Recently the Enrichment course has been newly placed into the high school. Many students though have shown a negative view towards the action as seen in the article “Is Enrichment really enriching?.” This article voiced the the opinion of a negative side of Enrichment as just stated. But what about the positive side? Is there one? Through some interviews and experiences, I will show the more positive side of the newly installed class.

One question you may have is, What is the purpose of Enrichment anyways?.

Ms. Machado, Enrichment teacher for Grades 5 & 6, who knows much about the topic, said, “Enrichment should offer students learning opportunities not provided by regular education classes.”

Mr. Connolly, Enrichment teacher for Grades 7 & 8, said, “The purpose of the enrichment course is to create academic goals for each student who is identified as gifted and to make sure that those goals are implemented and met throughout the school year.”

To summarize, Enrichment’s purpose is to allow qualified students to set academic goals and meet them by reaching above and beyond what normal classes have to offer in any subject. But how is one qualified?

To qualify for Enrichment is not merely getting or being a “straight A” student. There are other factors. Ms. Machado said, “We are basically testing how the student thinks, rather than identifying them based on grades.  That is sometimes confusing but not all gifted students are straight A students and not all straight A students are gifted students.”

So grades and IQ are not all that it takes to be qualified.

My brother was recently denied from Enrichment for not being able to show strong leadership skills even though he is also a “straight A” student.

So you get that, but what does the class do for students after the class?Is all that time and work in Enrichment going to actually help you in the future?

Mr. Connolly said, “I believe that being a part of the enrichment program at IMS helps to prepare students for the academic challenges that await them in the honors courses the high school.  They will already know what it means to explore advanced content and will have a better understanding of the work ethic and dedication needed to succeed at that level.  Also, they will have developed critical thinking skills that allow them to analyze and evaluate content beyond simple memorization and recall.”

So yes, Enrichment can be really enriching, you just have to be in the class of course.