Radical church goes too far Pg. 3
Senioritis Pg. 4
Battle for Busch Stadium Pg. 8
Spotlight Francis Howell High School
Vol. 40 Issue 5
www.fhhstoday.com
7001 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, MO 63304
Student parking committee formed
Andrew Odle: staff writer
New computers for the business department. New lab equipment for the science classes. A new school for everyone. And a new parking permit system for juniors and seniors? Under discussion for 2011 is the possibility of a new system of parking pass distribution. Because of construction and demolition of the old school buildings, the number of parking spaces will be in short supply. As a result, the Principal’s Advisory Council (PAC) tossed around the idea of a revised system. Junior Class president Drew Nelson leads the committee of representative students working on the issue. “I’ve had my own problems with parking this year so I proposed to Dr. Greiner that we create a committee dedicated to the parking situation. So, he talked to Dr. Thompson and the committee got approved,” Nelson said. Assistant Principal Brian Thompson oversees parking and distributing passes. “Basically there are two ideas out there for next year. The simple one would be to keep things as they are with no changes. The other would involve limiting senior permits and distributing them more so on whether or not a student has an activity after school,” Thompson said. “Drew and the committee are simply trying to help decide which would be better. However, Drew’s main idea is to poll next year’s junior and senior class and find out what their opinions are.” The current system has been in use for several years and has become a sort of tradition for the seniors. Seniors get permits first if they apply and meet the qualifications. “As of now, each season I look at the number of yearly permits available. If a senior meets the
qualifications, they get a permit,” Thompson said. “Then we assign work program and tech school passes for the year and A+ passes in the spring and fall. Once we have those done, we take the remaining passes and assign them to athletics with the same process for each season,” Thompson said. “I look at the number of juniors from each sport requesting passes and then create percentages for each sport. These percentages tend to vary each year. Using them we decide how many passes each sport needs. Finally, we take a five day average of how many spots are left open due to absences and then look to special needs, clubs, and other groups. Those passes are again distributed using the same method,” Thompson added. As the head of the committee, Nelson has gathered information to help create the second alternative plan. “Basically the committee’s plan is to narrow down various ideas to two concrete plans, with one that is similar to the traditional one, and one that places more influence on activities, and find out what people think of them. We’ve already done a preliminary survey on Facebook to help determine the two plans and to help predict which way the official poll will go,” Nelson said. “The next step will be to draft a letter that will be handed out to homerooms with a link at the bottom to where students can go vote and leave comments.” Because of the impact of the decision, parents and faculty will also be able to cast their vote and comment. “The letter will also be emailed to parents
and faculty over the school’s enews system so they can be included too,” Nelson said. “We need to get the survey out by mid April so that when the decision is made it can be added to the code of conduct in time.” While the survey will be a major and helpful tool, ultimately the decision rests on Thompson’s shoulders. “I’m about 50/50 right now. I can see it one way or the other since this has always been a tradition for seniors but there will still be juniors in need of parking passes. Hopefully the survey will shed some light and be helpful when it comes time to make a decision,” Thompson said. Both sides of the issue have opinions on what should happen. “I’d like to drive because all the seniors in the past have gotten to and a lot of people will be really upset if they change it on our senior year,” junior Dan Rogers said. “Hopefully the sophomores will think of their own senior year because there won’t be enough spots then either.” “I think that people who play sports or have activities should get parking passes because they’re actually doing something instead of just going home after school. I play tennis so I’ll definitely be hoping for a pass next year,” sophomore Derek Dallas said. “I don’t think the sophomores will take into consideration their senior year. They’ll focus on getting a parking pass as soon as possible.” Parking will certainly be an issue until construction is finished and the committee hopes the survey will yield helpful results. The school expects to have ample parking by the 2013-2014 school year.
District cuts staffing due to budget Ann Molina: Staff Writer
After the board decision declaring a budget shortfall of $10.3 million and a 96 teacher cut, the next crucial decision for the district was determining which teachers would be impacted. After retirements, the district relied on its Reduction-inforce (RIF) policy, which involves teacher cuts. The district relied on seniority to determine who was effected. “The tenure plan is how we establish seniority for teachers,” Principal Chris Greiner said. “Being a tenured teacher means that you have worked at the school district for five years or more. We are working to try and keep these teachers at their current employment, although we do have some who were put into an awaiting assignment pool.” The district will try to place teachers from the pool in either a different position or building once a spot opens. Often this occurs because of retirement or someone resigning. “Seniority determined who was going to be placed in the awaiting assignment category,” Greiner said. Unfortunately, not all teachers
may be placed. Howell will have five I signed I contract stating that I FTE’s (Full Teacher Equivalence), understood the reasons why certain 30 teaching sections, and one dean people get promoted, fired, laid off,” position eliminated. The district English department teacher Greg will also be dismissing instructional Gaia said. “It is simply, first in first coaches, reducing spots for other out. And since I was one of the most teachers. Each department chair recent hires in the department, I am will lost two one of the first hours previously to leave.” “Teachers are being kept provided for Because and put into the pool based on release time to a retirement what classes students are signng attend meetings opened a spot, up for, not the performance of and do other instead of losing the teacher.” assigned duties. his job totally, –Principal Chris Greiner “Teachers are Gaia will be being kept and transferred to put into the pool Howell North based on what classes students are next year. He will be leaving behind signing up for, not the performance students who have grown to admire of the teacher,” Greiner said. “It’s him. solely based on the enrollment “I understand why teachers are shortfall in that area. It is decided being cut and transferred,” junior by certification and the goal is to Meagan Hilke said. “But it does not have all these teachers kept at their seem fair to me because [Mr. Gaia] is current employment.”” a really great teacher and he helped Due to the enrollment of the increase my ACT score.” English department and return Although Gaia is leaving the of two writing lab teachers to the building, he will still be around to classroom, two teachers were short support the Vikings. classes. “The district does not really “When I started teaching here, have a choice in deciding who is laid
off and who stays,” Gaia said. “I am going to miss my students and my colleages and the Francis Howell environment. But I will probably be around for a few sporting events next year.” The history department will also experience changes in their staffing due to the student enrollment in that area. History department teacher Sam Kohler will be teaching half of his day at Howell and then going to teach half a day at Howell North. “I’m leaving because this is part of the whole RIF.” Kohler said. “It’s kind of a downhill effect, one person gets placed, then another person gets replaced. It’s all based on seniority.” Leaving Howell full time is difficult for Kohler, although he is thankful for being fully employed in the district. “I’m happy to be working full time, but I don’t want to be away from Howell,” Kohler said. “It was a bitter sweet moment. It’s a family atmosphere around here and I don’t want to leave all the teachers and students I’ve met.”
April 20, 2011
Upcoming April 22 Good Friday–no school April 25 Snow make-up day–full day April 26 End-of-CourseAssessment Exam Week– Special schedule Tuesday-Friday April 28-30 Spring play–6:30 p.m. April 29 Spring Pep Assembly May 13 Prom–St. Charles Convention Centre 7 p.m. May 19 Singers Choice Concert–5 and 7:30 p.m.
Worth Mention Congratulations to Scholar Bowl, who won Districts April 9. Congratulations to Jake Rhodes, who won Mr. Viking April 9. Congratulations to the Chemistry Club and the Engineering Club for becoming school official. New members are welcome. Congratulations to all of the seniors who attended the 4.0 luncheon April 8.