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Edwardsburg Middle School introduces four new electives to expand career and life skills
Summary
Middle-school staff and students presented four new electives — advanced Family and Consumer Sciences, yearbook, digital design and practical law & debate — designed to build practical skills, career awareness and civic knowledge. The board heard student work samples and learned plans for hands-on labs, technology use and a courthouse visit.
At a meeting of the Edwardsburg Public Schools Board of Education, middle-school staff and students presented four new electives intended to build practical life and career skills for grades six through eight.
Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Hilary Dufour told the board the advanced FCS class includes units on textiles and fashion history, basic construction and sewing, caregiving and human development, and food science and culinary arts. The course pairs students with younger children for caregiving activities and emphasizes career exploration across related fields. "Our second unit is kind of incorporating ... caregiving and education and training," Dufour said.
Student Hannah Layman described hands-on projects, saying, "I just love that we can make younger kids things that they will enjoy." Layman showed needle felting projects, tie-dye designs and examples of snacks the class prepared for school events and kindergarten classroom gifts.
Yearbook teacher Jody Bucher outlined the new middle-school yearbook: a 10-student eighth-grade staff selected by application and interview, page assignments and a January deadline. Students chose a "Hollywood" theme and have completed pages for homecoming, cross country and other activities. Bucher said student teams handle design, photo coverage and page layout.
The district also introduced a digital design class focused on teaching students to "think like a professional digital designer," staff said. The course uses Canva and is supported by eight new iPads and Apple Pencils bought for the class. Student Arly described a design project to create a personalized 40-ounce water bottle with features such as a lockable straw and key-chain name tag.
Practical law and debate teacher Erin Soucek told the board the course is based on materials from the American Bar Association, the Michigan Bar Association, the Supreme Court, the Hall of Justice and the National Council for the Social Studies. The elective covers criminal and constitutional law, torts, consumer law, negotiation, mediation and mock trials. Students will visit the Cass County Courthouse in December to observe sentencing hearings appropriate for middle-school students. Student Kinsey Farmer said, "I really enjoy the law and debate class," and added that the work helps with public speaking and research skills.
Board members and the superintendent thanked staff and students for the presentations. No board action was required for the electives during the meeting; the presentations were informational and highlighted the district's emphasis on hands-on coursework and early career preparation.
