Seniors earn ‘option’ of flexible scheduling in 2020

The+former+Construction+Trades+space+in+the+Excel+TECC+wing+of+the+building+is+the+future+home+of+Self-Paced+2.0.++It+will+be+ready+for+the+2020-2021+school+year.++

Official Twitter account of Mr. Legan @WildcatMHS

The former Construction Trades space in the Excel TECC wing of the building is the future home of Self-Paced 2.0. It will be ready for the 2020-2021 school year.

Imagine taking only four classes and having late start everyday.

The Option is a new self paced idea that is being offered for seniors only next year. The Option includes all four core classes- math, science, government, and English.

Principal  Jeffrey Legan is one of the creators behind the self paced schedule.

Legan said, “We’ve been looking at different schools to see what they are doing, and we have known for a long time that we want to change what senior year looks like. We looked at Central York High School in Pennsylvania and Sycamore High School in Cincinnati. What we’ve done is based on what we saw, combined with the benefits we’ve seen into Mayfield.”

Learning at the self paced format is a new way for students to develop time management skills to better prepare for life after high school. Legan said, “It’s good for everyone that wants to learn in this way, and every student learns differently, so that’s why we’re giving these different options for students to learn. We don’t want to hold any students back.”

Jarrod Mulheman, assistant principal for curriculum and staff development, collaborated on the self paced plan with Legan.

He said, “We have been looking at many things and trying re-imagine what senior year will look like, so we wanted to introduce this style of learning to the seniors to use as a pilot program.”

Mike Pinto was chosen to be the special education teacher in the program next year. He said, “They asked our department if any volunteers wanted to join, and I put my name out there and told them I would be willing to do it, so they picked me.”

According to Pinto, the intervention specialist for the new self paced program next year, this option provides seniors the opportunity to get more real world experiences as far as learning those soft skills of collaboration, creativity, and problem solving.

The Option allows you to work at your own pace so that students can work ahead or on a steady schedule.

According to Legan, you decide what you want to work on and when you want to work on it. You manage your time and there is hope that this will further develop this skill of time management. During this time of the day, students would only be learning the core classes that they decided to take. If one chooses to take an extra class then they get to leave and come back after that class is over.

Junior Adam Jablonski will be taking the self pace program next year. He said, “I am very excited to get to learn on my own and not be in a classroom all day. The self pace idea is great, and I feel it will help a lot of kids out.”

The Option is only available to seniors next year because it is brand new, and the seniors may have more taxing schedules outside of school, leading them to benefit more from the Option.

Mulheman said  “We want to provide more flexibility because they have jobs outside of school, and they might have to pick up siblings. We want to help them develop the time management skills that are needed after high school.”

Jablonski said, “I am tired of sitting in class all day long, so me taking the self pace program next year will better help me for college and teach me to learn independently.”

In the future, Mayfield High School will consider this idea for the lower grade levels. Mulheman said, “Depending on how the pilot goes next year, we may introduce it to the juniors, then the sophomores, and maybe the freshman, but I don’t think that’s fair because they are transferring from the middle school to the high school and that’s a big deal.”

The Option will begin on August 15 of the 2019-2020 school year, and all students interested have been enrolled into the new schedule.