Herricks School Superintendent, Dr. John Bierwirth gave a summary of the 2009 AP Results and College Acceptances Report. In 2008, within the district only 974 exams were given in AP History. In 2009, that three-year plateau was broken with 1,100 exams having been given.
This includes the total number of students involved in the AP History exam, which shows a 23 percent increase from the previous school year, with 544 students attempting the exam. The percentage of a grade 3 or higher was lower than in previous years, at 76.6 percent, but Dr. Bierwirth noted the results were still above most districts nationally and on Long Island.
Bierwirth said, “Our students did significantly better than the national percentages despite the fact that they were 10-graders where as most of the students across the country would have been 12- graders, maybe 11graders.”
College acceptances of Herricks district students increased in 2009 at Ivy League and other competitive colleges such as Harvard and Cornell, despite the economic trends. A full report on the 2009 AP results and College Acceptances for the school district is available for viewing upon request.
Bierwirth added, “This is one of the most supportive student bodies I’ve ever encountered,” said Bierwirth. “Yes, they are highly competitive, but they don’t compete with each other at the expense of each other, they compete to do well.”
New Student Board Members Sworn In
Board President Richard Buckley conducted the swearing in of the 2009-10 inducted student representatives of the Herricks Union Free School District Board of Education. Grace Oh and Grant Seltzer Richman were selected as the primary representatives. Rohan Gheewala and Michael DiBattista were selected as the alternates. The representatives then took their seats at the Board table as official members. Superintendent, Dr. John Bierwirth explained the value of contributing student representatives and said, “Some of the insights shared by student representatives at various points in time were fantastic.”
Timeline and Process for New Bids
New capital projects are planned with final decisions based on scope of work and bidding in January 2010. The bidding will begin in November and due for these new projects will be due December 1 with the process continuing throughout 2010. Dates will be announced for public presentations and final decisions.
Track Update
The work on the highly anticipated running track is expected to be completed before the first meet in spring.
Wilson Language Training Services
Herricks school board members approved hiring Wilson Language Training of Oxford, MA for services in the area of training and support for reading instruction for grades K-8.
The services of the program includes teacher training and support, consulting fees, and support materials. The amount for these services will not exceed $30,684. In addition to the training program, materials and services relating to Wilson’s “Fundations” program are also approved, with expenses of $31,599.
Payment for both services will be paid for from stimulus money received from New York State. No portion will be paid with the district’s general funds.
Equipment Purchases
The Board approved the purchase of a new dump truck and a new water heater. The dump truck is over 20 years old and is expected to fail the State inspection. It will be needed to haul clay, dirt, sand and salt, especially this winter. The water heater at Center School is also declared an emergency replacement.
New Chinese Book
Approval has been granted to purchase Integrated Chinese Textbook Level 1, Third Edition by Cheng & Tsui (ISBN: 9780887276446) as the basic text for 9th grade Chinese 2 course. The content is already being used in the class.
Honors Music Trips
Seventy-five students of the Honors Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Choir will be attending and performing at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Winter Conference in Rochester on December 5. The costs, including transportation, hotel and meals will be about $250 per person.
In addition, 45 students of the Honors Chamber Choir will perform at the Eastern Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) in Philadelphia on February 11. The cost will be about $175 per person. President Richard Buckley said, “Kudos to John McNeur and Louise O’Hanlon and all of those wonderful students going.”
Board president Richard Buckley called for an adjournment into executive session.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 15 at 7:15 p.m. and it will be held at the Searingtown Elementary School.
