Middletown 2011 Review: Schools

Editor’s Note: This article is one in a series that Patch is producing as a look back at the year.

School forms a central aspect of life in , where some 2,400 students are served in the public school system. Four schools accommodate those students: Aquidneck (PK-3), Forest Ave (PK-3), Gaudet (4-8), and Middletown High (9-12). The school department is the town department with the single largest budget, approximately $36 million for the current fiscal year. Here, noteworthy school happenings from 2011.

• Adequate yearly progress: In May, statewide school classifications were released from the Rhode Island Department of Education, showing that all of the schools in Middletown demonstrated “adequate yearly progress"  based on testing.
• Michael Crowley Honored: In May, Middletown School Committee chairman Michael Crowley received the prestigious Howard Kay Award, given by the Rhode Island Association of School Committees in recognition of outstanding service among the state's school boards.
• Robotics: At a robotics championship held in January, nine Aquidneck Island teams took honors, including students from Middletown’s All Saints Academy, and students from Gaudet who are part of the Aquidneck Island Robotics 4-H Club.
• Sports Championships: In March, the Middletown High varsity girls basketball team won the Division III state championship, In November, the varsity girls soccer team was . In December, the boys varsity football team was
• Scholar-Athlete Awards: In June, four Middletown High School athletes were among those honored statewide in the Cox RI Scholar-Athlete Award presention.
• Regionalization: Talks regarding school regionalization on Aquidneck Island have been ongoing for several years; in May 2011, the first public forum on the topic was held.