Students eat on Main Street after flood on cafeteria floor MARENA COLE The cafeteria was closed for a day due to a flood, according to senior custodian Tim Keefe. The flood occurred the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 3. and was mostly cleaned by 4 p.m. that afternoon, he said. Keefe said the cause and origins of the flooding is unknown. BY
“It was just a freak accident,” he said. The custodial staff removed the water from the floor with extractors and sanitized with bleach, water and disinfectants, he said. “The Health Department made the recommendation that we close the cafeteria for the day so
we could clean it up,” he said. Principal Jennifer Price then made the decision to close the cafeteria, he said. Cafeteria staff served lunch in the foyer above the cafeteria, he said. Students ate on Main Street. No damage was done to any school property, Keefe said.
Teddy Wenneker
In the caf: Water flooded the cafeteria floor last Tuesday.
Newtonite ◆ Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 • Volume 88, Issue 13
Non-profit org. US postage paid Newton, Mass. Permit no. 55337
Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460
Library to focus on mixing media MARENA COLE In the new building, the library will be a Library Learning Commons, librarian Donna Johns said. According to Johns, a Library Learning Commons mixes print media with other forms of information, with an emphasis on interaction. “We hate to use buzzwords, but that’s the newest thing in libraries,” Johns said. “It’s using digital books, print books and movies together, so when you’re in the library, it’s a multimedia information center. “For example, you could do a project on the human body. Instead of just doing a poster, you could first do some research. Then, you might choose some graphics that you found in an online book, or you might draw something yourself and scan it in. “You can then create a website, making a brand new way of looking at a topic. It’s really about being innovative about creation zones within the library.” Johns said the focus of the library as a Learning Commons came as a result of a worldwide trend in teaching and learning. “The library’s role is changing,” she said. “Now, you can come in here to create content. In a class, you might create a wiki that the whole world can see, which can become a resource for other people. “This is what you would do in the real world, and it’s learning real world skills for the 21st century. The world has changed. “The way people get information has changed. People nowadays want to learn by doing. To prepare for a global economy, BY
Shira Bleicher
In the library: Seniors Gary Hashimoto, Kevin Lee and Alex Talishinsky work on computers. In the new building, students will be able to use new technology to create content.
Open campus criteria under review REBECCA HARRIS Students with more than four excused absences in a study hall that meets twice a week may still receive open campus next semester. Sophomore Gabe Dreyer submitted a proposal to the Student Faculty Administration to give open campus to students with more than four excused absences in a study hall. Dreyer’s proposal says that situations in which a student has more than four excused absences in any other kind of two-block class would “be dealt with on a case-to-case basis.” “He or she will have the option to meet with the teacher of the BY
class and his or her housemaster to discuss whether or not she or he deserves the N,” the proposal says. Dreyer originally proposed an amendment to the N-rule, but faculty co-chair Gregory Drake said that such an amendment was outside the SFA’s purview. Housemaster Mark Aronson said that the most relevant issue was not whether students with four or more absences should receive N’s, but whether they should receive open campus on the basis of those N’s. “The issue is whether a student should lose open campus for N-ing out of a study,” he said. Additionally, the board dis-
cussed a proposal by senior Ezra Cohen, student co-chair, that would “strongly encourage” teachers to give out course assessments mid-year. Cohen’s proposal would create a standardized course assessment form for teachers and encourage them to use it midyear, the proposal says. Students would then fill it out and return it anonymously, it says. Carpentry teacher Garrett Tingle said that he worried about the effect of anonymity on student-teacher relationships. “To me, it should be open,” he said. “It’s a conversation. If you have an issue, I want to hear about it.”
you need to know how to communicate, channel information and solve problems.” The space in the new building will be approximately two-thirds of the size of the current library, or about the size of four classrooms, Johns said. “Instead of the 14 side rooms we have here, we will have two classrooms and three conference rooms,” she said. “They would be for students who want to work on a small group project or work in a quiet study area,” she said. “We won’t be able to accommodate as many kids. Hopefully that will be enough space, and kids who just want to hang out will use the cafeteria, which will be a beautiful space.” There will be about 80 new computers in the library, Johns said. To adapt to a smaller space, the current plan is to have rolling shelves. “We haven’t ordered the furniture yet, and we aren’t sure what kind of furniture we’ll be able to order,” she said. “Our dream library will be on wheels. There would be bookcases along the walls, and separate shelves that would have wheels,” she said. “If you came with your science class, we could move the books into place. All the magazines and reference books you need could be right there with you when you’re with your class. “We’re hoping for an opening day collection of 1,200 to 1,500 of the best-of-the-best new books.” Anyone interested in donating to the library’s new collection of books can do so through the Educational Excellence Campaign, she said.
Teddy Wenneker
Tiger pride: Sophomore T.J. Quinn and the Tigers prepare to play Brookline. See pages 6 and 7 for game preview.