Admin Corner 2.3 - End of the Year with Mr. Bauer
Photo from the Hamilton School District.
Hello, Hamilton! As 2025 has ended, students and staff are back for 2026 and hopefully rejuvenated from the long winter break. The first semester is winding down and the second approaches rapidly. But before we get to that, Mr. Bauer has a few questions he has addressed and some statements he would like to put out there.
What’s going well so far?
The first topic Mr. Bauer addressed was his happiness over the improved attendance data at Hamilton. Absences, in general, have gone down ten percent since the last school year, while tardies are down thirteen percent! He stated that it shows student commitment, which is a good skill to have for the future. Not only that, but he expressed his encouragement of the increase of students voicing their opinions in a healthy, constructive way, saying that it’s good that they [the students] feel comfortable coming forward and voicing their opinions. Even if their opinions and suggestions aren’t necessarily followed, they are still being taken into consideration.
Is there anything you think needs recalibrating?
The one thing Mr. Bauer expressed his concern about was the vandalism around school. He reiterated the email he had sent out earlier in December as having all the information regarding places where students can put up posters and what is permitted to be on lockers. There will be four designated poster spaces around the school, which will be updated every Friday. As for the locker decorations, they may only be informational regarding student involvement in clubs, activities, and sports.
Are there any upcoming changes you’d like to comment on?
There were a multitude of changes Mr. Bauer mentioned would be coming next year. There is now going to be an earned “senior free period” for the graduating class, where, if you qualify, you can have the period to yourself, not dissimilar to the current way some students handle a dropped focus. There will also be an increase in scheduling flexibility for students. The course change form is undergoing changes to do so, offering an option to drop a class for study hall within the first ten to fifteen days of the semester for relief without penalty. Otherwise, there is going to be lowered graduation requirements from requiring our current 28 credits to only need 24, which would be accompanied by a shift away from the basic diploma we currently issue. It would offer students an easier way to catch up if they are missing credits. Finally, there have been discussions of switching the start times of TMS and HHS, with the intention of improving safety regarding bussing protocol and to benefit those who have to drop off TMS students. This change has been confirmed for next school year, and will help address the safety concerns we are seeing with bus routes. More information will be shared in the next few months.
What’s coming up? What are you excited about?
Now back from winter break, there is an upcoming Pep Assembly this Friday to highlight our successful groups, like the Girl’s Volleyball State Champs and the State Sweep of our One Act, and to promote our Winter clubs, activities, and sports! Not only that, but there is a new informational day in the works called Course Info Day that will be introduced second semester on Thursday January 29th. On this day, all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will report to their Home Advisement to start the day, then proceed through each department, where the teachers will provide presentations about their courses to the students. It will serve as an opportunity for students and staff, as it provides more insight into the class than the course catalog.
Finally, Mr. Bauer left us with a statement: Let’s come back in January to finish the semester strong! He hopes everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a restorative time off. He hopes our two week break was work and stress free.
