MARYSVILLE – With the culminating project no longer a state requirement to graduate, the Marysville School District is looking at other options to help students prepare for high school and beyond.

Andrew Wamala of Naviance and Jim Hager, a former school superintendent and now advisor to that company, gave a presentation about a possible option to the district at a work session May 5.

Their online curriculum provides a road map for students.

“Say I want to be a doctor,” Wamala said. “How do I get there? It builds a plan to go forward.”

The Naviance curriculum can help students find their passion for a career by having them answer questions about interests, strengths, behaviors and emotions. No matter where a student is academically, it can help.

“It shows where you stand, and says here’s what you need to do” to meet your goals, Hager said. “Or it may recommend some other options.”

Wamala said the program empowers students, but parents and teachers also can see what’s going on so there are no surprises.

Hager said he knows many teachers might say, “Here’s another thing we have to do.” But because this is online, this “frees them up” to do other things. “It also frees counselors up to do counseling,” he added.

The program initially was used at private and high-income schools. But “they don’t need this,” Wamala said of those students.

Naviance thought it was an equity and civil rights issue.

“All students need equal and timely access” to this information, “regardless of socio-economic status,” Wamala said.

The district was assured the curriculum will meet new state guidelines for high school and beyond instruction.

“Everett, anecdotally, says it’s one reason they’ve raised their graduation rate,” Marysville superintendent Becky Berg said.

The school board, at its regular meeting:

• Voted to update its antiquated computer and phone systems. Technology director Scott Beebe talked about the switch to Apple computers. The district will lease 715 work stations at a cost of $825,000 over four years. School board members Chris Nation and Tom Albright abstained because they own Apple stock. The board also approved going with Shoretel for the new phone system, which will cost $716,000.

• The board passed a resolution regarding suicide prevention. School board member Pete Lundberg said it’s a good list of what to do and not do during an emergency. Special education director James Stevens said the checklist is important when something traumatic happens at school. “In the heat of the moment you can’t be fumbling around,” he said. The resolution says, “As a school district, we recognize that suicide prevention and the health of all students and staff is paramount. By adopting this policy we will continue to have the supports in place to address next steps in suicide prevention in our youth.”

• The board passed a resolution to begin the process of tearing down the old cafeteria where the shooting took place at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, and building a new one at a different location on campus. Finance director Jim Baker said $5 million is still in the state budget for a new cafeteria. The state schools office will allow the district to use that as a local match, so the district could qualify for $2.4 million for a state match.

• Principal Shelly Lacy talked about Heritage High School. She said thanks to a grant from the Tulalip Tribes, students are now focused on skill building. She said STAR assessment scores are mixed. She said students who have had the lowest scores are improving at a tremendous rate – about 40 percent thanks to “urgent intervention” – while other students’ scores actually have dipped slightly. “They took the test more seriously,” Lacy said of the original lower-scoring students. “The others whipped through it, thinking it doesn’t count (for a grade) so why take it seriously?” All students also are reading the book “Mindset” for 20 minutes twice a week. It is about “How we can learn to fullfil out potential,” and students are taking it to heart, Lacy said.

At the work session:

• Principal Breeze Williams, who is leaving after 21 years, and staff talked about Pinewood Elementary and how it engages with the public. For six years it has had a Minority Achievement Program. It is similar to the one at the Marysville YMCA, but for younger students. It’s called MAPS Connection. Tutors help minorities with homework. JJ Frank of the YMCA also said they partner on a program that teaches hispanic and latino parents English. Thanks to a YMCA grant, “We can pay for babysitting, so JJ and I don’t have to do it all,” Williams said. Goodwill Industries provides the teaching and curriculum. Pinewood is so involved helping minority parents that families from other schools attend. The effort helps in other ways, as the police came and talked to them, and now the parents are more likely to call if they need help. The school also had a Heritage Fair, with families from at least seven countries sharing food, music and stories. To get more men involved, Dads of Great Students, or Watch DOGS, was formed this year. Men are asked to volunteer just one day a year to be role models for social, emotional and academic success.

• Principal Dawn Bechtholdt and staff talked about Mountain View High School. Students there often are way behind on credits. As a result many hate school, she said. So they are rewarded for doing good things, often with Mr. Goodbar candy. They also receive lanyards, names on the wall for making honor roll, pictures on the wall for being top student and positive letters home to parents. There are options to help them catch up on credits: Washington Youth Academy for one. There is also Running Start and Everett Community College tutors teaching Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. Thirteen of 14 students who were on the bubble will graduate this year, thanks to these options and others. But there needs to be more, Bechtholdt said. The district needs more flexibility and options, such as afternoon or evening classes to get “students out there who are not going to school re-engaged.” The district also needs to offer mental health, and drug and alcohol counseling, she said.

• Community activist Preston Dewoskin told the board that a bill regarding restraint for special education students is waiting to be signed by Gov. Jay Inslee.