Lunch Prices Vikings prep for Homecoming Pg. 5 Pg. 7
Spotlight Francis Howell High School
Vol. 40 Issue 1
www.fhhstoday.com
7001 S. Highway 94, St. Charles, MO 63304
Going to infinity and beyond
Infinite Campus grading arrives The year began like any other year. Bells rang, pencils were sharpened, but the way parents, students, and teachers looked at grades changed. Because of state requirements, the school district changed from the Pinnacle grading system to Infinite Campus. “The school switched because it had to. The previous system wasn’t very efficient at sending data and core data to the state and we had to change the entire system to let the gradebook, attendance, and discipline portions talks to each other,” assistant Principal Randy Carter said. The new changes meant that students had to sign up for accounts to view their grades, leading to both complications and surprises. “I thought Infinite Campus was really confusing and hard to understand at first. I did finally figure it out, but it took a long time,” sophomore Tori Puellman said, “Last year’s system was easier to understand and you were able to see your grades.” The biggest problems students had with Infinite Campus was that it didn’t let students immediately see their grades and it gave them excess information.
“I don’t like how Infinite Campus doesn’t display all of your grades at once and it shows your IPR grade and your quarter grade. Other than that, it’s handy. I can even see my brother’s grades. I just think it has more than we need, as students,” senior Radhika Natarajan said. Teachers switched from the Pinnacle to Infinite Campus the same as the students. “Anything new is going to be more difficult, so the new system is kind of hard,” English teacher Kim Linneman said. Other students have chosen to not use the new system. “I haven’t used the new system since I keep up with my grades and my teachers,” senior Spencer Payne said. “I also like surprises.” The district chose Infinite Campus from different modules because it was considered the best when tested in certain demographics. Where it lost certain features that were favored in Pinnacle, it gained new ones that administrators considered useful. “Infinite Campus lets us have better communication with parents and students right out of the program itself,” Carter said. “The part that a lot of teachers and parents is being able to see all the grades on one screen, but that is
Sophomore Ian Orzel attempts to log into the Infinite Campus parent portal, Sept. 15, during a break in his Weightlifting I class computer project. “I think Infinite Campus is a lot harder and I don’t agree with the change,” Orzel said.
something that may one day change, since we are working with Infinite Campus.” The school district is relying on student and teacher feedback and relaying that feedback to Infinite Campus so they can make changes in the future. “It is very helpful when parents and students tell us their opinions so we can make Infinite Campus more user-friendly,” Carter said.
Exchange student spends year in U.S. Wake up, go to class, go home and get to know your new family. Sophomore Andruis Sakalaukus is from Lithuania, a country situated along the southeastern part of the Baltic Sea, but through the Exchanges for Culture, Education and Leadership (ExCEL) program, he was able to spend a school year in America. “I decided I wanted to go to America just to see and figure out what it was like,” Sakalaukus said. “Lithuanians say it is a dream country.” The ExCEL application process was long, requiring Sakalaukus to meet certain requirements, such as having good English and
adapting(adaptive) skills. Sakalaukus also had go through three recruitment rounds that tested his English and leadership skills. “The first round was 145 questions that tested your English and grammar. There would be a picture of a banana sitting on a table and the question would be ‘What is this?’ and the answers would be ‘A. Banana” “B. Orange” “C. Pineapple” Or “D. Apple’ The next round was an interview that asked you what you would do in America and other stuff like that,” Sakalaukus said. Sakalaukus found the English and leadership rounds easy, compared to
NEWS BRIEFS Mythology class begins
A few new classes have been added to Howell’s class choices as of this year. One of these new classes is Mythology. “We watch more movies than in my other classes,” senior Kelly Gregory. “The name kinda describes it,” senior Ben Hurteau said. The students study anything from “the Holy Grail to Excaliber. Then you can go on to Zeus the next day. “We’re world travelers in
the amount of paperwork he had to fill out. “I would never want to do all those forms again. It takes a lot of time. From the start to the finish it was three weeks and everyday it was just more information about yourself and more information about your schooling,” Sakalaukus said. “There were a lot of medical forms.” After being chosen to go to America, Sakalaukus was given contact information for his host family, the Frankenburgs. “My supervisor wrote me about a week before I came here and he gave me all the information and contact information,” Sakalaukus said. “I’m an only child and my host
Sept. 24 Homecoming festival, in stadium, starts at 11:30 a.m.
Sept. 25 Homecoming dance, gym 7-10 p.m Oct. 4-11 Fall Break Oct. 13 PSAT testing Oct. 18 Report cards distributed Oct. 19 & 21 Parent/teacher conferences, 3:307 p.m.
Oct. 21 Senior ads due
Worth Mention
Sitting in his German II class, junior Cody Cudihee and exchange student Andruis Sakalaukus review for a test. “Learning in English is a new experience, but learning German is easy,” Sakalaukus said.
family has two other kids and I really like them.” Sakalauus will be attending Howell for a full school year. “I don’t know what I want to get out of this, so
storytelling,” English teacher Sherry Salant. The class is a look at the way people described their world through myths. “It’s about myths and legends people created to explain their world,” Salant said.
Students hold prayer group
Upcoming
Oct. 21 Early dismissal at 11:30 a.m.
Alison Dunaway
Alison Dunaway: staff writer
Sept. 22, 2010
Sept. 24 Homecoming game against CBC, 7 p.m. Alison Dunaway
Alison Dunaway: staff writer
Getting Inked, Pg. 8
Every Thursday morning a prayer group meets in the bottom of the A building. “People from all different churches come together,” senior Brian Porter said. “It’s a great way to start the day off with a purpose,” sophomore Jack Middike said.
I’ll see what I will get out of this. I expect to grow as a person and get new cultural experiences out of it.”
Attendance ranges from 20 to 35 people. “We’re from all different denominations of Christianity,” Porter said. The group cycles through who closes and opens in prayer. “We don’t want it to seem like there’s a person in charge,” senior Jessica McFadden said. There’s a Facebook group and anyone who wants in is welcome to join. “We start off with prayer, talk about faith, and ask about experiences throughout the week,” McFadden said.
briefs by Stephen Gerst: staff writer
Senior Brett Gaves accepted a MU scholarship to play baseball and was interviewed on KSDK Channel 5. Junior Matthew GonzalezRubio received the District III volunteer of the year award, given by the MO Health Care Association. Football coach Bryan Koch was named the St. Louis Rams coach of the week.