On October 31, Nataisha Hill, a reporter from PHS’s Mercury interviewed Dr. David Fine of the PCSD, who is one of the Assistant Superintendents. He gave a great amount of information about the new additions and changes our school district has made this year, starting with his new job and position. As most of us know, Dr. Fine was previously the Principal at the Middle School. He has now started a brand new position as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction for Secondary Education. Meaning he works and focuses on the Middle School and High School specifically. He also works with Mrs. Foster, who is the Assistant Superintendent for the Elementary Schools. As the interview progressed, we began to get into the new additions and changes that were made in the schools this year, starting with the Freshman Academy.

Dr. Fine heavily emphasized the fact that freshman year is a very important year. Which is why the new freshman academy is so important. The Freshman Academy keeps the students focused. There is a small group of teachers that are focused on freshman only, supporting them socially, emotionally and academically. Dr. Fine states that the Freshman Academy provides the freshman class with an academically rich environment. This will help students move forward and transition smoothly into their sophomore year.

Another topic Dr. Fine discussed, that many people were curious about, was the Summit Academy. The Summit Academy is an extension of Peekskill High School. Students who attend the Summit Academy are primarily students who have met some challenges at the High School.  These challenges could have been students who had issues with attendance, struggled with academics, got distracted and more. The Summit Academy provides an alternative environment for these students. The Summit Academy also focuses on the students social, emotional and academic needs, which is quite similar to the Freshman Academy. After students attend Summit Academy and have done very well, they may be brought back into the high school, depending on how well the student has improved.

The Charter School was also a topic brought into discussion in the interview with Dr. Fine. His thoughts on the Charter  School was very thoughtful and straight to the point. He believes that it is important to have choice, but also believes Peekskill does not need a Charter School. His reasons were that it would hurt the schools financially in a significant manner. He also explains that Charter School offers everything that Peekskill Schools already have.

He informed us that there will be a hearing with the Board of Regents sometime during the middle of November. There is a trip being planned to the Board of Regents so that Peekskill can put a “face to the voice” when the Charter School is being discussed.

Later in the interview, Dr. Fine explains the concept behind students receiving Google Chromebooks. He revealed that the PCSD Schools are in the process of getting students and teachers updated and trained in google apps and eventually getting students google chromebooks, being that technology has a huge part in learning.

Lastly, Dr. Fine gave his thoughts on the PHS Mercury Website. He noticed that the website has changed and improved a lot. He says the website looks a lot more organized and neater and the stories were a lot more rich and exciting to read. He also mentioned how the website has always been a nice resource. He then went on to give his thoughts on the Mercury site possibly becoming the home page on desktop computers throughout the school. He thought that the idea may be worth the try.