BLOOMDALE – Elmwood High School is changing curriculums next year to be in line with the new state
standards.Core area subjects have been reviewed and adjusted to meet Common Core curriculum requirements
next year, high school Principal Tom Bentley told the school board Monday.Changes were made to English,
math, Spanish and social studies.He explained that English 12 will become more composition based in answer
to college demands."That’s where the weakness seems to be," he stated.The high school will no
longer offer integrated math. Instead freshmen can take a transition to high school class, which is almost a
pre-algebra class.Advanced math will be brought back for seniors, allowing them to study advanced functions,
algebra, geometry and data analysis.Freshmen next year will take modern world history rather than integrated
social studies, and sophomores and juniors will take American history.A music theory class also will be
added if there is enough interest, Bentley said.The board also was updated on how Elmwood’s robotics team
did in national competition last week in Fargo, ND.The team competed in the Northern Plains BEST Regional
Competition. Team members flew to the event while Bentley and Superintendent Tony Borton drove the
equipment.Borton called it a "tremendous experience" and that the team finished higher than
expected.The robotics team did not make it out of the first round, but compiled its best score
ever."Our ranking was 28th, but points compiled was over 1,044 points, with our previous high around
200 points," said Borton.At Elmwood, robotics is a club activity in its second year and the team
competed against many career center schools."It’s still incredible they did as well as they did,"
said board President Brian King.BEST, which stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology,
presents annual robotics competition for middle school through high school students.Elmwood qualified for
nationals after finishing second at the Falcon BEST competition Oct. 26 at BGSU.Also at the meeting the
board accepted a $1,900 donation to replace green N.A.T. garbage carts at the football stadium with royal
blue ones. Donors included Harrison Trucking, Harrison Truck and Body, Country Farmhouse, John Tahy Realty
and Auctioneer, Bill Davies Auctioneer, and Mike and Kris Carpenter.