Parents learn about academy
MOSS POINT -- The Moss Point School District held a Moss Point High School Eighth Grade Parent Night on Monday to give parents tips about helping their children transition from middle school to high school.This fall, the district will introduce a ninth grade academy to help ease the adjustment into high school.
Moss Point High School principal Jeff Mumford addressed parents about what to expect next year when their students enter into the ninth grade academy.
The academy will remain in the Moss Point High School, but will be in a separate wing from the upperclassmen.
Mumford told a group of nearly 60 parents and students that teachers are still evaluating other school districts to determine which schedule type is best for Moss Point. He also talked about the types of courses and said the incoming freshman will share teachers with the rest of the high school, but will not be in the same classes as sophomores, juniors and seniors.
"It gives them a little bit more of a hands-on approach and ideas of what we're actually going to be doing," Mumford said. "Tonight, we heard a lot of positives and some negatives about the ninth grade academy and that's what we want to entertain -- both sides of it -- so we can make sure we make an honest assessment of what we're actually going to be doing for the ninth grade academy."
He said ninth grade students will wear a different color shirt to set them off from the upperclassmen so they know where the youngest students are at all times.
Some parents raised concerns that ninth graders are already singled out when they arrive in high school and this is unfair to the students. Other parents defended the idea and said that it was necessary for the safety of the students.
"We want to know where they are and we want to keep track of them," Moss Point School District Superintendent Maggie Griffin said in response to the discussion.
The ninth grade will be overseen by an administrator who will report to Mumford.
"One of the things when you go from eighth grade to high school, the maturity level isn't quite there yet," Moss Point School District Communications Director Stephanie Packer said. "We want to be able to still allow them to grow and not be thrown into the sea of older people."
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