Tiny Adirondack school grows with foreign recruits

Associated Press:

Newcomb Central School had two big problems when Skip Hults took over as superintendent five years ago: There were only 55 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and the cultural diversity was zero.

Hults took a novel approach solving both problems: He recruited students from abroad.

"We realized that if we wanted to keep our school, we needed to expose our kids to the world," Hults said.

The innovation has worked as Hults intended. This fall, the school has nearly twice as many students, 96, including nine from such nations as Brazil, Russia, Korea, Spain, and Thailand. Lured by Newcomb's innovative programs, other students have come from neighboring districts, one from 50 miles away. And parents and teachers mention signs that show students are becoming more engaged in the world, too.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 17, 2011 2:45 AM
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