IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2018 | Page 65

While school is out over summer, your school board is
still working on keeping the district moving forward. There
are always routine contracts to approve, hiring of new staff,
and purchasing of supplies. We aren’t satisfied with the
status quo, and neither is the administration, so we’re always
trying to improve transparency, make progress in curriculum
development, improve the class offerings, and find ways of
making our facilities better serve our students.
A big project for the school board is gearing up for probably
a decade of work towards upgrading the physical infrastructure
of our schools. It’s been about 20 years since any major capital
improvements have been completed in our district, and the
facilities are showing their age. We are starting this process
by completing topographic surveys of the two elementary
campuses and the middle/high school campus; testing pipes to
see if there are physical problems with flow capacity; doing soil
tests; and reviewing mechanical systems with the architects and
engineers.
Our focus is on addressing safety issues as quickly as possible
(including constructing a new electrical service room to get
the switch gear out of a damp and leaking underground room).
Then upgrading certain deteriorating infrastructure, such as
the telephone system and fire alarm equipment; waterproofing
of rooms that have had significant water infiltration; and some
sidewalk concrete work done.
We are studying capital improvements that have a quick
payback in energy savings, which is a smart investment for the
S C H O O L B O A R D U P D AT E
district. And finally, we are investigating how our spaces will
need to be configured for the educational needs of our 21st-
century learners. Buildings originally constructed 100 years ago
are now needed to make use of best learning practices, which
requires effective use of technology in rooms built when a
telegraph was high-tech.
We need to do well by the children in our schools, to give this
generation a strong foundation as they become the citizens who
will create our future.
HIGH SCHOOL
NMSI Grant Makes an Impact in First Year
Mr. Jason Olexa, High School Principal
The Brentwood Borough School District became a partner
with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) during the
2017-2018 school year as an educational partner to increase
the district’s capacity of offering opportunities to students to
increase achievement. The mission of NMSI is to significantly
improve student opportunities and achievement by advancing
STEM teaching and learning. NMSI strives to partner with
school districts so that all students have the knowledge and
skills to thrive in the global economy of the 21st Century. They
accomplish these goals by empowering teachers, equipping
students, and raising the academic bar on achievement. Last year
teachers from Elroy Elementary, Moore Elementary, Brentwood
Middle School and Brentwood High School participated in a
summer training called Laying the Foundations. Laying the
Foundations is a collaborative, hands-on training that equips
teachers to implement classroom strategies to boost student
achievement in rigorous course work, including Advanced
Placement. The Advanced Placement teachers at the high school
attended the College Readiness Program which was a hands-
on interactive training to better prepare them for teaching in
their content area and preparing students with skills that would
transfer to the specific Advanced Placement Exams. NMSI also
provided mentors, teacher training, and student study session
with other school district to increase collaboration and support
among area schools.
During the
2017-2018 school
year Brentwood
high School added
five Advanced Placement courses. We increased the number
of students who were taking Advanced Placement Classes,
increased the number of students who took the Advanced
Placement exams, and increased the number of qualifying
scores that students earned on the Advanced Placement exams.
Thanks to NMSI, the dedicated work of our teachers, and the
discipline of the students we doubled the number of students
taking Advanced Placement exams and doubled the number of
qualifying scores. This has enabled more of our students to be
exposed to more rigorous and college-ready curriculum with
more supports than were offered prior to the grant. We are
looking forward to working with NMSI in year two and expect
to continue to make gains district wide to the benefit of our
students.
BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
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FALL 2018
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