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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 8, 2006 Freshman academies start in fall; Anderson retires By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune The Medford School Board approved launching freshman academies at both North and South Medford high schools in the fall. The academies focused on helping students adapt to high school are the first small schools started as part of the district’s participation in the Oregon Small Schools Initiative. The board approved them Tuesday as pilot programs that will be re-evaluated after the first year. "This isn’t just about small schools, but about student success," Superintendent Phil Long said. "We don’t know where this journey will take us over the next year, but it all fits with school improvement." He praised the teams of teachers and administrators who have researched effective schools and envisioned changes in Medford’s high schools since landing the small schools initiative grant in April 2004. Advertisement The initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Meyer Memorial Trust, gave North Medford $1.4 million and South Medford $1.28 million to remake themselves as small, learning communities that strive to boost student achievement. The grant calls for large, comprehensive schools to become a collections of academies with about 400 students in each. The first small school must start in the fall of 2006 and additional schools must open the next year. Since making the case for the freshman academies last month, coordinators have worked on scheduling, registration and the curriculum. "We are shaping the vehicles for moving forward," North’s OSSI coordinator Ruth Ann Schwada said. The academies will link incoming freshmen with core teachers who will work closely with them in advisory groups with tutoring available to help students succeed. Honors classes will be open to all students as part of an effort to push all students to their highest performance levels, said Hal Jones, an assistant principal at South. As the teams shaping the freshman academies prepare and institute their program, teams designing other possible small schools will focus on improving instruction in all classes, officials said. Anderson retires as business guru After nearly 20 years with the Medford School District, Galen Anderson, director of business and facilities, has retired. The school board Tuesday accepted his retirement, effective at the end of January, and retained him under a separate contract through July 31, so he can help his successor with the transition. Anderson, 75, came to the district in July 1986 from Grants Pass. The district had gone through several years of turbulent leadership changes and faced a bleak budget picture, Superintendent Phil Long said. "He’s been a faithful warrior in hard times, a fine human being and an exceptional colleague," Long said. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement