the four majors
|
At Saul, students move through many of the same academic subjects that other students in the School District of Philadelphia will experience - Biology, Chemistry, English, Algebra, and Social Studies are all part of the normal curriculum. However, given that Saul is a school with an agricultural focus, students must choose a "major" in their sophomore year that will determine the trajectory of the classes they will take for the remainder of their time at Saul. The four majors are Animal Science, Food Science, Environmental Science (Natural Resources), and Plant Science (Horticulture). From sophomore year on, student's electives will consist entirely of classes in their given major. Here's a video the W.B Saul High School Multimedia Club put together to showcase the four different majors!
|
|
Saul is designated as an agricultural school, and former student teacher Valerie Metzer says she saw that as an immediate strength of the school, a "focus" that would unite the "school as a community." However, after a year of experience at Saul, she concludes that there are few school-wide attempts to reconcile a common goal or pedagogy. She said that the teachers working in the agricultural classes obviously, "tend[ed] to utilize hands on or experiential learning methods," but that among academic subjects at the school, teaching style was fairly, "diverse." She lamented the fact that inter-school community and pedagogy could be connected, saying, "I wish the faculty community had a stronger sense of community and a more unified goal. I think there are more opportunities to connect curriculum across disciplines and grades and for students to be more actively engaged in their agricultural studies by presenting a culminating independent project by the time of their graduation from Saul." We heard similar remarks in our interview of Nina Berryman. She remarked that while all teachers were free to utilize the agricultural fields and tools for their studies, not all teachers did, and she usually ends up seeing, "the same teachers every week." The interviews with these individuals seem to suggest that while agriculture plays a huge role in the lives of students at Saul, a greater sense of school community could be created by incorporating agricultural lessons and hands-on learning into traditional academic subjects and fostering cross-curricular learning. |
Outcomes
|
While some of the students at Saul do go on to have careers in the agricultural sciences, many choose to do something different after their graduation. Nina Berryman estimates that about a quarter of the graduating students go on to have careers connected with the agricultural sciences in some way, but she's quick to clarify that since students are exposed to lots of different types of agricultural work, their future careers are sometimes influenced by their schooling in other ways. She says, "For instance, there’s a food science class here, so they might learn that they’re really into culinary arts. So that’s not necessarily agriculture, but they were introduced to it because their food science teacher was talking about where meat comes from."
Valerie Metzer agrees that while some students do go on to have careers in agriculture, there are many other options for Saul graduates. "Some do plan to study fields of agriculture or related fields, such as environmental science, culinary, medicine, veterinary medicine, but I've heard that these students are becoming less common. Many graduating in 2015 were planning to go to CCP (Community College of Philadelphia), tech or beauty schools, and many were choosing to go to college for other studies. Also, some go into the work force or military." Whatever the career landings of students, their time spent at Saul helps them prepare through high expectations and rigorous course and agricultural work. Saul's principal Tamera Conaway remarks that "every kid who comes here says they like animals, but you find out quickly that this isn't a petting zoo. You find that out when you're shoveling manure or you're chopping down a tree." |
Video and Flower Show information: Scally, B. (2015, March 13). VIDEO: Saul High wows crowd at Flower Show with 'Alice in Wonderland'-themed garden - Roxborough Review - Montgomery News. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2015/03/13/roxborough_review/news/doc54fdf780c9133843321324.txt
All other information: Metzler, V. (2015, July 1). Valerie [E-mail interview].
Berryman, N. (2015, July 1). Nina CSA [Personal interview].
Conaway, T. (Director) Tamera Conaway Comments Within News Sources. Lecture conducted from , .
Graham, K. (2012, October 22). At Saul High, Talented Crop of Students. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://articles.philly.com/2012-10-22/news/34629111_1_saul-top-student-roxborough-school
All other information: Metzler, V. (2015, July 1). Valerie [E-mail interview].
Berryman, N. (2015, July 1). Nina CSA [Personal interview].
Conaway, T. (Director) Tamera Conaway Comments Within News Sources. Lecture conducted from , .
Graham, K. (2012, October 22). At Saul High, Talented Crop of Students. Retrieved July 1, 2015, from http://articles.philly.com/2012-10-22/news/34629111_1_saul-top-student-roxborough-school