School News

A peek into Baldwin School District's digital future

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Technological enhancements are the main point of emphasis for the Baldwin School District this year. Superintendent Dr. Shari L. Camhi is focused on putting together innovative programs that accommodate the tech-savvy leaders of tomorrow. Her outlook stretches all the way to the year 2029, when this year’s kindergarten students are expected to graduate from Baldwin High School.

“As a profession, we are in the unique situation of having to prepare our students for a world that has yet to be defined,” Camhi said. “So it is incumbent upon us to think and plan innovatively, to focus on content, but to do it in a way that fosters the skills we believe, and that industry and science tell us, will be necessary for the next generation of workers.”

Starting from the ground up, Camhi and her administration have made changes at the elementary schools, creating new work spaces and adding environmentally friendly gardens. They have also continued the professional development in major class subjects, and are looking to promote “inquiry-based learning” for science and social studies.

The administration has also redesigned Hastings Academy — an alternative school for students who have fallen behind in their studies — by giving them time for credit recovery, adding Career and Technical Education classes and a Twilight Learning Program. The elementary schools will also see more involvement of psychologists and social workers.

At the middle school, new courses include AVID, Go Math for Grade 7, and Project Lead the Way: Medical Detectives and History Research. The district also plans to give middle school students and teachers a peek into a modernized classroom.

“Dr. Doda will work with a task force of middle school teachers and administrators to ‘dream big’ in the visioning of a 21st-century middle school,” Camhi said, referring to Nancy Doda, an expert in middle school education, “and will assist teachers and administrators in making that vision become a reality.”

The high school has also made efforts to improve accommodations for students by creating room for a digital photo lab, an art studio and a contemporary conference room. Featured courses include Virtual Enterprise, New Media Academy, and College Level Economics. Camhi stated that several classrooms were remodeled to “encourage collaboration, teamwork, and inquiry.”

The district will implement a new project that utilizes new media applications, making the curriculum more pertinent to millennials and the technological era in which they are growing up. This summer, a group of teachers took part in a curriculum-writing project for the New York Media Academy at Baldwin High in preparation for this year’s curriculum.

“Rather than traditional ways of instruction, it will be more relatable to the way life really is for millennials,” Camhi said. “The new Virtual Enterprise class has its own curriculum, through veintl.org, that will allow students to create a business plan for a virtual company and compete at the end of the year. When the second floor of Shubert School is later utilized for the New Media Academy as a “collaboratory” with Molloy College, students will be able to work on these plans and build real businesses.”

New members of the faculty and staff will be a part of the district’s transition as well. Anthony Mignella is the new superintendent for instruction, and Caterina Lafergola is the new principal at the high school. “I look forward to developing relationships with students, faculty, staff, families, and community residents, because I strongly believe that excellent schools are anchored in strong relationships,” Lafergola, who is coming from Automotive H.S. in Brooklyn, wrote in an introductory letter to parents. “Education is my passion. I consider it a privilege to work with young people and take part in their development. To that end, I consider collaborating with families one of my most important tasks.”

As the new school year begins, Camhi said, she is ready to put things in motion, telling Baldwinites that “we are Baldwin, and we are taking the lead in what education in 2016 should be.”