Three Way ISD board of education backs new high school

Parent meetings and registration for first freshman class ongoing

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By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com

ERATH COUNTY (February 16, 2017) – In about four years the student body at Three-Way ISD has more than doubled.

Superintendent Paul Ryan said four years ago, the school had about 50 students. Today, 115 children – three years old to eighth grade – attend classes in the district.

“We are continuing to grow,” Ryan said.

The district isn’t only adding students; plans are in the works to add grade levels, and Three Way ISD has a future goal of holding the first high school commencement in district history.

The school board recently voted to support the formation of a high school, backing the addition of ninth and tenth grades over the next two school years, Ryan said.

He said the board has also approved architectural plans that – once the contract on a new building is finalized – will provide an instructional home for ninth and tenth grade students that’s.

“It will be nothing like the average high school,” Ryan said, adding additional details will be revealed in the near future.

Meanwhile, registration for the first ninth grade class is beginning and informational parent meetings are ongoing. The next meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. today in the school’s cafeteria and future meetings will be announced on the Three Way ISD website and Facebook page.

Ryan said Three Way ISD students come from across Erath County and the surrounding area, being drawn to the smaller class sizes. Benefits include more individualized instruction, and initiatives like 1:1 technology, which Ryan said started about four years ago with each student being assigned an iPad. Student technology has since been upgraded and each child is assigned a Chromebook.

“We have a tremendous amount of technology,” Ryan said. “That is our niche and we are plan to stick with it. We do a lot of video production, when it comes to technology in classroom, our students are doing things here that are rare, and being a small school is a part of what makes that possible.”

Third graders are busy learning to write code while older students are producing videos and news broadcasts. Building on those strengths, Three Way ISD plans to make classes in engineering and computer-aided design (CAD) common at the high school. Ryan said the curriculum will mesh with options like ag mechanics.

“Three Way High School with have a heavy emphasis on the technology,” Ryan said. “STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) is a big buzzword in education today. That’s what we’re good at here and will continue to be through our expansion. We won’t be limited to those classes, but you will hear a lot about our students and competition in engineering, robotics, drones and about other things they design and build.”   

With the growth of rural schools being talked about as a need across the state, Ryan said the best part about the expansion of Three Way ISD is that the district is doing well in terms of funding and the addition of a highs school has been the center of discussion for a while.

“We are blessed and want to continue with the growth,” he said. “This is not necessarily something that we have to do, but something we want to do. At the same time, we understand that long-term success is ultimately based on the number of students.”


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