Date: Fri 17-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

schools-Head-O'Meadow-20-years

Full Text:

Head O' Meadow Poised To Celebrate Its 20th Year

(with cuts)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Head O' Meadow is celebrating its 20th birthday on Saturday, October 18, from

10 am to 3 pm with rides (including pony rides), games, bake sale, crafts,

silent auction and a raffle. The Diamond Spurs, a popular country western

group, will provide musical entertainment.

HOM was designed as an "open concept" school -- an idea popular in the late

1970s. It was a definite departure from the traditional "boxed-in" type school

plan.

Books are central to education so the media center (library) is appropriately

front and central in the school plan. School staff and students are very happy

with the open library -- it is expansive, airy and inviting.

For a variety of reasons the open concept did not seem to work so well for all

the classrooms. Although some rooms remain open to the hallway, or open to the

class beside them, in the early to mid 1980s quite a number of open rooms were

given walls.

Teacher Al Washicko said that the closed classrooms help with "children who

are auditorially or visually distracted."

Twenty years ago, teachers used different methods of getting their students to

pay attention. Beth Montaya remembers how, back then, "Mrs Wharton used to

open and slam the door to get your attention."

Mrs Montaya commented, "Most of the teachers were crabby, except Mr Washicko.

He was the only fun one we had. He used to call me `bonehead' and my friend

`meathead.'"

Most of those teachers have since moved on, but Mr Washicko stayed. He

remembers having dinner with groups of fourth and fifth grade students often,

including Beth.

Proposed Changes

Head O' Meadow is expected to have its parking lot repaved next year, at an

estimated cost of $80,000.

Next year the school will also have $834,700 worth of improvements done to

meet mandated fire and ADA code updates. This will include alterations to make

two regular-sized kindergarten classes, sprinklers in the custodial closets,

and improvements to bring the bathrooms up to code. If the state reimbursement

level stays as it is now, 35 percent of the costs will be paid by the state,

leaving $542,555 to be picked up at the local level.

In the draft of the five-year capital improvement plan recently prepared by

the Newtown Board of Education, Head O' Meadow is slated to receive a $250,000

annex building in the year 2000/2001.

The annex would provide two or three more classrooms to meet projected

increasing enrollment.

Changing Methods

Students need to learn more, and with new technology, information will be at

their fingertips. Teaching has changed profoundly in the last 20 years and

promises to change even more in the next 20 years.

"Now we teach more and more and more!" Mr Washicko said. "More subjects,

issues, topics, concerns, in the same amount of time. We integrate, integrate,

integrate! This morning we were combining health and writing, then reading and

vocabulary. We are always looking for a better way to do things."

Mr Washicko believes in integrating subjects, and presenting material to pique

students' interest. He finds today's kids are "eager, inquisitive and

curious," a good sign for the future.

Mr Washicko sees the next big change at HOM as the integration of Internet

technology into curriculum.

"What's the point in drilling handwriting when kids will be communicating on a

keyboard?" He is hoping that one day, computer voice recognition will remove

even the chore of typing!

Mr Washicko is excited that "students will be able to exchange information

with anyone in the world," but cautions that this brings risks as well as

opportunity.

Mr Washicko aims to instill a sense of ethics and self-discipline in his

students, to help them learn that some information might not be appropriate.

(Mr Washicko will be manning a games booth at the fair on Saturday,

celebrating the school's anniversary.)