A board of staff members is working to better the math curriculum at the Dowagiac Union School District.

“We need to make some major changes to get where we’d like to be,” said Dawn Connor, Deputy Superintendent at Dowagiac Union Schools.

Connor said the changes will be difficult, but the staff is excited for the improvements.

A group of teachers from all grades in the district are assessing the current math curriculum and developing best practices for moving forward. Connor said there will be lots of professional development, and a core group of staff members will be attending conferences and site visits to learn what has helped schools with the best scores do so well in math programs.

Connor said that so far, the group has decided that the amount of time teachers teach math needs to be more consistent, and that new math materials will be necessary to improve math scores.

Connor warned the board that these materials could be very expensive, but that they are imperative to giving students better math lessons.

She said the math committee will meet between 16 and 25 times over the course of the year, and thanked the members of the committee for their hard work and dedication outside of the normal school day.

Students of the month for the month of September were also named at the board meeting. Students recognized were as follows:

• Gabe Green, a 7th grader Dowagiac Middle School. Gabe was nominated based on his “exemplary leadership, exceptional manners and is kindness to others.”
• Erica Nash, a 5th grader at Patrick Hamilton Elementary. Erica was nominated based on her preparation and eagerness to learn. Her nominator, Mrs. Treat, said “I’m glad that I have such a respectful young lady in my classroom and that I get to be a part of her education.”
• David Collier, a 5th grader at Justus Gage Elementary. His teacher, Mrs. Brosnan, said David has “it the ground running since the start of his 5th grade school year” and “has a solid base of background knowledge on which to build.”
• Austin Martin, a 5th grader at Kincheloe Elementary. Mrs. Wilson said Austin is “a hard and conscientious worker and is always trying to improve his skills.” Austin “completes his work with accuracy and is willing to help teach others.”
• Maria Meza, a 5th grader at Sister Lakes Elementary. Mrs. Stout said, “Maria is a wonderful student to have in class. She is a very hard worker, who always does her best. She is always eager to learn and comes to class with a smile on her face.”
• Kenneth Creameans, a senior at Union High School. Kenny was nominated by his band director, Mr. C.J. Brooks, who said, “Kenny is one of those rare students that you can always count on for doing his personal best.”