Published: September 28, 2009 12:28 pm      

School begins academic programs

The 2009-10 school year saw the start of two new academic programs at R.C. Loflin Middle School.

All seventh-graders are now taking a technology course, and Spanish is being offered as an elective.

Dr. Clark Cavin, principal of Loflin Middle School, said he has been pushing for these courses for several years.

“If we are educating students in Texas and not teaching computers and Spanish, we are not preparing them for the future,” Cavin said. “I appreciate [Superintendent Ray) Dane and the school board having the vision to create the new positions we needed to make these programs happen. This required the addition of three new full-time teaching positions. That is a huge investment in our students during these difficult economic times.”

Two of the three technology positions were filled by veteran LMS teachers. Pam Alenik, a longtime math teacher who has been the technology troubleshooter for the campus, is taking the lead technology position. Jana Welch, who taught writing but has a business background, also asked to take one of the positions. The third technology position was filled by Phillip Wade. Wade is a certified teacher who was working at Happy Hill. He is from Hico, where his father is the technology coordinator for Hico ISD.

The seventh-grade technology classes cover everything from keyboarding to Microsoft Office basics and from Internet safety and cyberbullying.

“We are teaching them how to stay safe on Facebook and MySpace as well as just teaching them how to be successful in middle school,” Alenik said.

In Joshua ISD, students attend sixth grade in the elementary schools, “so seventh grade is a big adjustment for many of them,” Alenik said.

The Spanish teacher is Allison Bruce from Glen Rose.

She comes from a family of educators and is a graduate of the University of Texas.

She worked in Austin through the summer and moved to the North Texas area in August.

Cavin said Bruce stood out from the other applicants because she did not back down from the challenges of starting a new program.

“I am very excited about beginning the Spanish program at LMS. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for the students and they will benefit greatly from it,” Bruce said.

“We are so thankful to have Spanish because so many middle school students have requested this elective for several years,” said Elizabeth Rosatelli, LMS counselor. “The classes filled up quickly so many students were unable to take this course this year. We are hoping to expand the Spanish program in years to come so all interested students will have the opportunity to take Spanish.”

Cavin said that this year Spanish will be offered as an introductory course but JISD will consider offering Spanish for high school credit next year for students in the eighth grade who excelled in Spanish in seventh grade.

“I am thrilled that we were able to offer these two new programs this year,” said Fran Marek, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction said. “The new technology program will definitely strengthen our vertical technology alignment within the district and put our students on an even playing field when they graduate.

“Spanish gives our students an additional opportunity in middle school and can give them a head start in second language acquisition.”

“Our new Spanish teacher and our new technology teachers are doing an incredible job,” Rosatelli said.

“Although it is great for LMS and for Joshua ISD, the kids are the real beneficiaries of these programs,” Cavin said. “It is great to be in a district where the superintendent and the board make the needs and the futures of our students a priority.”