Education

Pumpkins patches, pizza baking and a talking horse don’t typically have much in common, but last week at Gallrein Farms, they all came together to make a unique and fun classroom setting.

“It was really nice to have the class,” Sarah Flattery, a second grade teacher at Heritage Elementary said.  Flattery and her students along with three other second grade classes attended a field trip to Gallrein Farms on Thursday and this year, in addition to touring the farm, students were treated to a special agriculture program.

Nearly every Shelby County Public Schools high student will be spending their weekend tinkering with a new Chromebook, thanks to the district’s commitment to pair every student with their own device by 2018.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday students at both high schools piled into the halls and herded from station to station before finally picking up their Chromebook after much anticipation.

Some stations took a bit longer than others to pass through but inevitably, all students left with smiles on their faces and devices under their arms.

The Shelby County Board of Education will vote on the working budget for the 2015-16 school year when they meet Thursday at 7 p.m. at Central Office, 1155 West Main Street.

The board voted without discussion in June to approve the tentative budget, which included small changes from the Draft Budget that was presented in January.

The first rendition of the 2015-16 budget included total revenue of $57.55 million, and that number was increased to $57.63 million with changes in June.

As the district requires students to be college or career ready to graduate, some parents have recently expressed concern about those tracks and how their children can achieve CCR status.