MORNING TRAFFIC

Morning madness

Increased traffic causes headaches for all involved

Carter Hanefeld hanefcar000@hsestudents.org

Senior Oliver Hazel began his day much like he has years prior. He woke up at 6:50 and left the house at 7:00. However, instead of getting to school at his usual time, he arrived much later.

“Last year, I got to school at 7:15. Now, it’s 7:20 or 7:25,” Hazel, who takes 126th St., said.

While five to ten minutes may not seem like a lot, it could sometimes be the difference between getting a parking spot or getting a tardy. This congestion is not just seen at 126th and Hoosier, but all around the school.

“In the morning, we’re dealing with buses and cars trying to turn in, both from 131st and 126th, then also cars trying to leave the school,” School Resource Officer Matt Ruhnow said. “On a given day, we are out there till past 7:30.”

While traffic can fluctuate from year to year, this year has seen a universal increase. Officer Ruhnow noted that there are significantly more car riders this year than any year prior, and this falls in line with the observations made by some of the student body.

“I think it could be the fact that classes are getting bigger as more people move into the district,” senior Ben Johnson, who comes from Hoosier Road, said.

Johnson also said that the influx of transfer

students from HSE might be part of the issue. Wherever the issue is coming from, the idea that increased class sizes are a contributing factor to congestion is backed by the numbers. When the school opened, it had 1,700 students. Now, it is around 3,600. Furthermore, with the increased development of Fishers and population growth, that number is projected to continue rising. One proposed solution was the expansion of roads. “The state has refused to expand the roads, mainly because it is a problem that only exists for thirty minutes in the morning, and thirty minutes after school, and it is not economically viable to spend millions of dollars for an hour long issue,” Officer Ruhnow said.

With that in mind, what the administration is left with is an ever-growing population contained in a finite space, like increasing helium in a balloon, and eventually, it will pop. However, the administration is looking for ways to solve the problem.

“We have a traffic study in the works for sometime in the future, but at the end of the day, we’re willing to take suggestions from anyone,” Officer Ruhnow said. “This isn’t just one person making all the decisions. Let’s all work together, because getting traffic in and out safely is what’s most important.”

Indiana High School Graduation Requirements for 2023 Onward

High School Diploma Diploma Core 40 Core 40 requires 47 credits

Learn and Demonstrate Employability Skills Project Based Learning Internship Service Work Apprenticeship

Postsecondaryready Competencies Honors Diploma SAT/ACT AP Capstone/Dual Credit ASVAB IB Diploma

Fresh standards for class of 2023 New graduation requirements for students changes curriculum

Sydney Territo terrisyd000@hsestudents.org

Starting with the class of 2023, students will not have to take the ISTEP tests. Instead, they must complete a series of requirements designed and implemented by the Department of Education. The DOE’s website stated that the new diploma requirements are necessary in order to account for the changing global economy and to help K-12 students adapt to it.

Freshmen graduation requirements include earning a general diploma, demonstrating employability skills and demonstrating postsecondary-ready competencies. The demonstration of employability skills includes a project based learning credit or an internship. The postsecondary-ready competencies include the honors diploma, SAT, ACT, AP credit, IB program and the ASVAB test.

“They need to demonstrate employability skills, and there are three ways you can do that: project based learning, service based learning, and work based learning,” said counselor Kelly Applegate. “A lot of real world experiences that kids can have can meet that.”

While the new requirements have taken effect this

year, the school was already working to improve AP and project based learning opportunities. One option, the AP Capstone credit, offers students a chance to become self confident, independent thinkers and problem solvers by the time they reach the end of their high school career, according to the College Board

“I feel like the skills I learned in AP Seminar will carry me throughout my life,” senior Myra Kivett said. “Researching, being able to formulate a hypothesis, or a question, a good thesis and be able to argue it and make a twelve to fourteen page paper is something you need for college” Despite the academic push forward, students struggle to keep up with the new plans set in place for them. Freshman Srilekha Dalvuluri plans to become a cardio-thoracic surgeon, but worries there will not be an internship option for her career path.

“I might not fulfill the requirements so I’m a little worried just because I want to make sure I get it in to graduate” Dalvuluri said. “If they do [an internship fair] in smart period, the students might be more encouraged to do it.”

Lighting the way Solar energy brings greener future to district

On page 13, top to bottom. 1. Aerial view of the solar panels by Sand Creek Intermediate. 2. A class from Sand Creek Elementary smiles for a picture by the solar panels on August 21. 3. Eighth grader Abigail Kemper gives a speech at the opening of the panels on August 21. 4. Bob Rice teaches a class at Sand Creek Intermediate about solar energy on August 21. Photos used with permission of Bob Rice. mchenben000@hsestudents.org Ben McHenry

Driving on Brooks School Road past FHS, one can see the newly installed solar panels between Sand Creek Intermediate and Sand Creek Elementary. The project was a result of a smaller scale solar panel project by Jennifer Suskovich’s sixth grade science class of 2017-2018, and was then brought to life on a larger scale by district energy director Bob Rice. “Two years ago, my class was looking at a way to utilize an outdoor space beside our classroom,” Suskovich said. “One of the students mentioned solar panels and studying solar energy. I contacted Bob Rice, who at the time was just appointed as the district’s energy manager. He advised me on solar lighting kits to purchase for the classroom.” With grants of $12,000, Suskovich bought two different brands of kits and a solar generator, and the class made models of solar panels. The class investigated how the solar panels charging time can be reduced by following the movement of the sun. Abigail Kemper, a student from 2017-2018, went further with her research. “Abigail built a manual moving model that used the seasonal angles of the sun in Indiana,” Suskovich said. “At the same time, I had transportation bring Abigail back to SCI on Tuesdays through Fridays to build four more stands with my learning club students. The stands will support eight panels when complete.” Kemper’s solar research has not gone unnoticed. This past March, at the Indiana State Fair Science Competition, she won the Lemelson Early Inventor Prize, the Indiana Association of Environmental Professionals Award for Excellence in Environmental Science, and the Best Engineering Project by a female from the Society of Women Engineers. While Suskovich’s class worked on smaller scale solar models, Rice looked into installing solar panels that would generate energy for both SCI and SCE. The proposal for the solar panel’s construction was approved early 2019 and the panels were built over the summer. The solar panels cost $2,806,317 to build, and construction was done by AMERESCO, a private firm focused on renewable energy. They are being paid for through a four year bond. “Historically, we have paid over $310,000 per year to Duke Energy to purchase power for these buildings,” Rice said. “Since the arrays are producing power for the schools, we can save the money we have traditionally sent to Duke. It works out that the energy saved over the course of about 10 years pays for the system. The arrays will then continue to operate for another 20 or more years, providing us with free power.” Not only will this project save money, but provide SCI and SCE with clean, efficient energy. According to Rice, The rays will produce over 85 percent of the school’s electrical use, and operate for over 30 years. The building’s equipment will be upgraded over time, making the building’s more efficient and reducing energy usage. The solar arrays have only been constructed at SCI and SCE, but Rice is hopeful that they can eventually be installed all across the district. However, installing panels at FHS brings a few challenges. “FHS is fairly land locked,” Rice said. “If we wanted to add solar panels it would have to be roof mount or car ports. A roof mount system is best to install on a new roof. Since the roof at FHS is half way through its life expectancy it would be hard to justify adding a roof mount solar array. A car port would be another option, but currently steel costs are high, which makes the payback on a carport system not as desirable.” Even without a large scale energy-saving system such as solar panels, FHS has taken numerous steps to be more environmentally conscious. Food services have changed to be more sustainable, removing plastic straws and introducing metal utensils. The Environmental Advocacy Club has bought plastic bottle recycling bins and placed them around the school, as well as other environmental efforts. “We frequently do outdoor cleanups, where we walk around the school and Billericay to clean up trash,” club President senior Emma Summers said. “We have also had a holiday lights drive to recycle old holiday lights, and the first ever Earth Day Celebration at FHS. Right now, we are focused on making our recycling more efficient, and we also have a huge project later in the year. All in all, we hope to instill sustainability in our community.”