Module 2-1 -136Interest Area Program in a Middle School
The unending debate regarding extra curricular activities continues. Middle schools are seeking to determine what type program best serves the needs of preadolescents. How rigid should a program be structured? What time of day should it be held? Each middle school in Howard County is free to develop its own program.
Clarksville Middle School in Howard County is in a
traditional school building, operating on an eight period day.The eighth period is an interest area period. All children participate. The procedure used to develop the program was:
1. The Principal, Mr. Marchmont Girod, took an
inventory of faculty interests to determine their competencies. From this inventory he
developed a list of 31 interest areas (activities).
2. The list was then made available to students and
they were asked to choose nine areas, five of which
would be assigned to them.
3. Students were then given one interest area a day,
so that in a week a student would have five different
areas.
4. Students may attend an area more than once a week.
5. Changes will be made when necessary.
The strength of the Clarksville program is that it does not "sentence" a student to an activity. Everything possible is done to encourage students to choose areas they may be reluctant to choose and to permit them to change after they've given an area a fair trial.
Middle schools have an opportunity to broaden interests. The pre-adolescent is still receptive to adult suggestion and we should capitalize on this. Prescription after diagnosis is the order of the day and prescription implies that a professional