RBHS’ in-seat courses will be held at Hickman High School (HHS) for the 2024 summer school session, running from May 30 to Jun. 24. The course enrollment process, which opened Feb. 13, remains the same as previous years. Students and families can access course registration online via the Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Families Portal or by obtaining paper enrollment forms from their respective school.
CPS K-12 Summer School Coordinator Bonnie Conley said the location change is due to summer HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) construction at RBHS that will inhibit the use of common areas such as the cafeteria.
“The two buildings will be housed in one building, [HHS], but be run as separate schools,” Conley said. “[There will be] no [other] changes to enrolling or attending.”
Although housed in the same building, staff and students will still be paired according to their school. RBHS art teacher Carrie Schauwecker has been teaching Art Basics as a summer school course for seven years. She said her main concerns about the switch are what resources she will have access to, as classroom assignments are still undecided.
“I have a unique class, so I am wondering where I will be placed,” Schauwecker said. “I will need to be in a science classroom that has sink access, [and] will need to cart supplies to Hickman from my [RBHS] classroom.”
The biggest adjustment for most RBHS students is transportation. Although CPS buses will be available for RBHS students to get to HHS, some students are still inconvenienced by the distance and resulting travel times.
CPS has made similar accommodations for summer construction before, although this partnership between buildings does not happen often at the high school level. Despite the location change, courses will be held as normal, as summer school is an important resource for students.
“[Secondary summer school] is important because it gives students the opportunity to take credit advancement courses and/or recover credits,” Conley said. “While it is always easiest to be in home buildings, we can easily make adjustments.”
Are you attending summer school at HHS this year? Let us know in the comments.