GERONIMO, Okla_Some
big changes are happening at Geronimo schools this year. A new superintendent
and a new principal just came on board over the summer, and they're promising
to turn things around for the students and the community.
Geronimo
schools are currently on the state's priority list as a low-performing
district. The school said it's also trying to rebuild its relationship with
parents and the community, which some say was damaged by a lack of
communication with the previous administration.
Superintendent
Chuck Karpe and Principal Trae Koch both say their goal is to change Geronimo
from a low-performing school to a reward school, which are schools in the top
ten percent of the state for progress in reading and math. They want to restore
a sense of school pride in the community. They say when it comes to changes at
their school this year, the sky is the limit.
Students and
teachers hard at work is exactly what Superintendent Karpe likes to see. He
said he is optimistic about the students' education, especially since the
school started using an education company called "Alpha Plus."
"It helps
us evaluate the teachers and where we are and how we got there and also how to
get better."
He said the
school has been using the system for a year with good results and will try it
on other grades this year.
"Our
elementary came way up. I think they're going to grade out with a new grading
system at an A. I suspect that the high school is going to be in that C maybe
even B range after going through Alpha Plus."
Principal Koch
said they are also working on building a sense of school pride in the classroom
and beyond.
"We want
it to be a place for kids that want to come and be proud of the school that
they have. We want the community to be involved and proud of the job that the
school has done the progress."
Both
Superintendent Karpe and Principal Koch said it is important to have a strong
line of communication between parents of their students and faculty of the
school. They say although students get a great education while they're inside
the doors they continue their education at home. They say for their students to
be successful, everyone must be on the same page
Superintendent
Karpe said one of the reasons students may have been under performing has to do
with the unusual shape of the school's buildings. The domes cause an echo and
make it hard to hear in the classrooms. The school has been remodeling the
classrooms to fix that.
They also want
to build up their agriculture program. They say it's an important subject for
both the students and the community they serve. They hope to have an
agriculture building within the next five years.
