Exciting new programs await high school, primary students

Students at Greenwood High and Threadgill Primary schools will be offered several new and exciting classes this school year.

Digital media technology and “law and public safety” have been added to the high school curriculum and drama/theatre will be taught to primary students.

In addition, GHS students will once again be able to enroll in a foreign language course – French - and participate in a school choir.
       

Digital media technology is a program designed for students who wish to develop, design and implement projects in the fast growing field of digital media. The program emphasizes the techniques and tools used in digital media and the creative design or content of such media. The course focuses on the basic areas of computer graphics, audio production multimedia and animation.

Law and public safety focuses on the history of law and legal systems in the United States. Students will exit the program with a firm foundation of knowledge in these areas. Additionally, students will learn the importance of personal health and safety in the work environments associated with law and public safety. Students will also be introduced to the emergency services found in local communities; focus on corrections in the state of Mississippi; and learn the specialized areas and topics within the law and public safety arena.
      

Also at GHS, students will be able to enroll in a French class, which has not been offered for several years due to difficulty in securing a highly qualified foreign language teacher. Additionally, the district’s band director, Olander Emmons will also head up the high school choir.
     

Primary school students will have an opportunity to showcase their artistic side in a drama/theatre class. The class is designed to engage students in a wide range of real and imagined issues and includes the broader and more traditional conventions of the craft that have been developed over the centuries.
       

Along with additions to the 2018-2019 curricula, a number of administrative changes have been made for the upcoming school year.
       

Davis Principal Likisha Coleman will serve as principal at Greenwood Middle School.  Her assistant will be Denina Flowers who served last year as the School Improvement Grant (SIG) coordinator.
    

Yolanda Greer, who served as GMS’s assistant principal, will serve as the principal at Davis. Her assistant will be Kourtney McDowell, who has been in that position since 2017-2018.
     

Coleman had been principal at Davis for nine years and served as its assistant principal for one year. She is no stranger to the district, having worked as a math and science teacher at what was formerly Dickerson Elementary School in the late 1990s and as a math and reading coach at Threadgill Elementary School prior to her tenure at Davis.
     

She said her move from elementary to middle school will be a smooth transition because she is familiar with and has a good relationship with many of the GMS students who are former Davis students.  “Having a relationship with the students and their parents is nothing but an asset,” she said.
     

Coleman said she is focused on ensuring that teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach the curriculum that is so important to improving student achievement. “I plan to start preparing students early to enter high school and to be college and career ready,” she said.
   

She said she is appreciative of the years she was at Davis where she increased her knowledge and experience.  “Davis was a place I was able to grow as a leader and work with true professionals,” she said. “I am excited about working at a different level and doing it in a district where I have the support of my administration, peers and community.”
   

Coleman will team with Flowers for the second time as two top school administrators.  Flowers served as assistant principal of Davis during the 2016-2017 school year. Prior to that, she served five years as the school’s instructional coach. She was named the district’s School Improvement Grant (SIG) coordinator during the 2017-2018 school year.
  

  Greer is also a veteran educator who has held several positions throughout her years in the district. . She has served as a teacher, reading coach, literacy coach and interim director at the Alternative School prior to her position as assistant principal. She said she welcomes the opportunity to continue striving to “increase student achievement.”
    

Greer said working at the middle school level has given her a better insight into what it takes to make a school and a school district successful. “The experience has given me the knowledge and skills needed to join a great team that is committed to academic success,” she said.
    

Other building level principals and directors include: Chiqueta Daniels, Bankston; Dawn West, Threadgill Primary; Lachada Robie, Threadgill Elementary; Dr. Kenneth Pulley, Greenwood High; Dr. Michael Johnson, Alternative School; and Dr. Robie Greene, Career & Technical Center.

“The Greenwood Public School District continues to place an emphasis on teaching and learning. Across the district, we are excited about the upcoming school year, the programs being offered and the administrative staff at each school site,” said Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Wilson.