School year off to a good start'
Staff writer
Hillsboro Middle School principal Corey Burton and Hillsboro High School principal Dale Honeck agree the school year is off to a good start.
Burton, in his second year as principal, said the school year has started out well in the middle school.
"We've had a number of changes here," Burton said. "But the students and staff have been flexible and are adapting."
Burton was referring to some of the staff changes with teachers Darrel Knoll and Sharon Loewen moving to the high school.
"We had some rotation or scheduling problems at first, but things are better," Burton said.
There are approximately 155 students attending school in the HMS building. Last year there were 172. Burton explained that a fairly large eighth grade class was promoted to high school.
But, this year's number is a little better than earlier estimates.
Burton reported that the sixth graders were a little nervous at first, because they were not sure what to expect and found the first couple of days a "little overwhelming."
"Once they find out the routine, they find that middle school is manageable," he said.
Burton reported one of the biggest goals he and the staff face is finding ways to help kids who score low in reading and math on the assessment tests.
"We need to find creative ways to increase those levels, find better ways of diagnosing the problems, and then focus on strategic ways toward addressing those weaknesses," Burton said.
The thrust is to help each student become proficient in reading and math as well as adhering to the government mandate of "No child left behind."
Burton praised HMS teachers because each teacher has been successful in incorporating reading in the curriculum.
"We don't have any long term data on this yet," Burton said.
But, he is optimistic they are headed in the right direction to make HMS students successful.
Hillsboro High School
Honeck, in his fifth year as HHS principal, evaluated the first week of school and said that it has been a good year.
Approximately 240 students are enrolled at Hillsboro High School this year.
"I really like our teachers and the additions of Knoll and Loewen seem to fit like a glove," Honeck said. "We have had and have strong teachers in English and math and we haven't missed a beat in replacing them."
Honeck is pleased with Knoll's and Loewen's high expectations for students for English and math.
Honeck said he was impressed by this year's freshmen class.
"Their whole demeanor is pleasant and they seem to get along," he said. "It will be good to have them around for four years."
Honeck said the goal for this year is to improve the math and reading scores of students on the state assessment tests.
"We had a big drop in reading scores last year," Honeck said, "especially in persuasive reading."
"We did not do well in that area," he said.
Honeck stated the school's focus will be on reading and will be more of a priority this year.
"We want to bring up those scores," he said.
Another area Honeck would like to see improve is the overall attendance.
"Right now we are at 95 percent," he said, "and that's good in the state, around the top 10 percent."
Honeck's goal is to try to improve that number to 97 percent. He will emphasize better attendance this year and will continue to recognize those students with good attendance.
"Because kids who come to school everyday are better students and are more successful," Honeck said.
"And teachers in turn become better teachers when kids come to school everyday," he added.
