“Did you hear about the new house-thing that they’re making?” “Do you know that only the 6th graders are going to be in House 1 next year?” These sentences are some of the most frequent ones flying through the halls of FMS right now. The news of the new changes at FMS seems to be spreading like wildfire, but there is a lot of uncertainty on what is actually going to happen. While we still don’t know all of the details, the Board of Education has confirmed that some changes will definitely be taking place during the 2024-2025 school year.
The BOE (Board of Education) has announced that a couple of important changes will be taking place next school year regarding a new “6th Grade Experience.” First, as you may have heard, there will be a new principal for next year’s 6th graders, Mr. Vincent Marchese. For the past six years, he has worked in the school district at Morristown High School as an assistant principal. Before that, he worked in the Florham Park School district as a middle school ELA teacher, a special education teacher, and a coach. In addition, Mrs. McBride, the current House 3 Vice Principal, is slated to become the Vice Principal of the 6th grade. Not only will there be new administration for the incoming 6th graders, but the house system will change as well. The rising 6th graders will still be assigned to a house, such as the Phoenix, Tiger, or Dragon, but all 6th graders will have all of their core classes (ELA, Math, Social Studies, and Science) and homeroom in what is currently the House 1 wing of the school. More information on this change will be coming out soon. These changes are part of an effort to create a dynamic learning experience for 6th graders, and to make the transition from being in smaller elementary schools in 5th grade to a larger middle school in 6th grade smoother. Students’ opinions are very mixed on these new changes, but they will benefit the incoming 6th graders and future 6th grade classes by making an easier transition to FMS.
While the house change is the most influential one for FMS students, there are some other changes happening as well. Mr. Brandon Horn will be serving as the new supervisor of Computer Science for the Morris School District. He will teach computer science classes at the high school, but will work on creating and implementing computer science opportunities here at FMS and throughout the rest of the district.
These changes in the Morris School District will impact FMS students and staff, as well as other students in our district. These changes will affect us all, and there are many different opinions about them. So what’s your opinion on this breaking news? Whatever it is, stay flexible and keep your mind open to many possibilities. All of the details on these changes aren’t completely set in stone yet, so more adjustments could happen. Next year will be an exciting new year full of opportunities and will let us all see everything from a new perspective. So, what are your thoughts?
Works Cited
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a7L3F-VNONQ7aMP-5cAD_pRUoeIujYvV/view. Accessed 20 May 2024.
