Meridian High to experience curriculum changes next fall

MACON (Heartland Newsfeed) — Students at Meridian High School in Macon may experience changes in the curriculum when they return to school for the 2019-20 academic year.

“Every year, we are always looking to see what we can do better,” said Eric Hurelbrink, principal at Meridian High School.

Hurelbrink notes changes to the agricultural department, citing its offerings depend on who they hire in the new year and discover what they are best suited to teach.

Among other changes is the addition of an accounting and fiscal management course that will coincide with their entrepreneurship and home economics classes.

“The students in that class will learning the accounting skills they need, as they will also be handling the book work for the entrepreneurship and home economics classes,” Hurelbrink stated.

Due to a large enrollment influx into the band program, the class will be split in two. The split will be inclusive of underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) in one course and upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) in another.

“There [needs] to be a change because as the band gets larger, it is currently harder for me to reach out to students individually,” said band instructor Tony Hicks. “I fear that once it gets too large, I will be unable to focus on individual learners.”

The implementation of a dual credit speech course in partnership with Richland Community College will take place as the English program will split into two parts for students — standard curriculum and honors English curriculum.

Sheila Moore noted the changes would change Meridian’s English department significantly.

Additional courses will also be offered in the social studies department, according to instructors Evan Kershner and Michelle McKinney.

“They [Meridian] could possibly have me bring back my 20th-century conflicts class,” Kershner said, albeit uncertain as to its fate.

McKinney added that a current events/civics course will also be integrated into the department’s curriculum in the new academic year.

The 2019-20 academic year will kick off on August 16, 2019.