The Leflore County School District will be offering a host of new high school courses during the upcoming school year, according to Leflore County Superintendent of Education Viola Williams McCaskill.
Aug. 6 is the first day of classes.
McCaskill said new courses include an allied health program and a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program, both of which debut at Amanda Elzy and Leflore County high schools.
Other new course offerings this year at the high school level, according to Lynette Reed, assistant superintendent with the district, will include:
• Microbiology
• Engineering
• Drawing I and II
• Problems in American democracy
• Business communications
• African-American literature
• Creative writing
• General music
• Journalism
The district will also offer pre-kindergarten at both Amanda Elzy and Leflore County elementary schools. Each will have about 20 slots.
According to Libby Lubas Walker, a media representative with the district, the pre-K program, if successful, will be expanded to other schools in the district in the future.
McCaskill said the district is also considering implementing a research-based reading program for elementary grades sometime this year.
Last week, McCaskill announced the reshuffling of grades within the district.
Those changes include:
• Amanda Elzy Elementary: Pre-K through fifth grade. Previously, the school included kindergarten through sixth grades.
• Amanda Elzy High: Ninth through 12th grades (previously seventh through 12th).
• East Middle School: Sixth through eighth grades (previously fourth through sixth).
• Claudine Brown Elementary: Kindergarten through third grade (unchanged from last year).
• Leflore County Elementary: Pre-K through sixth grade (unchanged, except for the addition of pre-K).
• Leflore County High: Seventh through 12th grades (unchanged).
Anita Ware, a veteran of the school district, has replaced Ezzard Beane as principal at Claudine Brown Elementary School. At Leflore County High School, Julius Lucas has replaced Johnny Daves.
Beane and Daves have left the district.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden @gwcommonwealth.com.
