SPECIAL BOE PRESENTATION
BOE Presentation on Enrichment & Interest Based Opportunities
Featuring Documentary Video by HS Student Connor Darouvar
“It is truly something great, these elective classes and extracurriculars, because they give me and others the opportunity to discover who we are. It’s important to me that opportunities like these are given to everyone...” – Connor Darouvar, 11th Grader
At the November 9, 2023, Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Dr. Carol Ann Smyth led a detailed presentation on Enrichment and Interest Based Opportunities at the North Shore School District. During the night, administrators and faculty from our elementary and secondary schools along with their students showcased the following topics:
- Elementary STEAM experiences including Computer Science and Robotics
- Elementary SWES (School Wide Enrichment) Programs
- North Shore MS Electives (29) and Clubs (35) that 93% of the middle school students participate in with a special performance from the Ukelele Club
- North Shore HS Electives (71), Athletics (65 teams), & Extra-Curricular offerings (60) where only 1% of students when surveyed said they could not find an extracurricular activity which interested them
To see the entire presentation and watch the meeting, please visit the BOE video section of the website at https://www.northshoreschools.org/boe/board_videos.html
One of the highlights of the evening occurred when North Shore High School Assistant Principal, Ms. Jen Imperiale, presented an original documentary created, narrated, and edited by 11th grader, Connor Darouvar, on a “Student’s Perspective on Student Engagement.” Please watch at
Board of Ed Video Presentation Final - YouTube
The documentary highlighted some of the many electives & clubs offered at North Shore High School while authentically featuring Connor interviewing his peers and teachers. The interviews revealed their passion, commitment, and participation in the many offerings often resulting in life-changing experiences. Connor stated, “As a junior in high school, I took on many extracurricular activities. Aside from academic prowess, I perpetuated my ventures in these activities out of a sense of passion as I believe is evident by the existence of this video.” He added, “I have an extreme passion towards video production and the entire industry of writing, animation, producing, and editing. It’s all stuff that really appeals to me and is the direction I want my life to go in. It wouldn’t be the case if it weren’t for these programs offered at the school.”
Last year, Connor took Ms. Laura Green’s Digital Production course, an elective on the introduction to documentary film making that provides students with the ability to explore factual stories and issues using photography, film, and video. Ms. Green said, “Typically, my students develop an understanding of the genre by learning the key elements of a documentary including the use of interviews, narration or voice-overs, text on screen, and/or background music. The objective is to present compelling issues to inform the viewer of key, relevant facts which aim to leave a lasting impact.” Connor exhibited all these important elements and much more in this documentary. In addition, Connor gives credit to his Music Production teacher, Mr. Bryce Larsen, for the original song that he composed and utilized in the documentary background. Mr. Larsen is featured in the video and speaks about the curriculum, “as the avenue that enables his students to create music that inspires them the most.”
Connor ended his video by saying, “It is truly something great, these classes and extracurriculars, because they give me and others the opportunity to discover who we are. It’s important to me that opportunities like these are given to everyone and that they last - where teachers can give these kids something that they’ve never really experienced before or will have never known that they wanted to experience.”
To conclude, Dr. Smyth said, “We are incredibly proud of the opportunities we provide to students as they discover their dreams on their own North Shore Journeys.” Click here to see the Board presentation titled BOE Presentation - Enrichment and Interest-Based Opportunities - Google Slides
Article by Shelly Newman
Documentary video by North Shore HS Student Connor Darouvar