Issue #1 Sep. 23

Page 1

LT policy updates

IL budget at LT

Revisions to dresscode and technology policies bring LT up to date

LT remains unaffected by statewide budget cuts

by Lea Voytovich @leaaa21 At the start of the 2016-17 school year, LT administration implemented new policies regarding dress code and cell phone use during school. Student use of cell phones is allowed during non-instructional time— study hall, lunch, and passing periods—while during class, teachers have discretion. Students are also free to dress as they like as long as it is not causing a disruption to the learning environment. Both changes were decided upon at school board meetings during the spring of 2016. “One of the drivers for the [technology] update was based on how we can give students and teachers another resource to use in the classroom—how can we leverage the fact that a majority of students have access to a smartphone,” Principal Brian Waterman said. “There was also an interest from our leadership team in focusing more on whether dress is appropriate or inappropriate verus whether it met some quantitative criteria.” The technology project was lead by Assistant Principal Adam Davis with a committee consisting of a group of administrators, a group of teachers and IT Director Ed Tennant. Together they researched student use of technology in the classroom, looked at other schools’ policies and the advantages and disadvantages of re-writing the policy. “We really felt like we wanted to update our policy to reflect our practice. Students were using cell phones in the hallways but we wanted to provide language to support that,” Waterman said. “We want students to have access to their cell phones for a variety of reasons—most importantly, for accessing Canvas and Infinite Campus, but also to complete homework or even for some stress relief.” The new policies seem to be succeeding. Students and teachers alike seem to be enjoying the new changes. The full policy descriptions can be found in the student handbook.

by Sydney Hansen @_sydneyhansen

Despite the absence of a state budget, LT has not yet been affected by the budget crisis that continues to cause issues at public schools and colleges across the state. “The state has continued to make the payments to [LT] that they otherwise

“I have no problem with the updated technology policy,” Kevin Murphy, physics and astronomy teacher of 26 years, said. “Everyone has a stopwatch for physics now.” Students are also appreciating the dress code changes. “The dress code allows people to remain cool and be comfortable in the warm months and I do not see it to be a disruption,” Katie Broedlow ‘17 said. Teachers and administration will continue to monitor the policies for any additional revisions. “There were some concerns that came up about the proposed electronic device language, including academic dishonesty,” Waterman said. “Academic dishonesty has always been prohibited and will continue to be; however, we don’t want to create a policy based on what a small percentage of students might do.”

would have, with or without the budget,” Director of Business Services Brian Stachacz said. “We’ve seen no great impact yet.” Beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2016, which started on July 1, 2015, Illinois was unable to pass a budget—an issue that has extended to the Illinois FY 2017. The absence of a budget has resulted in financial issues at public institutions all over the state, with schools such as Eastern Illinois University, Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University issuing layoffs to hundreds of employees. Likewise, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was also plan-

Homecoming 2016:

P H

aper ighlights

ning staff reductions as of April, according to the Chicago Tribune. In an effort to temporarily solve the crisis and provide some relief to state programs and schools, Governor Bruce Rauner signed several sixmonth stopgap budget bills in June, according to ABC7 Chicago. The series of bills would make sure that schools would open in the fall, and would likewise fund state services for the next six months. The stopgap budget is important to downstate rural schools as well as Chicago Public Schools, as they receive a majority of funding from the Illinois state government, LT principal Dr. Brian Waterman said. “ W e agreed to[give] a couple hundred million dollars more for all schools [statew i d e ] not just Chicago [ public schools],” Rauner said in an interview with Jim Mertens, a reporter for News Channel 8 in Moline. “That’s a great step.” In the case that a budget was decided upon and major cuts were made to school districts, it would be an issue in the future rather than an immediate dilemma, as LT has the resources to continue operating at current standards, Stachacz said. “[LT] is fortunate to be in an area where so many of the resources come from local sources,” Waterman said. “We’re able to maintain our programs and services we provide to students even in the current state budget situation.”

Co-ed court

Look here for some quick reads on this issue’s features. Page 2: Get the full lowdown on the continuing NC construction. Page 3: Read about the heroin speaker and town hall meeting that was hosted at SC. Page 4: What’s going on during Homecoming weekend? Turn to Page 4 for information on plays, events and shows. Page 5: Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, train accidents and the infamous Melon Man feature together in a compilation of the worst of what’s around. Page 6: Looking for the Twitter Box? It’s been moved from Page 2, and now it’s in color. Page 8: LION’s own Charlie Stelnicki ‘17 and Brandt Siegfried ‘18 square off on summer reading policy. Page 10: Can LT’s XC Boys run a season better than last year? Get the full story on their new Project 16. Page 11: Homecoming weekend is full of games and tournaments. Get who’s playing when right here. Page 12: And the Athlete of the Month is...LT’s Ben Bryant! Read about his season and plans for the future on Page 20. Page 16-17: Addicted to your phone? LION covers social media trends and facts. Page 18: Read the gritty, in-depth stories of your classmates’ embarrassing and awkward middle school dates. Page 19: How’s your fantasy league going? Turn to Page 19 for a Q & A with fantasy experts. Page 20: Tired of normal movies? LION reviews the Cascade Drive-In Theater.

Rising attendance

October 1

Spirit days

• Parade: Oct. 1 at 10 a.m., starting from NC parking lot • Grand Marshal: Mark Doyle, history teacher • Homecoming football game: 1:30 p.m. vs Downers Grove North, Bennett Field • Dance: 7:30 p.m., SC fieldhouse, presented by Monster Entertainment • Tickets: $15 pre-sale, $25 door/non-LT guests compiled by Tim Mikulski

North Campus

100 S. Brainard Ave. LaGrange, Ill. 60525 South Campus

4900 Willow Springs Rd. Western Springs, Ill. 60558


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Issue #1 Sep. 23 by Lion Newspaper - Issuu