From Shark Tank presentations to ACT prep, ‘J Term’ challenges Clear Lake High School students

by Katie Behr

Clear Lake High School students got to hit the refresh button on their curriculum when they headed back to classes this month. In an effort to “do something different” during the school year, Clear Lake High School Principal Chris Murphy said  a January term, or “J term,” is underway.

The idea of dedicating two weeks for separate curriculum came from attending regular conference leadership meetings where other schools in the North Central Conference were considering, or had already started, a January term.   This year the term spans seven school days, Jan. 3 -14, filling the lull between the start of high school classes and when the NIACC schedule resumes.

According to Murphy, J term “stops the day to day happenings” of classes and is meant to be “fun, engaging and interesting.” Teachers are challenged to design a lesson plan for the seven days of classes that is separate from the regular curriculum. Courses range from ACT prep courses to bowling, and even media inspired themes such as “monsters inside me” taught by an anatomy and physiology teacher, to “Shark Tank” style challenges.

Last year, over 60 kids signed up for the debate class, according to Murphy.

Each class lasts 80 to 90-minutes each day and students choose four different mini-cour-

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ses to take during the term.

Students are awarded one-quarter of a pass/fail credit, so that by graduation they will have earned one elective credit that does not count to their grade point average.

Murphy says this is a time for students to relax and learn a little bit.

“It takes the pressure off to not have to earn a grade,” he said.

Some mini-courses are even aimed at completing scholarships or credit-recovery classes for those that may have missed out on tests or important milestones in classes from the previous semester - making them less fun and games and more of a new start in the new year.

The 2019 J term is the second year that these classes have taken place. Murphy says the response from last year was very positive and one senior even said she was “sad she only got to experience it for one year.”

“The credit goes to the teachers,” said Murphy.  “They have done a great job and have put in a lot of extra work, and the students have done a great job of stepping up to the challenge.”

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