Newtonite ◆ Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013 • Volume 92
Newton North High School, 457 Walnut St., Newtonville, Mass. 02460
Committee ends student club fees Connor Vasu Starting this school year, students will no longer have to pay to participate in clubs due to a June School Committee vote to eliminate the $125 student activity fee. In addition, the committee lowered the total amount of money a family could pay in fees from $1,800 to $1,200. Sports and drama fees remain unchanged. School Committee vice chair Matt Hills said the committee had reached the conclusion that the fee was not working as intended. “While almost all of the other fees were changed with little or no impact on student participation, the high school activity fee seemed to have a negative impact on participation,” Hills said. “The high school student activity fee was put in place three years ago during our severe budget pressures at the height of the recession,” he explained. Up Close, a club dedicated to discussing local issues, met with mayor Setti Warren and superintendent David Fleishman last spring and discussed the effectiveness of club fees. Senior Steven Kelly, a co-director of Up Close, said when the student by
Leah Budson
Battling for the ball: Sophomore Megan Lenihan and junior Maddie Irwin chase after the ball during a field hockey scrimmage Tuesday, August 26.
activity fee was implemented, no organization was created to ensure that the fees were paid. According to data from the 2011-2012 school year, the first year the fees were collected, only 14% of students paid the student activity fee. “While the club fees may have been a good idea on paper, they proved extremely hard to swallow for parents at North and the school committee voted accordingly,” said Kelly. According to science teacher Michael Hazeltine, this school’s club director, the fees significantly reduced student participation in clubs. “There was confusion about the fee that discouraged people from creating clubs too,” he said. With the decision to eliminate the fees, Hazeltine said that it is important students know the fees no longer exist. Senior Riley Heiman, the secretary general of the Model United Nations club, said, “Club fees were just another barrier that discouraged club participation, especially for newer members and freshmen,” and he now expects an increase in club participaton.
Teachers, students reflect on freshman transition Alex Feit Arriving from smaller middle schools into a large, confusing building with such high academic standards can often be a daunting task for the freshmen who enter this school each year. Not surprisingly, they often feel anxious about their prospects. “I am most nervous for the big tests and finals,” said freshman Emma Brown, who arrived from Day Middle School. Freshman Emily Catano said, “I’m most nervous about the switch from Bigelow Middle School to North, because I have heard that high school is so much different than middle school.” Never fear, said ninth grade liaison Jane Kenslea, who coordinates a support structure to help incoming freshmen transition effectively. “Thankfully, due to all the support and excellent preparation from the middle and high school guidance counselors, teachers, and administrators, the transition for most students usually goes very smoothly,” said Kenslea. Moreover, with specialized discussion forums geared towards easing the transition and new programs such as the Ninth Grade Collaborative Teaching Community, the Class of 2017 may find its arrival even more manageable than classes in years past, according to history teacher Gregory Drake, who regularly teaches underclassmen. by
Common Challenges
When freshmen begin their high school careers in September, many will come upon new
hurdles for which they had not accounted, said Drake. “I think one of the biggest challenges is adjusting to the academic expectations,” Drake said. “There’s much less structure to homework and there is more difficulty compared to middle school classes. “While there is much more freedom in this approach, this can also result in organizational problems.” Drake also said that students over the years have “required more personalized attention over work production,” such as completing homework assignments and studying for tests. Kenslea commented that she has noticed an increase in the numbers of freshmen experiencing transitional stress in the earlier months of high school. Adding to these challenges, guidance counselor Michele Kennedy believes that students may have a hard time figuring out how to define their own image in high school, especially in such a large and bustling atmosphere that was not available in previous years. Nevertheless, the administration is aware of these potential sources for pitfalls, and as a result, the process for bringing underclassmen into this school generally begins in eighth grade, according to Kenslea.
Academic, Social Solutions
During the spring, guidance counselors in the feeder middle schools of Bigelow and F.A. Day register students with their future homerooms and guidance counselors for the next four years. Concurrently, middle school
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and high school counselors make preparations for students that might have difficulty with the shift in academic standards and workload. Meanwhile, programs such as Step-Up Day, Student Orientation Sessions, Freshman Guidance Seminar, and Tiger Tours were created to provide students with a preview of the school building and the years to come, said Kenslea. When students finally arrive at North, those who need support from teachers and the administration will find that there is plenty to go around, Kenslea added. For each student, approximately 12 to 15 adult staff members, including the grade’s housemaster, administrative assistants, guidance counselors, teachers, coaches, and Kenslea, all help to provide assistance to freshmen on an as needed basis. Academic support is individualized for those students who might require it with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Kenslea said. Additionally, a new program called the Ninth Grade Collaborative Teaching Community, spearheaded by Drake, also intends to provide a more individualized and efficient approach to student learning. A group of eight teachers across several disciplines will meet during G-block regarding shared students in Curriculum II classes. They will discuss academic difficulties among students and ◆ continued on page 8
Paulina Romero
Freshman Athletic Night: Sophomore Nate Hollenberg speaks to incoming freshmen about athletics.
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