The upcoming Community Day, Common Core and what will become of standardized testing, were discussed at the Forum Friday, Sept. 19, as well as updates on construction and  how SDA can take advantage of the remodel.

Community Day

Community Day, which is currently being planned by a committee of students as well as former Spanish teacher Suzanne McCluskey, will take place on Dec. 10. The day will center around the discussion of and reflection on whether SDA has served as a supportive community and how students can help it improve further. The day’s schedule is similar to Exhibition Day.

During the activity sessions, students will stay with their second period class. There will also be two facilitators in every class to assist with the activities. Also discussed at the Forum were potential methods of promoting Community Day, which included the upcoming assembly, a video in San Dieguito Live, and possibly school wide activities on a regular basis to get students and teachers involved and excited about Community Day.

Standardized Testing

With all the buzz about the new Common Core state standards and tests, Forum attendees were concerned about the  this year’s testing as well as the format of future tests. Although almost everything about whatever will be replacing STAR testing  is undecided  at this point, Principal Tim Hornig shed some light on the subject.

This year, sophomores will still be taking the CAHSEE as well as the science exam. It is almost certain that the CSTs will be on hiatus for at least one year, but the governor has yet to sign the bill to confirm it, Hornig said. The state government now faces the issue of No Child Left Behind, which dictates that schools must have some form of assessment from which they can gather data on students, he said.

The new tests will most likely be on computers and involve some form of collaboration, Hornig said. “What you know CST to be is definitely going away,” he said. “What it is is still being shaped.”

Construction

Students were eager to talk about what was going to happen with the upcoming construction. Ooriginal architect Lilian Rice’s design style will be implemented in the new buildings, Assistant Principal Jeanne Jones said. She said SDA didn’t want the remodel to look like the new San Marcos high school.

There is also a current effort being made by several groups including the photography department to preserve and document all the art on campus. In addition, the scoreboard and the Mustang sign from the field will be saved and used as art somewhere on the new campus, Jones said.

Students discussed various methods of creating art as the new campus is being built, like putting handprints or inscriptions in wet cement. Instead of lamenting the loss of SDA’s familiar environment, teachers and students at the Forum interpreted the construction as an opportunity to showcase school culture.