The 2013-2014 school year begins, and all is normal…seemingly.  This new year has many changes, including everything from the announcements to  lunch schedules to blended classes and more.

One of the more controversial changes has been  the incorporation of the Pledge of

Allegiance at the beginning of the school year.

Michigan passed Senate Bill 637 last year and  it is now in effect. The law states that all students in Michigan must be given “the opportunity” –but are not required –to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day.

This opportunity is available during the morning announcements, which are also different.

The daily announcements, which had previously been delivered as a slideshow by Student Council, have changed time and format. Now, under the management of The Kilt, the announcements are in video format. Rather than airing at the end of fifth hour, the announcements now air at the beginning of first hour. Each class prior to lunch has three additional minutes in order to accommodate the announcement’s new timeslot.

Technologically, much has changed as well. All computers now run Windows 7 Professional, Google Chrome is now a secondary browser on all computers, and student login passwords now start with “rcs.” RCS is implementing the Google Apps for Education program, which relates to the usage of Google Drive (an analog for Microsoft Office) and new student emails.

This year, Adams welcomes many new teachers:  Mr. Carruthers and Mr. Mavis (Business), Mr. Barraclough (a substitute for Math), Mrs. Krumholz (German and English), Mrs. Pedro (American Sign Language), Mrs. Ozar (Science), Mrs. Pillsbury (Theater), Mrs. Marchand and Mrs. Filips (Special Ed), and Mrs. Vinson (Social Worker).

Additionally, several new blended-learning classes have been introduced to the curriculum. Blended-learning classes are classes that implement technology in varying ways to diversify the methods through which students are educated.

The classes that support this method of teaching are Mythology, Comp 12/Language, Philosophy, AP Language, and AP Computer Science.

There are a variety of clubs available this year, including: Art Club, Business Partners of America(BPA), Dance team, Debate, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Eco Club, French Club, German Club, GSA, Rotary Club, IMPACT, Key Club, Model United Nations, Ping Pong Club, National Honors Society (NHS), Robotics Team (AdamBots), Ski and Snowboard Club, Spanish Club, and Youth in Government (YIG).

Potential clubs include Ultimate Frisbee Club, Video Game Club, Creative Writing Club, and Connect Club.

The lunch schedule that Adams used for many years is no longer in effect. Now, Adams uses a lunch schedule with five divisions based on departments in fourth hour. Each department is assigned second lunch for one day out of the week, while every other day is another lunch or a mixture of lunches.

Finally, this issue of The Kilt is one of only a few that will be printed this year.  For the most part, The Kilt has gone online.  Make sure to get your Adams news on our website at www.theadamskilt.com.