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20221212-122504-EPHS - Program of Studies 2022-2023.pdf

EAST PROVIDENCE — East Providence High School students next year will have access to some seemingly exciting new offerings, including a couple pertaining to the ever-growing entertainment side of the sports industry.

EPHS Principal Bill Black, who began his first full year on the job with the start of the 2022-23 term, gave the School Committee at its November meeting a glimpse of the 2023-24 programs of study planned to be on offer to students next fall (see attached).

Black said the programs, which usually aren’t compiled until some time in the second semester each year, were being made known earlier than normal for “very intentional” purposes. He said it will allow students and staff to be “more organized” when it comes to scheduling processes in the spring.

The most notable additions come in the sports arena and were inspired by “The Herd” student athletic booster group.

Pupils next term can opt to take a Sports Media elective as well as enter new Pathway programs for either coaching or officiating.

Of the latter, Black speculated students can do apprenticeships of sorts instructing and refereeing in local youth leagues.

As for the former, Black spoke of how sporting events increasingly have entertainment components. Students in the class could perform public address duties at games, run social media accounts or organize activities, like contests during timeouts and halftime.

Of note as well, a Fashion Design class is being moved out the Art Department and eventually full-time into the Career and Tech Center’s Pathway program within the next 2-3 years. Like Sports, the Fashion Design classes continue to draw a significant amount of interest by numerous students each semester.

Lastly, Black said the new Information Technology semester courses in Network Plus Certification and Linux Plus Certification will give students access to in demand job openings in the industry.

Attendance officer
The committee authorized the administration to hire a part-time attendance officer, who would work on truancy issues at all buildings throughout the district.

Filling in for absence Superintendent Sandy Forand, Assistant Superintendent Celeste Bowler provided the committee with an overview of the job listing. The position is “at-will” and reports directly to the superintendent. Compensation offered is $30-$35 per hour depending on experience and is for 20 hours per week.

New EPHS update
In his monthly report from the EPHS Building Committee to the full body, board chair Joel Monteiro chastised those in social media spaces mostly who speculated the new structure has had as many as “137” incidents of leakage since it opened 15 months ago.

“For the record, we’ve never had multiple leaks in the building. I do want to state that publicly again, trying to get past that for the residents who have contacted me with that misinformation,” said Monteiro, the At-Large School Committee member who did not seek a sixth term in office this past election cycle.

Monteiro remains as co-chair of the reconstituted Building Committee, which will soon turn its complete focus to the Martin Middle School/Waddington Elementary School project approved by voters last month.

Of the new EPHS alleged leak issue, he added, “The roof, outside, I think we may have had one in that August (2022) storm. We had one leak and another was a condensation issue, I believe…Forgive me for needing to clear that up, but it’s insulting to the men and women who poured their heart into this building and did yeoman’s work to get this thing done.”

As for the entirety of the project, punch list work still continues on the building, which is about 97.5 percent done based on work completed. The endeavor remains roughly $5 million under the projected $189.5 million budget.

Reached after the meeting for an update on the drain pipe situation at the athletics stadium in the rear of the campus, Monteiro said while both the district and the contractor have come to an agreement on a plan of how best to remedy the matter, there remains a concern about the ground underneath the pipe and the light post in the northwest corner of the location.

Monteiro said more testing was needed to determine if the dirt beneath the pipe and at the base of the stanchion was compacted enough so as to not compromise again in the future once the pipe is replaced and the hole is filled.

Old EPHS mementos
During his Facilities update, department director Chris Murphy told the committee he had a list of some 15 categories of items left over from the old East Providence High School building that needed to be either sold, scrapped or discarded.

Monteiro said he thought one of the groupings, steel lockers, could possibly be sold as a fundraiser to help support activities and curriculum in the new school. The lockers, some of the 12-inch by 72-inch variety in sets of three, could be sold outright.

Murphy also noted the wool championship sports banners that hung in the old gym could also be offered up in the same fashion. Murphy estimated there were between 50 and 60 banners, which have been categorized by year and sport, that are being properly stored by his department.

About the banners, which might be sold via raffle or silent auction, Murphy said, “I imagine they are pretty sentimental to some folks.”

Former Oldham property
The former Oldham Elementary School property located on Bullocks Point Avenue is expected to be turned over to the city by the school department at the next committee meeting Tuesday night, Dec. 13.

Monteiro said recently the building, which was shuttered by the state-appointed Budget Commission about a decade ago as part of its cost-saving measures, “has become a liability to the district.”

The building was closed in 2013 when it was deemed to need a new roof and other improvements that were estimated at the time to cost upwards of $2 million. Students and staff were initially moved to the former Meadowcrest building and eventually to Waddington as part of later restructuring. The Meadowcrest/Oldham location later became part of the expanded Pre-Kindergarten program in the district.

Since being closed it has been used as a storage facility by the district, which has maintained it pretty much in the least costly way possible. There has been some thought the building may need to be brought back on line as an active place of learning if district enrollment increases, but updates about to begin at Waddington likely mean that is no longer a concern.

What happens next to the property is up for debate. Mayor Bob DaSilva is expected to approach the City Council at its December 20 meeting with more details on the transaction.