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WEST HENDERSON HIGH SCHOOL

3600 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, N.C. 28791 • Volume XXVIII, Issue 1 • October 26, 2009

First Class

Schools prepare for H1N1

t the first class meetings of the year, students expected to hear Principal Dean Jones remind them to “Do what’s right, all the time.” Instead, they heard, “Wash your hands a lot. Then wash them some more. Wash them for the length of time it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice.” School officials, including Kim Berry, West’s school nurse, are concerned about the possibility of an H1N1 outbreak this fall and winter. “‘Swine flu’ itself is something of a misnomer,” Berry said. "Originally, they were thinking that it was from pigs; that’s why it got the name ‘swine flu.’ The newer things that I’m reading say that it’s just really similar to that virus and maybe it wasn’t exactly the same as the virus that infects pigs or swine.” H1N1 is distinctive in that it has claimed the lives of a wide age range, killing people indiscriminately. Normal flu generally produces a higher fatality rate among the elderly and very young, but H1N1 flu is unique; some of the most atrisk groups are teens and young adults. Most individuals hospitalized with H1N1 have been between the ages of 5 and 24 and 80 percent were under age 50. Schools have taken extra precautions against the spread of H1N1, including opportunities for students to get flu vaccines and efforts to promote good hygiene. “There’s been an Alert-Now message to students’ homes talking about frequent hand washing and other hygiene issues. If you have a fever that’s over 100, we recommend that you go and get checked by your doctor,” Principal Dean Jones said. “Once you do have a fever, we’re asking that you stay home until you’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours.” Jones said students will need to use their absences wisely. “These absences typically aren’t waived. It’s the same as if you just had a regular sickness. Now if it becomes a chronic or a long-term illness, then certainly those days can go before the waiver committee.” Henderson County Public Schools are following the most recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Students who become sick should stay at home and away from public places for at least 24 hours after the fever dissipates. If students do contract the H1N1 flu, they can expect the same symptoms as seasonal flu: sore throat, fatigue, fever, aches and a runny nose. The Buncombe County school system has already experienced increased absences related to flu. “We don't have an exact figure for H1N1 cases, but out of 26,000 students in Buncombe County, we have 1,700 to 2,000 absences per day, which is much higher than usual for this time of year," Jan Blunt, director of communications for Buncombe County Schools, said.

2009 Homecoming Queen Merritt Smith and her escort, Hunter Edmundson

Peregrine Poll

Did the cafeteria renovations improve lunch service?

Yes 78%

No 22% (based on a survey of 226 students)

H Hall eard

Photos by Jessica Tobin

•Homecoming queen announced Senior Merritt Smith was crowned 2009 homecoming queen at halftime of the football against Brevard on Oct. 16. Smith was escorted by senior Hunter Edmundson. Also representing the senior class were Ashley Ball, escorted by senior Matthew McMullen; Bethany Humberg, escorted by senior Drew Adams; Yaneli Padron, escorted by senior Matthew Roberts; and Kaylan Proctor, escorted by sophomore Caleb Brown. Representing the junior class were Whitney Howell, Hannah Wilson and Aubrey Masters. Alisha Carland and Catherine Swift represented the sophomore class, and Gabrielle Ball and Jacqueline Black represented the freshman class.

School Days

In a classroom at Blue Ridge Community College, Lisa Hill (above) teaches her class of sophomores at Henderson County’s Early College. The students take high school and college classes on the BRCC campus. Students (right) including former West student Haley Brazell (left) listen to Hill’s lecture.

Students offered learning alternative at community college

Natalie Rice Feature Writer

week before the Henderson County schools opened for the 2009-2010 academic year, sophomore Haley Brazell was already headed back to class. Worried about whether she would know anyone in her new school, Brazell walked into a room full of students waiting for the first day of speech class. Her anxiety faded away when she saw some familiar faces sitting, waiting for the teacher. “I was so glad for the day to be over. It’s always the worst because you don’t know what to expect. But I was also excited because I love this school so much. I was so glad that I made the decision to come here,” Brazell said. Brazell is one of the 78 students attending Henderson County’s new Early College. Included are 16 students that have been or would have been West students. Early College is a specialized high school program where students agree to attend school for five years instead of the usual four, and in that time, they earn a high school diploma as well as a two-year associate’s degree.

The motivation for many students to attend Early College is financial. Early College graduates get their first two years of college free. Brazell had a different reason for enrolling in the program after her freshman year at West. She said she wanted a smaller school setting than West offered so that she could receive more attention in her classes. She also wanted to attend a school where she would know everyone. “I thought that it would be a great opportunity because it saves a lot of money, and it’s completely different than West. There were too many people. It was really crowded, and it just wasn’t something that I liked,” Brazell said. While Early College is a good opportunity for some, for others it isn’t a good fit. West sophomore Genesis Santiago attended Early College for a week before she decided that the school didn’t meet her needs. “I left because Early College didn’t have the math that my teacher said I needed to take. They just didn’t have the right options for me,” Santiago said. Planning for the Early College began last year, but educational leaders ran into challenges as the school year approached. On Aug. 8, the original principal of Early College resigned. On Aug. 11 Dr. Helen Owen, the secondary director of math, science, arts and second languages for grades six through 12, was named principal. Because of budget constraints, the grant that planners applied for wasn’t approved until Aug. 11. But in the spring, the school system had decided that regardless of

• See College on Page 2

in the

“You can always cram another baby in there.” Alex Fisher, senior (discussing Colonial-era bathing methods) “If a three-legged cat climbs a tree on someone else’s property, you do have the right to stir fry it.” Ben Seneker, social studies teacher (talking about the legislative process) “AP stands for ‘Always Pleasant.’ So we don’t say ‘shut up’; we turn to the person and say, ‘Please be quiet or I’ll bust three caps in you.” Ken Rash, substitute teacher (discussing the meaning of Advanced Placement)

Josh Wentzel Asst. Opinion Editor

School system avoids layoffs, reduces energy use Matthew Thielke Sports Editor

hile students and teachers were on summer vacation, Dr. Stephen Page, superintendent of the Henderson County Public Schools, and his staff struggled to make ends meet — literally. As members of North Carolina’s General Assembly worked to create a balanced state budget with an anticipated $4 billion shortfall in revenue, the effects trickled down to the local school system. Local school officials were left hanging until a state budget was signed by Gov. Beverly Perdue on Aug. 7. “The state budget situation made for a very unhappy summer,” Page said. “We couldn’t get any closure. I personally have a hard time taking vacation and time off unless I can have some resolution in my mind that we have things worked out.” There were concerns about what would be cut from the state’s budget and

Is Internet worth the dangers?

how many teachers would lose their jobs. found a way to pay the salaries of those “We were one of the few systems assistants, then we could have layoffs,” he around who did not lay anybody off. I’m said. sure there were many teachers that were Page and the school board plan to cut anxious until we got the expenses in other ways (state’s final) budget,” as well, including energy Page said. “But nobody got conservation. Henderson In the end it the pink slip, and nobody County Public Schools returned out OK got called in and told the cently signed a two-year budget has been cut and in a sense that contract with Educon, we can’t keep you.” an energy management we were able The stimulus bill that company. to balance the was passed last January “They guaranteed that by the U.S. Congress conwe would save enough budget and tributed to balancing the money to pay for the condidn’t have to cut tract, and they would pay state budget. It supplied money needed to mainthe salary of the energy or do anything tain teaching positions. manager,” Page said. worse. Many of these jobs could Refrigerators, microDr. Stephen Page have been lost. wave ovens, fans, heaters superintendent “We would have had and other household apto lay off teaching assispliances that were used in tants if we did not have monies available some classrooms have been removed to through the stimulus package, but if the help cut energy consumption. stimulus money goes away and we haven’t “We couldn’t let everybody have his

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Looking Ahead Oct. 30 Nov. 6 Nov. 11 Nov. 25-27

Teacher Work Day Early Dismissal Day Veterans’ Day Holiday Thanksgiving Break

or her own refrigerator,” Page said. “Classrooms are just that and not extensions of their homes. I had a refrigerator I took out. I try to live by the same things I expect people to live by.” The school system avoided implementing the pay-to-play athletic plan discussed last spring. Under the plan, student athletes would have paid a fee to participate in athletics. “We had talked about a $15 fee per athlete for middle school and $25 for high school, but that recommendation will not be taken to the school board,” Page said. School officials eliminated money for Advanced Placement exams as a way to cut the budget. In the past, the school system had a budget of $50,000 to cover the cost of approximately 650 AP tests. Students in AP classes must now pay the $86 fee for each test. Students on a free or reduced lunch can still receive assistance. “We couldn’t find any other school system that pays for students to take the

• See Budget on Page 2

Pro athletes double as role models