the herald Issue 1 - Vol. 9
harberherald.com
Har-Ber High School 300 Jones Road Springdale, AR
October 15, 2013
Samantha Stansbury
CRITICAL SITUATION. Co-Editor
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Students, teachers speak out about MOS
Increases in health insurance premiums for school employees has created a
Riegen Anderson
October Edition 2013
fter receiving an email that rumored of a rise in the price of health insurance for teachers, junior English teacher Jessica Shelton could only hope that the rumor was not true. At the beginning of the school year, teachers received another email delivering the news the staff. Over the summer teachers were received a step increase on the salary schedule, but that could diminish quickly. The new increase will force Mrs. Shelton, along with many other teachers, to consider looking elsewhere for healthcare. “We finally get more cash flow and now they’re finding a way to take it away,” said Mrs. Shelton. “I just don’t understand it.” Beginning January 2014, the price of health insurance for teachers will increase roughly 50 percent, and the price will depend on the which insurance plan the teacher chooses. According to the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators, “out of 71,000 eligible employees, approximately 47,000 actually take health insurance through their districts.” Adding together school employees, spouses, and families, about 75,000 persons are under the public school health insurance program. There are three different health insurance plans of health insurance that school employees can choose from. The Gold, Silver and Bronze plans all differ in price, especially depending on who else is added to their plan. For Mrs. Shelton, the increase in the price of insurance will make it harder on her husband and children, while AP World History and AP Government/Comparative Politics teacher Wendel Nothdurft will not be affected as heavily, due to the fact that he and his wife have no children. He believes that a large cause of this new increase is poor membership in the Union, as insurance companies cannot see an effective and clear response to this problem. Mr. Nothdurft feels that not discussing this increase in price could have long-term effects. “If it is not addressed, I can see it impacting teacher recruitment for future years,” said Mr. Nothdurft, “As well as a direct impact on local business bottom lines! See “Insurance” Page 3
Reporter
“We will now observe a minute of silence,” cuts in over the intercom as students take their seats in first period. For the following 60 seconds, all that can be heard across the campus is pure silence. A silence full of freedom, by law, giving students the option to begin the day with reflection, meditation, or prayer. On April 2, 2013, Governor Mike Beebe signed into law a requirement of all public schools in the state of Arkansas to participate in a daily minute of silence, allowing students to engage in any silent activity of choice without interacting with another student. The expression of a minute of silence in schools goes hand in hand with the same moment of silence taken during a memorial or ceremony. The new law has brought about numerous mixed and colorful opinions amongst many cultural and religious groups, concerning the use of the word prayer in the legislation. Conflicts arose when advocates of atheist and agnostic groups argued that no non-religious purpose was served in designating an official minute of silence. “It probably has a component of payer as its intent, but a silent moment allows for diversity of religious thought. I think it passes scrutiny,” said AP World teacher Wendel Nothdurft. Mr. Nothdurft added that if used with the right intentions, the moment of silence can benefit a student’s personal life at school. Senior Davinder Braich believes that it might make people feel better starting the day off with the new routine. “I’m not upset. If you want to pray then you can. If you don’t, you don’t have to. It’s a choice,” said Braich. Junior Victoria Burton agreed that the minute of silence could be beneficial in beginning the school day. “I think it’s a great way to start the day because you can start with prayer, meditation, or preparing for the day ahead.” Student Council sponsor Kim Oliver disagrees that the moment of silence has any impact, or benefits the school day. “I think it’s great if students want to do that, but I don’t really see what the purpose is,” said Ms. Oliver. Mr. Nothdurft agrees that the moment of silence seems to have little impact on the student body. “The impact is minimal, but there needs to be a consistent practice. In other words, we needed to do it daily, so that it shows consistency of action.”
English courses follow natural progression of learning Mr. Johnson feels that the maturity gained by senior year is an asset in the class that would not exist if the course were taught to juniors. Students that have experienced both courses also feel that enrolling seniors in AP Language rather than juniors is a smart swap due to the amplification in development that occurs between 11th and 12th grade. “I’d say my speaking skills are more developed and I can participate in class room discussions more,” said Senior Blair Breazeale, “Also I pay more attention to current events now that I am older.”
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syntax, organization, etc. It is a natural progression of learning which benefits the students by relying on years of skills they have been studying. “ Rather than empathizing the importance of literary devices and how they contribute to theme, AP Language is concerned with rhetorical strategies and persuasion. Also, rather than heavily focusing on novels the course incorporates nonfiction texts into its curriculum. AP Language students are also expected to maintain awareness regarding current affairs and utilize their personal experiences to help them formulate analyses.
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The AP English department is unique in the sense that the order in which certain courses are taught goes against the grain. As compared to high schools across the nation, AP Literature and Composition is an 11th grade class rather than a 12th grade course while AP Language and Composition is taught to seniors rather than juniors. The reverse in order between AP Literature and AP Language has been in motion since the opening of the school and has been successful thus far.
In fact, AP Literature teacher Amy Johnson is convinced that schools that teach AP Language at a junior level have the flow backwards as the course is foreign to students that are accustomed to fictitious literature based studies. “Basically, a student’s experience in English class from sixth to tenth grade is based on literature study. They learn the elements of literature like character, setting, and theme, etc. These skills are the building blocks of AP Literature,” said Mrs. Johnson, “Then is AP Lit we push the students to focus on not just what the text is saying but how it’s being said. So we then study tone, diction,
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Sports 12
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Senior Brock Dessaro battles distractions on the field.