Winfield High School teachers Allison Allbrighton and Jon Himmelgarn will be featured presenters at the 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools Blueprint for Excellence National Conference in Florida in December. They will present their school's model of a successful middle to high school transition program.
All Putnam County high schools began work on creating successful freshman transitions in 2005 and instituted programs last year, according to Director of Secondary Schools, Dr. Penny Fisher. The district chose to focus on the freshman year because nationally, one-third of all freshmen high school students do not finish high school. "We believe that by providing a safety net for ninth graders, we can help students through a difficult transition year and put them on the way to a successful high school career," states Fisher.
To that end, Putnam County Schools partnered with Dr. Mike Hall, a recognized expert in establishing successful transition programs. Dr. Hall, a retired high school principal and Deputy Superintendent of the Georgia Department of Education, co-authored High School 101, a 21st Century curriculum that is used in over 900 schools nationwide. He has worked in more than twenty states to help districts create successful transition programs.
Dr. Hall's model for school transition programs will be the featured session at the 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools conference, and he has asked the Winfield High School teachers to be part of the presentation. They will present their views of how the transition program has affected the school, including scheduling, using data to alter instruction, and other significant differences in student success.