, the impact of the El Dorado Promise has been felt deeply in this community – in the students and in their families. The program has affected the involve-
ment of parents in their children's education and at their schools. The quality of students' academic perfor- mance has also improved, according to a news release from the El Dorado Education Foundation. The Promise has led teachers to expect more from their students and it has increased the number of students who plan to attend college.
Of the most recent graduating class, 86 percent of the students accepting the Promise scholarship enrolled in Arkansas colleges or universities and 14 percent have taken the Promise to an out-of-state school.
When the Promise was announced in 2007, the goal of the program was greater educational attain- ment, according to Murphy officials. Additional goals included a vibrant economy and an improved quality of life.
Since the announcement of the Promise, the El Dorado community has passed several sales tax initia- tives for community improvements including funding and building an El Dorado Conference Center.
A school millage was also approved by voters to build a new high school, school enrollment has increased rel- ative to surrounding districts and student standardized test scores have improved. A year-over-year increase in Advanced Placement classes has also been realized. Last school year, 415 students took 828 AP exams.
On Jan. 5, 2016, Promise scholars representing the classes of 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 returned to EHS to share their col- lege experiences with underclass- men. The 24 Promise scholars were representing nine different schools and some have already graduated and are working on their post-secondary
degree or have already joined the workforce. They spoke to 35 different classrooms and shared the impact of the Promise with more than 675 cur- rent EHS students.
Promise scholars have completed undergraduate degrees and moved on to medical school, dental school, pharmacy school and veterinary school. They have entered physi- cal therapy doctorate programs and nurse practitioner programs. They are working as pediatric intensive care unit nurses, cardiac nurses, in radiology labs and in ICU units.
They have gone to law school, one is serving as a clerk for a federal judge and another as an assistant press secretary for a U.S. senator. One is a U.S. Naval officer and pilot and others are working as engineers in companies in El Dorado and in other states and countries.
Promise students have entered the field of education and seven have returned home to El Dorado to teach in the El Dorado School District. They are serving as collegiate aca- demic tutors, community education coordinators, college admissions recruiters and as a collegiate wom- en's soccer coach.
Other Promise scholars are archi- tects, chefs and professional ath- letes. They work in retail, hospitality, film production, radio, banking and at Disney World. They are work- ing across the world throughout the country in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, New York and El Dorado.
For more information about the Promise, contact Thompson at 864- 5128, email her at sthompson@esd-15. org or visit the Promise website at www.eldoradopromise.com.
Counselors in El Dorado Schools conduct class- room and small group dis- cussions to help students develop skills of commu- nication and the ability to understand themselves and others. They help students develop skills for thinking and solving problems, set positive goals, exercise self-re- sponsibility and improve academic progress. Counselors also provide support during personal crises for students and assist with intervention and remediation during specific difficulties.
Counselors consult with parents in regard to social, emotional and education- al concerns experienced by their children. They
help teachers plan activ- ities and programs for individual growth and classroom management. They also consult with administrators in regard to policies, curriculum and procedures affecting the needs and develop- ment of students.
Counselors help coordi- nate many activities such as orientation for new students, school-wide testing, career awareness and personalized pro- grams, parenting classes, and classroom guidance.
For more information about counseling services contact the coordinator of counseling services of the El Dorado Public Schools at 870-864-5112.
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