GREELEY, Colo.—Sadie Antuna knows that one needs probability and logical reasoning skills to understand the complexity of flops and rivers in poker.
Phuong Nguyen trades in the andantes, legatos and crescendos of the band room every now and then for laser guns, Angry Birds and Major League Baseball.
And every once in a while, Mark Naill leaves the comfort of his principal’s office to tie a fly-fishing knot.
Most important, perhaps, is that the Eaton High School faculty members realized that these things should be a part of their curriculum and created an enrichment program at the school.
Students’ schedules now include 30 minutes, three times a week, of classes that carry no weight on their grade point average but are designed to improve attendance and morale.
So far, so good, Naill said. School attendance has improved from about 90 percent to 95 percent. And students are learning things they want to learn in a fun, non-stressful environment.
“We wanted to improve the culture, environment, academics and attendance,” Naill said. “This gives them the choice on what they want to pursue. It’s not a quest for a good grade but to learn something they can go do outside of school.”
Each quarter, the teachers pick a topic they think will be attractive to students. This quarter, students had everything from musical movies, Frisbee golf and wood lathe turning to lawn games, yoga for girls and origami. There are also more academic choices for those who want them, like math boosters, college accounting and study hall. And freshmen are required to take an Eaton 101 class during the first semester, which teaches them all about what it means to be an Eaton Red.
Students say the most important factor is it gives them a break from the everyday grind of school.
“You don’t have to worry about homework,” Jose Rios, 15, said. “It makes school a little more interesting.”
Tessa Ochsner, who normally teaches world history but ventured into origami this semester and will teach piñata making next semester, said it’s one more way to keep kids interested in school.
“They really enjoy that release,” she said. “It allows them to learn something new, or expand on something they already know.”
Naill said it also develops a different kind of relationship among the students and faculty.
“It improves morale because it builds relationships between the kids and staff,” Naill said. “Kids get to see staff that they may know only as their math teacher in a positive way.”
Even administrators get in on the fun. Naill helped out in Jerome Hess’s Colorado outdoors class, teaching kids how to tie a fly-fishing knot.
Trent Thompson, 15, said at first it’s a bit weird having his principal hang out in a class, but it was cool, too.
“He has a lot of fun teaching his students,” Trent said. “He was a teacher one time, and I think he just misses teaching his students.”
