On the heels of the first of week of school, the 36th Annual East Syracuse Minoa Spartan Spectacular Marching Band Contest will be held at 6:50 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at the high school. The event will feature six competing bands, and the Spartans will perform “Postcards from Spain.” Tickets are $6 at the gate; doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Here’s what’s new in the ESM Central School District this year:

—Greg Avellino is the new principal at ESM Central High School. Avellino comes to the district from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, where he was associate principal for two years. He replaces Ed Ames, who retired in the spring after 40 years as a teacher, middle school principal and high school principal at ESM. Look for a story on Avellino is an upcoming edition of the Eagle Bulletin.

—ESM is offering two new courses at the high school supporting Science, Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) development to help ensure that students are college and career ready.

—ESM High School students now have the opportunity to take ESM’s first three-credit Project Lead the Way course entitled Introduction to Engineering Design. This is the first course in the Project Lead the Way Pathway To Engineering program, a sequence of courses, which follows a proven, hands-on, real-world, problem-solving approach to learning. Students will learn and apply the design process, acquire strong teamwork and communication proficiency and develop organizational, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Introduction to Engineering Design has 53 students registered in grades 9 through 12.

—The high school is offering Robotics to students in grades 10 through 12, taught in an interactive, hands-on style class one-hour before the formal school day schedule begins. This course is designed to prepare students to explore and pursue a post-secondary education and careers in STEM-related fields.

—At Pine Grove Middle School, the integration of STEM/STEAM principles in trans-disciplinary, project-based learning has expanded to include a seventh grade team and continued implementation of the eighth grade team for the 2012-13 school year. STEAM teams integrate Science, Technology Engineering, Arts and Math.

—At the eighth grade level, Studio Art, an accelerated course allowing students to receive high school credit, is being offered beginning this fall.