Students and Parents attended an Open House at NSU Middle Lab School Aug. 8. The new year calls for new opportunities for students.

Principal Ben Lagrone said they are expanding its computer programming through a partnership with Northwestern State University’s CIS department. NSU professors will teach their students, who will then teach coding to Middle Lab students.

The new Jr. Beta Club will give students the opportunity to be recognized academically. It also focuses on community service. The club is in the process of getting chartered and expects 120-150 members, according to one of the advisors Jennifer Hidso. The other advisors are Michelle Shirley and Jenny Massia.

An additional partnership with NSU will expand secondary education majors’ practical experience. Working with the Teacher Education Center, Middle Lab will partner with NSU secondary education majors to provide one year of experience as opposed to the past, where students were only required to complete one semester of student teaching.

These majors will work at Middle Lab their first semesters and another school for their second semesters. They will start Wednesday, Aug. 10, before NSU’s fall semester starts. According to Lagrone, this helps them experience the life of a teacher from day one. Faculty will structure what the majors learn based on a rubric provided by the LA Dept. of Education.

Middle Lab is also scheduled to renew its AdvancED accreditation, scheduled for the spring. AdvancED is a non-profit organization that conducts rigorous, on-site external reviews of Pre-K-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential. The accreditation is renewed every 5 years.