Log
The Northmen’s Preseason winter sports, Page 2
Oak Park High School
Friday, November 19, 2010
Issue 4, Volume 46
Consequences of fighting on school property
Cartoon by: Kaylan Ballard, artist By: Courtney Kelley Editor In Chief According to the NKCSD policy under student discipline: assault, bullying, fighting, harassment and hazing are all offenses. These incidents have been through the halls of every high school for years. Unaware of the consequences, students insist on showing their emotions through yelling and physical fighting. “Fighting has always been in high schools and has always happened. But fighting does not solve anything it just makes matters worse, nothing positive ever comes out of fighting,” school resource deputy Scott Archer said. After speaking with Principal Fred Skretta, the process of punishing students after an incident revolves around the same cycle. First, administration finds out what exactly happened, who was in-
volved and as much detail as possible. Then, the administration has each participant fill out an incident report which allows each student to explain their side of the story or witness the incident. Last, they take in account if this is a first time offense, or if they have already been confronted about previous incidents. Punishments depend, Skretta says, on how big of an incident the situation was and the number of times the students have participated in a fight or conflict previousl. However, the end result usually is suspension. At the school level, the building principal can suspend up to 10 days, and ask for a hearing with the superintendent, if needed, for more suspension days. In the policy, it explains how each of the following: assault, bullying, fighting, harassment and hazing, all have the same consequences.
According to the policy, “Either for first time offense or repeated all may be accountable for parent contact, student/ staff conference, detention, in school suspension, 1-180 days out of school suspension or expulsion.” Each of the following definitions, are quoted directly from the discipline policy:
Assault
“Hitting, striking and/or attempting to cause injury to another person; placing a person in reasonable apprehension of imminent physical injury; physically injuring another person.”
Bullying
“Repeated and systematic intimidation, harassment and attacks on a student or multiple students; perpetuated by individuals or groups. Bullying includes, but is not limited to: physical violence, verbal taunts, name-calling and put-
downs, threats, extortion, theft, damaging property, and exclusion from a peer group.”
any group, class, organization, club or athletic team including, but not limited to, grade level, student organization or Fighting school-sponsored activity. “Mutual combat in Hazing occurs even when which both parties have students involved are willcontributed to the conflict ing participants.” either verbally or by physical action.” Fighting deemed
Harassment
“Ridicule or insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive enough that it alters the educational environment.”
Hazing
“Any activity, on or off school grounds, that a reasonable person believes would negatively impact the mental or physical health or safety of a student or put the student in a ridiculous, humiliating, stressful or disconcerting position for the purposes of initiation, affiliation, admission, membership or maintenance of membership in
unacceptable
“Fighting is unacceptable and I think it is not necessary. There are multiple things that can solve the issue peacefully,” hall monitor Joe Nichols said. Fighting about girlfriends or boyfriends, breakups and friends are the main reasons students feel the need to break out and fight or belittle someone. But what every incident has in common is that Facebook somehow is involved, Skretta says. “I am concerned because what we are seeing is that communication is a primary median, and Facebook is still sort of new, but has become stu-
dent’s way of expressing emotions,” Skretta said. “And the number of conflicts that have happened have included incidents on Facebook.” Peer Helpers are being trained to become peer mediators. The training will be done before Christmas break. Marilee Frailey, the coordinator of the Peer Helpers, thinks this will help lower conflicts and allows students to work through problems. Students helping other students rather than getting the administrative involved. Frailey says the program has open doors to any student who seeks help in a problem and needs fresh eyes to look at the situation. “Responsible citizens do not get in trouble, responsible citizens want others to be responsible and receive help,” Skretta said.
FACS classes provide life skills for students By: Tatyana Pekarsky Entertainment Editor While there are students who believe that classes taught in school are pointless, there’s a hallway that specializes in teaching kids practical life skills. The FACS hallway is full of classes like child development, marriage and family, clothing and fashion and foods. “I think they’re good,” senior Charles Lindsay said. “[FACS classes] provide options for students.” One of the most popular
classes would be child development, taught by FACS teachers Erin Kester and Jane Pfeffer. This class specializes in learning how to teach and work with small children. Students in the class participate in labs, which includes providing learning activities for the preschoolers. “I enjoy working with little kids and could possibly go into a teaching career,” junior Caitlyn Gerdes said. Students who will work with children are encouraged to take this course by their counselors.
Junior Gabrielle Young assists one of the childern from the afternoon preschool program. “I decided to take child development because I thought it would prepare for my future.” Young plans to go into elementary teaching. Photo by: Kim Green, Photo Editor
“My counselor told me that since I wanna be a police officer, working with little kids is a good attribute,” Lindsay said. However, not many students realize child development also accounts towards A+ hours, which is something students wish their counselors had told them. “I think that that’s really helpful,” Gerdes said. “It’s definitely something worth mentioning.” Another class that students lean towards is the foods
classes, taught by FACS teacher Virginia Stone. Here, students spend time working in small kitchens, cooking, learning techniques, safety, nutritional facts and meal-planning. “We try to do things that are economical,” Stone said. While students may take these classes because they’re considered easy classes, students learn many practical skills that they can use later in life.
Goodbye block scheduling, hello new schedule By: Jessica Nichols Sports and Feature Editor Last year students began hearing the rumors of a schedule change. Would the 2010-2011 school year be spent in seven periods a day, or continue with the eight-block schedule already in place? The question was answered, but the schedule for next year now hangs in the balance, affecting all but the senior class. “The schedule is going to affect us all, whether we like it or not,” said sophomore Aggie Rieger, member of the Principal’s Advisory Council. “It is a huge issue. It’s going to change the classes we can take and the activities we can be involved in.” When the issue of next year’s schedule came up, Principal Fred Skretta was asked by Superintendent Todd White to be the chairman of a group that took on the scheduling issue, collaborating with other district employees in order to solve the problems that had been presented.
“There are teachers from every high school, core and elective, and parents from every high school, administrators, the deputy director of secondary education, and at least one elementary and middle school teacher,” Skretta said. “The members wear more than one hat. There are collaborative teacher team negotiations. Teacher and administrator groups for the district discuss pay, teacher plan times, etc.” The council Skretta helped form began meeting regularly to discuss the different options for next year’s schedule. As the discussions progressed, two prominent ideas began to form. “One is sort of modifying a sevenperiod day with mix blocked scheduling, almost mirroring a collegiate schedule,” Skretta said. “The other, much more significant change is a trimester schedule. What we’ve been looking at are 12-week periods where you have five periods a day.” The committee worked together to form a survey which asked students, parents and district employees their
opinion on the importance of certain aspects of a school day. The committee felt the survey answers provided information which helped them develop scheduling options. “What we got back, particularly all of the comments, 200 plus, sort of gave a ranking to all of the categories,” Skretta said. The council wanted to reach out to the students, bringing their voices and opinions into the discussion about a schedule that would end up affecting them, as well. Skretta began talking to students in P.A.C. and other principals in the districts did the same in the programs they had set up at their high schools. Then, they opened up the meetings to students in order to hear what they had to say. “There have been a couple of students, particularly from Tonka, that are there every day,” Skretta said. “At the end of the school year last year, we thought the group was large, but we wanted student input. We wanted to get more students there so we opened it up.
[Sophomores] Devin Whitehead and Aggie Rieger attended regularly since then. Staley had one or two kids. It was a challenge getting students to come with the meetings after school.” Using the Olathe East High School bell schedule, information from The Principal’s Partnership on trimester schedules, opinions of the council participants and the survey, the committee is putting together a proposal for the school board. The trimester schedule and the modified seven period schedules will be proposed to the board Monday, Nov. 22 at Northgate Middle School. “Absolutely, positively, of course I plan to attend the board meeting,” Rieger said. “Why would I not? Students need to be there. I don’t like what’s going on, I’m not going to just let whatever happen and not care. This is big. To some it might sound boring, but this is so important. I’m going to attend, and they’re going to hear my voice; whether they like it or not.”