The Tiger Print — October 2004

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the blue valley high

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Issue 2 Vol. 34 Oct. 8, 2004

6001 W. 159th Stilwell, Kan. 66085 (913) 239-4946

Klopfenstein captures national Discourse contest Matt Galloway Staff Writer

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lue Valley High School teachers have recently begun integrating the Discourse program, a computer application that allows them to view student progress as it happens, into the classrooms. Created by the Educational Testing Service, the innovative system allows teachers to create and give tests in the new wireless lab while monitoring the reaction time and answers the from the students. Technology Integrating Specialist Mark Klopfenstein brought the Discourse system to BVHS after winning an essay contest called the “Discourse Challenge,” a nationwide search for the school most deserving of a Discourse system. He is one of eight teachers at BV who has used Discourse for classroom purposes this year. “I love it,” Klopfenstein said. “It gives a clear picture of where my classes are and what they do and do not know.” So far student and teacher reaction to Discourse indicates the system has been an early success. Students are able to see their areas of strength and weakness immediately following completion of the program. “I find it helpful because it allows real time interaction with the teacher,” junior Steven Wallace said. Science teacher Lisa Hill has used the Discourse program during class and was pleased with the results. “I like that it gives students immediate feedback on what they did whether it’s a test or a review,” Hill said. “It’s a great tool to use for discussions because you can include every student’s results.” Another new tool included in Discourse is the open-ended typed response option, something the students were unable to do in the old CPS program. Now, typed explanations and short answers can accompany the results sent to the teacher. “CPS only allowed students to answer objective questions, so it was harder to see what the problem was,” Klopfenstein said. “Even last Spring I had students tell me they learned a lot in a short time period. They felt like they had a better grasp on what they needed to know.” Klopfenstein looks for Discourse to have a strong position in BVHS education in the upcoming years when the program’s success stories spread. “I think we’ll have more and more teachers and administrators using Discourse as the word spreads,” Klopfenstein said. “They’ll use it for the various forms of information they can get as well as the quick feedback included per individual student.”

Fieldtrip to Kindergarten Above: Senior Kaitlyn Davidson portrays a bride puking on her mother (senior Mandie Payton) as her father (senior Matt Crooks) and groom (senior Zak Smith) look on. This scene described how mothers of the bride can get carried away and the effects this may have on the newlyweds. Characters were not assigned names in Kindergarten. Photo by Angela Solomon..

Rep Theater performs first student-directed show Kim Hieber Entertainment Editor

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he Repertory Theatre Company presented Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten as its first show of the year. The show, performed on Sept. 23, 24, and 25 in the Black Box Theatre, included dinner. With Senior Britney Chrisco as the director, this show was well-liked by many. “It rocked my socks off,” senior Nina Fardipour said. The essence of the show lies in the basics of learning. The show moves along in a choppy sequence, with different scenes occurring periodically, jumping from past to future and vice versa. It was a unique layout for a play. The point of the various scenes was to push the idea that back in kindergarten we learned to be ourselves, whereas, now as teenagers and young adults, we

tend to forget the basics and not be ourselves. The moral of the show was to push teenagers to remember those basics and hopefully nudge them back in that direction. Chrisco did a wonderful job in directing the show, according to drama instructor Dan Schmidt, as well as many students who came to watch the show. “The scene ‘the bench’ was really good,” senior Jennifer Vu said. “It made me cry.” As for Chrisco herself, she was very thankful to have had the chance to experience student direction. “I think the play went well, and I think that this experience was very beneficial to me,” she said. “It was good especially because I plan on pursuing a career in this area in the future.”

Fitzhugh emphasizes healthy choices Playing along, freshman Rebecca Gibbs helps Steve Fitzhugh deliver his message to BV students. The former safety for the Denver Broncos visited Sept. 22 speaking for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Fitzhugh passed along personal anecdotes and used demonstrations to show how teenagers react when put into tough situations by their peers. He contends there is no peer pressure, only peer influence and this influence is what causes some young people to make poor choices in inopportune moments. Photo by Brandon Lutz.

Fitzhugh suggests healthy choices

Even if your birthday isn’t until Nov. 2, register by Oct. 15 and you can vote in this election. Check out pages 5-7 for issue by issue breakdown.

year olds register to vote by Oct

Front page edited by Kyle Rogers

Senior countdown: days


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