Pinkerton Academy will open Wednesday, Aug. 26, after a Freshman Orientation Aug. 25.
While the school celebrated its 200th year of operation in 2014, the actual first day of school was Dec. 5, 1815, according to a letter from Headmaster Griffin Morse.
Highlights of this summer, according to Morse, included the Google Summit for educators in July, to be followed by a Google Boot Camp in mid-October. It’s been a good year for technology, with the school “exploring more aggressively the eventual shift to a 1:1 device environment. In the meantime, we remain a BYOD (bring your own device) school, subject to the rules and uses per each classroom teacher,” Morse wrote.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has renewed Pinkerton’s accreditation for five years.
The Saltmarsh Library, Haynes House and the PASSES (Pinkerton Academy’s Special Services for Educational Success) portable classroom received new roofs and the Social Studies wing was renovated to house the ACT (Alternative Comprehensive Transition) program.
New course offerings include the following:
• Applications in Psychology, a semester-long psychology course focusing on hands-on work in the discipline;
• Unified Dance, using dance as a medium to help students and teachers work with special needs students to learn movement techniques;
• Foundations in American Literature, providing an opportunity for special needs students to work in a small, supportive environment to learn reading, writing and research skills; and
• Teacher Preparation I, students experiencing how to help others learn.
Sixteen new teachers have been hired in the following disciplines: Social Studies, Math, Science, Physical Education, Career and Technical Education, Fine Arts, English and Junior ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps).
Freshman Field Day will be held Thursday, Aug. 13, along with special training sessions for parents in the Aspen software. The training will be held in computer lab 6211 of the Freshman Building all day, and parents can stop in and get help with setting up Aspen accounts and/or learning how to navigate through the Aspen software.
An information meeting for freshmen interested in playing sports and their parents will be held Monday, Aug. 17, at 6 p.m. in the Stockbridge Theatre.
For more information on school opening, visit www.pinkertonacademy.org or call 437-5200.
