Auburn committee approves new Auburn High program of studies, including required freshman seminar

The Auburn School Committee voted March 4 to approve the Auburn High School 2026–27 program of studies, adopting a new required freshman seminar and a set of changes to English and math offerings for high school students. Committee members approved the program by voice vote after a presentation from the superintendent and a school representative.

Superintendent Dr. Chamberlain introduced Mr. Delon Champ, who detailed the major changes. The centerpiece is a required freshman-year seminar delivered across the first two trimesters, with cohorts of about 75–80 students rotating so all freshmen take the course. "We're going to work on academic and study skills, digital awareness, restorative justice, cooperative learning, team building and research skills," Mr. Champ said, describing the course as a foundation to help students organize and develop study habits.

The seminar will be graded pass/fail and include a capstone ‘‘how I study best’’ plan that students carry forward. The committee heard that the class will expose freshmen to teachers and supports earlier in their high school careers and pair with counseling team work on college and career readiness.

The committee also approved adjustments to the English sequence: freshmen will receive more concentrated English trimesters and seniors will pick from a set of elective options (including dystopian literature, Shakespeare, crime fiction and a course examining contemporary masculinity) to encourage reading and writing engagement. For students needing additional literacy support, the district will offer a Foundations course that adds an extra trimester of English when recommended by guidance and classroom staff. In mathematics, the district proposed an intermediate algebra course to bridge gaps before students begin Algebra II.

Committee members asked how the seminar would be staffed and whether at‑risk students could be prioritized early; Mr. Champ said a mix of teachers from English, science, foreign language and counseling would teach the course, and placement could be adjusted to match student needs. The board approved the program of studies as presented and thanked the presenters for their work.

The superintendent said the program will be monitored and refined after initial implementation, and the administration will report back to the committee on rollout and any scheduling impacts.