IM middle and high school students explore FUTURES
By LINDA LOBECK
Staff Writer
IRON MOUNTAIN –Back by popular demand, the Iron Mountain School District is giving its high school and middle school students another year to explore different careers and subjects during the final six weeks of classes.
The idea for the FUTURES — Facilitating Understanding Through Unique Research-based Educational Strategies — program began with the teaching staff who came together to map out the project-based classes in 2015.
FUTURES first year in 2016 featured popular classes such as using forensics to solve a hypothetical crime, creating a mural, preparing Italian food and learning about the history of that country, woodworking, playwriting and math as it applies to gaming.
Last year also was the first time the high school went to two 15-week periods to complete the core classes. This made it possible to have six weeks at the end of the year for students to take the FUTURES classes.
The project-based learning method used with the classes offers students a chance to gain knowledge and skills by working over an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem or challenge, Principal Mark Herman explained.
This years program will start May 1 and continues to the end of the year June 8, he added.
Amy Pietrantonio, a teacher who was involved with the initial planning and committee for FUTURES, said students and staff have been enthusiastic about the program.
It all began with a little idea discussed by some teachers and its blown up to be something far-reaching and at such a high level of thinking. Its so much more than we ever thought it would be, Pietrantonio said.
During the six-week session, school officials also have built in a chance for credit recovery for students who lack credits to graduate. But this year, they’ve seen more students making sure they have the necessary credits in advance so they can participate in the FUTURES classes.
“We found that there weren’t a lot of kids in that same place (needing credit recovery) this year when we scheduled the classes. They heard what the other students said about the classes last year and want that chance to take them this year,” Pietrantonio said.
Herman said the students scheduled for FUTURES in an arena format Feb. 10, and it goes by seniority seniors get to schedule first. Once a class is full, registration is closed, but there are other selections they can choose from.
In coming up with the selection of classes this year, Pietrantonio said decided to bring back some of the most popular from 2016.
We asked the teachers to come up with other offerings and they were all for it. We have some great selections for students again this year, Pietrantonio said.
New courses she is teaching this year are Social Media Journalism and Find and Flip. The journalism class will have students using social media to report on school, community and worldwide news, taking on the roles of editor, reporter, researcher and photographer. Find and Flip involves taking an old product and refurbishing it into a sellable item, similar to a flea market flip show on television.
Her class in Cultural Cuisines is back again this year, with students learning to put a variety of ethnic meals together for all different geographic locations.
Another popular class back this year with teacher Heather Hiatt is called Future Teachers and Communications. It is designed for students who are thinking about becoming a teacher and they get assigned the last two hours of the day to help out a teacher in the elementary, middle or high school level.
In addition, the students could also again pick from introduction to guitar, forensic science and woodworking.
Other interesting class topics include Sculpture: The Third Dimension students using a wide variety of media to create three-dimensional artworks with art teacher Kristin Stanchina; Mythbusters with science teacher Scott Boddy to use science to test whether rumors, myths and movie scenes could be real; Yooperology with teacher Matt Wonders looking at hunting, fishing, trapping, taxidermy and skills associated with living in the Upper Peninsula; and Shark Tank: Becoming an Entrepreneur with teacher Zach Frorenza, where they create a business model that can be successfully marketed to others and, when finished, sent to local businesses.
Herman said the excitement over FUTURES is building again this year. “I hear teachers and students alike talking about it creating a great level of energy throughout the school.”
A smaller selection of classes also is offered to grades 7 and 8 at Central Middle School.
These FUTURES classes includes Smartphone Photography, Project Fish, Engineering Olympics, Mix It Up with Art, Lifetime Sports, Cool Cultural Events of the Eastern Hemisphere, Experimental Design and Scale Model Project.
On a smaller scale, it gives the middle school students a chance to explore different subjects before entering the high school FUTURES program.
Linda Lobeck can be reached at 906-774-4889, ext 29, or llobeck@ironmountaindailynews.com