A few years ago, the District noticed that responsible money management was a key skill to be mastered by students so that they could responsibly and competitively function in our complicated global economy. Now, thanks to Personal Finance, every student who graduates from North has the skills they need to properly manage their finances after high school.

Since then, there has been a development in communication, interaction, business, and news- the evolution of social media. In our society, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms play a crucial role. In just five years, these programs and websites have literally changed the way that industries- which haven’t changed much in decades- do business. So, in this day where more than 90 percent of millennials have a Facebook page, and 1 in 8 couples meet online, why isn’t the District doing more to prepare us for a world where these programs play such an active role?

Well, it turns out, they are. Right now, plans are in the works to start integrating pilot programs, which will expose students into the middle schools of our District. The programs will be in controlled settings and work with the common social media programs which are so prevalent today. Just as the District began integrating PowerPoint and Word into classrooms more than a decade ago, they will be working social media platforms into curriculum. The hope is that these skills carry over into high school, where they are needed, as highlighted by the various events of the past year. From the comment thread on the District’s Facebook page to the evolution of cyber-bullying in the area, there’s a need for effective education about how to responsibly use Facebook and Twitter.

It’s good to see that the District is beginning to recognize the power of social media. A few years ago, as these programs began to gain fame among the student population, the school made an effort to block these from the school, trying to force students to not use them. As seen across the country, not addressing the appropriate use of these programs had lead to bullying and other problems.

So why stop with the middle schools? Get a class in the high schools. It doesn’t need to be a mandatory course, but an elective program can allow students to not only learn responsible use, but also how to apply them as tools that they can use in their jobs. Graduates from North would benefit by having specified education in the application of these programs to the workforce, in turn making them more competitive. It’s time to stop fighting the growth of Facebook and Twitter, and embrace them and prepare students for a world in which these sites play a large and active role in society.