BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
ALLENTOWN — Every new school year brings changes.
Last week, Allentown High School Principal Christopher Nagy outlined some of the new developments at AHS for the 2005-06 school year.
According to Nagy, the school has hired five new staff members and has made two part-time staff members full-time employees. The new hires will work in the social studies, science and math departments, as well as in the guidance office and on a new course in television production. The school will also hire additional teachers for the basic skills and special education departments, he said.
In addition, AHS has a new outdoor mosaic located in the courtyard near the art gallery in the new wing, Nagy said.
“The mosaic idea,” Nagy said, “came from Christopher Matrone, a 2005 graduate and excellent art student who is pursuing undergrad studies at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts.”
Matrone worked on and assembled the mosaic over the summer. The project is close to completion, according to Nagy.
The mosaic will serve as the “key piece” of a sculpture garden that students will create during the school year, Nagy said. Part of the funding for the entire project, according to Nagy, is coming from a grant he supported with art teacher Brad Nicklas, English teacher Pamela Koharchik and agricultural science teacher Erin Zukus.
“The sculpture garden,” Nagy said, “will provide a serene environment to sit in a landscaped area that will exhibit student sculpture and landscaping work all done by our students.”
Nagy said AHS will order a plaque to place in the sculpture garden that reads “Education shines light on our future.”
“The work is beautiful,” Nagy said.
The grading system at AHS will also change this year, according to Nagy. The shift comes as a result of a yearlong study by a committee led by Vice Principal Connie Embley, administrators and teachers.
Nagy said the decision to change the grading system was supported by data, best practices and common college acceptance practices. The committee recommended its findings and recommendations to the Board of Education for consideration.
“The grading system essentially eliminates the grades on the grade scale A-plus, D-plus, and D-minus, and the range of scores has expanded on that same scale,” Nagy said.
Nagy said Advanced Placement and honors courses will be weighted differently.
“The weighting of the Advanced Placement courses and the honors courses,” Nagy said, “will be changed in a phase-in process that will not adversely affect current seniors and juniors, with the phase-in for the other classes within the near future, as determined by the Board of Education.”
Nagy said all the changes will provide students with every advantage when colleges compare AHS with other high schools that have the same scales and course weightings, such as using a 4.0 scale.
The new system will not affect class ranking, according to Nagy, because of the phase-in process.
“Sophomores and incoming freshmen do not have a ranking at this time and would actually be helped by the change in the long run,” he said.
The cafeteria will also undergo some changes this year.
The senior cafeteria, which opened during the second half of last year, will now offer premium New York-style sandwich platters that include items such as flat breads and pita pockets. That cafeteria will also feature seafood and themed menus throughout the year, such as Italian or Asian cuisine. The new a la carte premium platters will only be available in the senior cafeteria, according to Nagy.
While any AHS student can access the senior cafeteria, only seniors may actually eat there, Nagy said. Platters will cost between $3 and $4.
Nagy said the changes come as a result of numerous student and staff cafeteria meetings that he chaired, at which all present desired quality, variety, theme lunches and selection as alternative considerations. The new lunch system will take effect on Sept. 12, he said, after a few days of student and staff orientation.
Nagy said the new lunch plan should introduce foods that would otherwise not be in a state-funded lunch plan. He said these foods may appeal to individuals who prefer to eat healthier foods or foods that are different than what would normally be offered.
National concerns about obesity are reflected in some of the changes already in place at the high school. For instance, AHS tries to limit students’ fat intake with the types of snacks permitted in its vending machines and in the types of prepared lunches it serves, Nagy said.
By the 2006-07 school year, all public school lunches will have to implement the mandated new food pyramid, which requires changes such as carrying baked chips, having limited or no sugar items, and offering whole-wheat pizza and other more health-friendly foods.
Nagy said AHS has not done any actual studies to determine how well the school lunch already meets the new mandate, but it is making gradual changes to reflect the new guidelines.
This year, regular lunches that include a milk and beverage cost $2.10 for a student and $2.60 for an adult or staff member.