Susan Cassata East High Newsletter December 2010 I will admit, there is usually a theme I try to write about, but right now I am feeling a bit disjointed. It may be the time of the year, it may be parenting a 6 month old, who isn’t sleeping through the night, or it may be work- ing in a high school. I am not sure I am able to pinpoint the exact reason, but right now, I need to share several things with you as parents and guardians, enveloped within my thanks of our power and passion as community, minus a catchy theme. 1. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, one of the things I am most thankful for is young people. Although they may try our patience at times, there is a certain rejuvenating spirit they have. One of the reasons, I came back to high school is that I missed the chaos of adolescents. I crave that chaos…as it makes sense to me, most of the time. During this time of the year, it make more sense, as groups of students raise awareness for families in need; as classes look to make a difference in people’s lives; as staff and students realize the true nature of humanity and relationships, I truly give thanks. 2. We are very excited about our new mission statement. Thank you to everyone who took time to review the options, and help us with our selection. I feel good about what it represents, as it both honors things we do well, but also challenges us to do better. (see below) 3. So as I give thanks for adolescences and celebrate our mission at Lincoln East, I would be remiss if I did not share with parents & guardians, as an administration team, we are deeply concerned about choices some of our students are making regarding the use of alcohol and drugs. To be honest, we are strug- gling. Students continue to use at alarming rates, and inform us (and others) about the ease, they have at getting whatever they desire - prescription drugs, alcohol, etc. We know not all students make these choices. But what we are discovering is that many students who have said no in the past, are now saying yes. As a community, we have a responsibility to both protect and to serve young people. And we need your help in doing this. You are always invited to become active in the East Community Group (their next meeting is January 24 th at 7 p.m.); participate in the Safe Homes, and actively call parents of friends/ students that your son/daughter might be spending time with. Talking to your student and listening to their answers, truly listening is key. And at any time, if you have concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us, so we can partner with you, in ways we may not have in the past. Inside this issue: Department Information 2-5 Accolades 6-8 Finals Schedule 9 Counseling 10-11 Announcements 12 Athletics 14 Important Dates & Information 15 Scip Information 13 From the Principal East High Newsletter December 2010 Lincoln East High School’s mission is to provide a supportive, Lincoln East High School’s mission is to provide a supportive, Lincoln East High School’s mission is to provide a supportive, comprehensive education in an accepting environment that comprehensive education in an accepting environment that comprehensive education in an accepting environment that promotes knowledge, responsibility, skills, and leadership, promotes knowledge, responsibility, skills, and leadership, promotes knowledge, responsibility, skills, and leadership, leading to the empowerment of all students. leading to the empowerment of all students. leading to the empowerment of all students.
Transcript
Susan Cassata
East High Newsletter December 2010
I will admit, there is usually a theme I try to write about, but right now I am feeling a bit disjointed. It may be the time of the year, it may be parenting a 6 month old, who isn’t sleeping through the night, or it may be work-ing in a high school. I am not sure I am able to pinpoint the exact reason, but right now, I need to share several things with you as parents and guardians, enveloped within my thanks of our power and passion as community, minus a catchy theme. 1. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, one of the things I am most thankful for is young people. Although they may try our patience at times, there is a certain rejuvenating spirit they have. One of the reasons, I came back to high school is that I missed the chaos of adolescents. I crave that chaos…as it makes sense to me, most of the time. During this time of the year, it make more sense, as groups of students raise awareness for families in need; as classes look to make a difference in people’s lives; as staff and students realize the true nature of humanity and relationships, I truly give thanks. 2. We are very excited about our new mission statement. Thank you to everyone who took time to review the options, and help us with our selection. I feel good about what it
represents, as it both honors things we do well, but also challenges us to do better. (see below) 3. So as I give thanks for adolescences and celebrate our mission at Lincoln East, I would be remiss if I did not share with parents & guardians, as an administration team, we are deeply concerned about choices some of our students are making regarding the use of alcohol and drugs. To be honest, we are strug-gling. Students continue to use at alarming rates, and inform us (and others) about the ease, they have at getting whatever they desire - prescription drugs, alcohol, etc. We know not all students make these choices. But what we are discovering is that many students who have said no in the past, are now saying yes. As a community, we have a responsibility to both protect and to serve young people. And we need your help in doing this. You are always invited to become active in the East Community Group (their next meeting is January 24th at 7 p.m.); participate in the Safe Homes, and actively call parents of friends/students that your son/daughter might be spending time with. Talking to your student and listening to their answers, truly listening is key. And at any time, if you have concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us, so we can partner with you, in ways we may not have in the past.
Inside this issue: Department Information
2-5
Accolades 6-8
Finals Schedule 9
Counseling 10-11
Announcements 12
Athletics 14
Important Dates & Information
15
Scip Information 13
From the Principal
East High Newsletter December 2010
Lincoln East High School’s mission is to provide a supportive, Lincoln East High School’s mission is to provide a supportive, Lincoln East High School’s mission is to provide a supportive, comprehensive education in an accepting environment that comprehensive education in an accepting environment that comprehensive education in an accepting environment that promotes knowledge, responsibility, skills, and leadership, promotes knowledge, responsibility, skills, and leadership, promotes knowledge, responsibility, skills, and leadership, leading to the empowerment of all students.leading to the empowerment of all students.leading to the empowerment of all students.
We need camera equipment!!! Anyone who might be considering getting rid of their "old" 35mm manual cameras please consider donating them to our Art Dept. This may also include: camera bags, lens, filters, enlargers (pinch me....I may be dreaming), and/or any camera equipment that you feel is outdated or not used by your family. Our photography students use manual and auto-matic cameras that use film. We also use digital cameras. Anything would be appreciated. Thank you for thinking of us! Donna Wilson
East High School—December 2010 Page 2
` East FBLA had their first competition of the year on Wednesday, November 17 at the UNL Phi Beta Lambda American Business Competition. Ten members each competed in two events and the following awards were received: Michael Liou – 1st place, Economics; Bridget Fleischer – 1st place, Global Business; Aidan Fleischer – 2nd place, Economics; Manizha Kholmatov – 3rd place Business Calculations and 3rd place Economics; Monica Lu – 3rd place Global Business. Trophies were presented to the top two places and a certificate was given for 3rd place. An ad-ditional highlight was touring Memorial Stadium where the members were able to experience what it is like to be a Husker and they also saw most of the offensive squad.
Bakenhus, Austin Koch, Jeremy Wagner, Aidan Fleischer
East High School—December 2010 Page 3
Students have just begun study of the fourth unit of the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program,
“Good Debt, Bad Debt: Using Credit Wisely”. Credit has both a bright and dark side. Credit can be a useful tool and a way we can buy things that would otherwise exceed our means. And when used within a financial plan which includes a plan to pay loans back with the fewest possible payments, it can perform a valuable function. This unit addresses the different kinds of credit, what costs are involved in using credit, and the whole notion of creditworthiness and the importance of establishing a good credit rating. (Did you know that some student college loans will only be extended to young people who have good credit ratings?) The unit finishes up with a discussion about being a savvy user of credit and a final discussion about the dark cloud of debt and the ultimate consequence of debt out of control: bankruptcy. The credit unit is another of the very important units for students. Like some adults, students ‘want it’ and they ‘want it now’. People who charge up purchases without money to pay them back soon will find themselves sliding into a deep quicksand of debt. Debt makes us pay more for the things we buy on credit. The credit interest paid on credit debt can be huge, and it takes away dollars from the consumer that could be used for saving and investing. Have a serious talk with your teens about this subject. Uncontrolled credit debt is an economic disease in our society that will keep millions of Americans from ever achiev-ing the financial security they strive for. Do everything you can to help your kids NOT be among them. The Economic Perspectives class for students in grades 10, 11, and 12 expands upon the financial responsibilities of adults. Be sure to contact a member of the business department for more information regarding business/technology curriculum decisions of your students.
East High School—December 2010 Page 4
East High School—December 2010 Page 5
Last year, the 4th-period Book Club decided to shake things up a bit. That's when they decided that, in addition to reading books, they'd like to write something, too. The final product, Between You and Me, was a full-color 8-page survival guide for Special Education students new to East. Club members chose the content, took the photos and interviewed all the people in the magazine, covering everything from school procedures to good, general advice for newcomers. On Monday, Nov. 15, four of the Book Club members joined School Librarian Jane Holt at a show-and-tell staff-development session at the district office. There, they talked with district librarians about all the things that went into making the magazine. IN THE PHOTO: Paul Safarik, Zach Rose, Jane Holt, Jessica Stephens, Reid Newcomer (photo by Mary Reiman).
East High School—December 2010 Page 6
Math Results—students participated in division According to last Performance Competition Results—students participated in division year’s grade according to last year’s grade. 6-8 Division: 1st—Katie Sedlar Impromptu Speaking: 3rd—John Hao Middle School division: 4th—Katie Sedlar 5th—Akshay Rajagopal Honorable mention: Ravi Raghani High School division: 1st—Parviz Kholmatov 2nd—Darrin Lim 9/10 division: 1st—Michael Liou 2nd—Drew Bakenhus Shakespeare Monologue: 3rd—Manizha Kholmatov Middle School Division: 3rd—Katie Sedlar 4th—Nolan Cooney 5th—Jessica Qiu 9-12 Improv: 6th—Eric Weber High School Division: 5th Place—Team of Parviz Honorable mention: Noah Brubaker, Kholmatov, Chris Harroun, Elliott Sandfort, Chris Harroun, Monica Lu, Tommy Rasmussen Ravi Raghani, Darrin Lim Quiz Bowl: 11/12 Division: 1st—Parviz Kholmatov 2nd—Jahan Claes Middle School Division: 1st Place—Team of Adshay 3rd—Darrin Lim Rajagopal, John Hao, 4th—Richard Zhang Katie Sedlar, Trevor Hennig 6th—Advaith Rau Honorable mention: Eric Mattson High School division: 3rd Place—Team of Darrin Lim Parviz Kholmatov, Manizha Kholmatov, Science Results—students participated in division Dorothy Chen according to last year’s grade Quarterfinalists—team of Michael Liou, Chris Harroun, Will Sheldon, 6-8 Division: 1st—Katie Sedlar Ryan Kirkpatrick 4th—Akshay Rajagopal 5th—John Hao Project Competition Results—students participated in division according to last year’s grade 9/10 Division: 1st—Keith Sponsler 2nd—Manizha Kholmatov “Nebraska, the good Life” Essay: 6th—Tie—Noah Brubaker & Chris Harroun Middle School Division: 2nd—Katie Sedlar 3rd—Akshay Rajagopal 11/12 Division: 1st—Darrin Lim High School Division: 2nd—Darrin Lim 3rd—Jahan Claes 4th—Dorothy Chen “Nebraska, the Good Life” Computer Graphic Design: 4th—Akshay Rajagopal Social Studies Results—students participated in divisions according to last year’s grade “Nebraska, the good Life” Power Point: Middle School Division: 1st—Akshay Rajagopal 6-8 Division: 1st—Akshay Rahjagopal Total Score Competition Results—students participated in divisions according to last year’s grade 9/10 Division: 6th—Manizha Kholmatov 6-8 Division: Champion—Akshay Rajagopal 11/12 Division: 3rd—Darrin Lim Reserve Champion—Katie Sedlar 6th—Dorothy Chen 9-12 Division: Champion—Darrin Lim Spelling Results—students participated in division according to 3rd Place—Manizha Kholmatov last year’s grade 6ith Place—Parviz Kholmatov 3-8 Division: 5th—Akshay Rajagopal Honorable Mention: Katie Sedlar Overall Individual total Score Competition: (Highest score of all of the Individual Division Winners) 9-12 Division: 1st—Manizha Kholmatov Grand Champion: Akshay Rajagopal 2nd—Monica Lu Reserve Grand Champion: Katie Sedlar 3rd—Darrin Lim Overall School Total Score Competition: (Highest score of all of the School Division Winners) Grand Champion – East High School
East High School—December 2010 Page 7
OMAHA NORTH COMPETITION Team Competition: East High School was 2nd with Creighton Prep winning 1st Individual Winners in Various Events – East High had 17 participants: Freshmen: John Hao (1st and 3rd), Anna Fair Matthes (4th), Akshay Rajagopal (1st), Katie Sedlar (4th and 5th) Sophomores: Tommy Rasmussen (1st) Juniors: Drew Bakenhus (4th and 5th ) Seniors: Darrin Lim (1st and 3rd ), Sean Douglas (3rd), Parviz Kholmatov (4th) All Class Competition: Darrin Lim (3rd), Sean Douglas (6th), Parviz Kholmatov (9th) DOANE COLLEGE COMPETITION Team Competition in the Written Portion: East was 1st Team Competition in the Math Bowl: East was 1st Individual Winners – East High had 6 participants: Darrin Lim (1st), Sean Douglas (2nd), Richard Zhang (3rd), Parviz Kholmatov (4th), Michael Liou (7th), Drew Bakenhus (8th) OMAHA CENTRAL COMPETITION East High School had 26 students participating in teams of 3 with 1 group of 2 persons. This is totally a team competition. East High School was 2nd (Creighton Prep was 1st). UNO COMPETITION Team Competition: East High was 1st Individual Winners – East High had 22 participants: Parviz Kholmatov (1st), Jessica Qiu (2nd), and three students who tied for 3rd were Darrin Lim, Advaith Rau, and Richard Zhang
UNL MATH DAY COMPETITION East High School had 67 participants out of 1250+ competitors from the entire State of Nebraska. Out of the 53 who qualified for the second round, East had 18 of them. They were the following students: Darrin Lim, Drew Bakenhus, Richard Zhang, Seth Bashford, Aaron Fast, Parviz Kholmatov, John Hao, Katie Sedlar, Eric Weber, Curtis Dlouhy, Jonathan Feingold, Sean Douglas, Michael Liou, Sam Kohler, Zitian Zhang, Eric Mattson, Jessica Qiu, and Advaith Rau. After the second round, East High had 4 in the top 10: 1st – Richard Zhang, 4th – Darrin Lim, 5th – Sean Douglas, 10th – Parviz Kholmatov Katie Sedlar was the 2nd highest scoring female in the first round and Darrin Lim was the 3rd highest scoring male in the first round. East High School won the written round of competition by 3.2 points over Creighton Prep. East also won the Math Bowl Tournament. The Math Bowl Team consisted of Sean Douglas, Darrin Lim, and Richard Zhang.
East High School—December 2010 Page 8
Congratulations to the following 2010 All-State Participants: Choir: Alison Foley, Eric Fawl, Nels Holmquist, Brooke Haley (Alternate) Band: Karissa Van Liew Jazz Band: Aaron Fast Orchestra: Amy Fischer, Eajan Hsu, Darrin Lim, Jessica Qiu, Maia Behrendt, Neeka Choobineh Nicholas Vuchetich, Rachel Gould, Alana Hux, Max Oehlertz, Advaith Rau, Sam Whipple, Noah Brubaker, Ben Fischer, Malika Wilson (Alternate) Congratulations to the following Chili Cookoff Winners – 1st Place: Idaho Potato Chili – Evelyn Swanson, MaKenzie Petersen, Jamie Johnson, Ashley Wenzl-Gress Bronco Bob’s Chili – Nate Thyparambil, Ben Slaby, Tara Curtiss, Sophia Iaquinta 2nd Place: Spicy Chipolte Chili – Aaron Lee, Kaisa Martz, Kaitlyn Evans Grandpa’s Chili – Michaela Frenzel, Lindsey Morgan, Rahmeen Bahramzad, Casey Christensen Congratulations to the following Brownie Bake Off/Plating winners: 1st Place: Sinful Saints - Wil Hinze, Kenyon Koenig, Danny McManaman, Karissa Van Liew 2nd Place: Turtle Brownies – David Anderson, Jazmine Peavy, Bobbi McCurdy
East High School—December 2010 Page 8
East High School will have a special test schedule at the end of the semester. Following is a copy of the test schedule so that you can plan any necessary adjustments for the shortened school days: 8:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 8:00 to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 8:00 to 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, January 13, 2011 1. All teachers will give a test (chapter, unit, semester) or some type of graded activity during the scheduled test time. 2. Teachers will be in their classrooms or departmental offices until 2:45 p.m. to work with individual students who want extra assistance or to make up tests. 3. Teachers must submit final semester grades by 4:00 p.m. on January 20, 2011. This does not allow many opportunities for students to make up tests. 4. Individual students who are absent due to illness or family emergencies need to contact their classroom teachers for make-up work. 5. The test or graded activity will count for a percentage of the final semester grade as determined by the teacher’s written grading expectations. 6. Students are reminded to turn in all textbooks or library materials. Students who owe any obligations will not be all allowed to take final exams. Obligation fees may include parking tickets & ID replacement costs. 7. Students will focus their attention on two or three instructional areas per day. They will need to adjust their schedules so they are in attendance for all classes in which they are enrolled. Each test will meet FOR THE ENTIRE TIME SCHEDULED. Cafeteria hours for finals will be as follows:
On Tuesday breakfast will be at 7:15, the regular time. Snacks will be offered in the B Wing and the cafeteria from 9:30-9:45. Lunch will be offered in the cafeteria from 11:15-11:45. On Wednesday breakfast will be at the regular time (7:15-7:45); snacks will be offered in the B Wing and the cafeteria from 9:30-9:45. Food sold in the halls will be cash only. Accounts may be used in the cafeteria only. Lunch will be offered in the cafeteria from 11:10-11:55. Pizza, snacks and drinks will also be sold in the B Wing and the cafeteria from 11:10-11:55. This will be the last day for pizza. On Thursday breakfast will be at the regular time. Snacks will be offered at 9:15-9:45 in the cafeteria only. Sack lunches will be available in the cafeteria at 11:15.
First Semester Finals Schedule 2011 Tuesday, January 11 Period 7 final 8:00-9:30 Period 6 Final 9:45- 11:15 Lunch Wednesday, January 12 Period 3 Final 8:00-9:30 Period 4 Final 9:40-11:10 Lunch 11:10-11:55 Period 5 Final 12:00-1:30 Thursday, January 13 Period 1 Final 8:00- 9:30 Period 2 Final 9:45-11:15 Lunch
East High School—December 2010 Page 10
Again this year students at East High School will use the LPS Online Registration Program to select courses for next year. Students will register during second semester using their LPS Student ID number and password. The registration sessions will be held during English classes for students in 9th and 10th grades and during US History classes for students in 11th grade.
Once registration begins students may access their registration at home so parents/guardians to review course selections during the week of their registration. Some courses will be pre-set to meet a specific graduation requirement or course sequence. Pre-set courses cannot be changed on-line. We suggest that students ask their current teachers for recommendations prior to their registration session. When planning next year’s courses, please consult the East High School Planning Guide (available online) under the Counseling Center section of the East High website to reference graduation requirements and college entrance require-ments. Remember to also consider future career interests, especially in areas that were explored using Career Cruising. (Career Cruising is accessed at www.careercruising.com — username: easths password: lincoln.) When planning courses for next year, remember that staffing decisions are based on student requests and there is no guarantee that a listed course will be offered. Admin-istrators place courses on the master schedule based on the fewest number of conflicts with other requested courses but conflicts do occur that result in the student having to make difficult choices. Actual schedules will be mailed to families in the summer at which time there will be an opportunity to make final adjustments before the begin-ning of the school year.
East High School—December 2010 Page 10
College Credit Options—Advanced Placement and Dual Credit Courses Did you know that some courses at East High School can be taken for high school and college credit at the same time? It’s an option worth exploring especially as registration for the 2011-2012 school year begins. Here are some of the details. Advanced Placement (AP)—these courses follow a curriculum outlined by the College Board. At the end of the school year students may register and pay to take the AP exam. The exams are scored on a 1-5 scale and students who receive a 3, 4, or 5 may be awarded college credit or placed in a higher-level course in college. There is no prescribed method of handling Advanced Placement so each college/university determines how they will work with those scores.* Dual Credit Courses through Nebraska Wesleyan Honors Academy and Southeast Community College —several courses at East High are aligned with courses taught at Nebraska Wesleyan or SCC. Through a cooperative arrangement between the East High teacher and NWU or SCC, students may pay a reduced rate for tuition and receive college credit at the same time they are earning credit in high school. In order to receive college credit students may need to do additional assignments or activities.* University of Nebraska Advanced Scholars Program—Students may enroll in selected on-line courses at UNL to earn college credit. Articulated Courses at SCC—several courses taught at East are also articulated with courses at Southeast Community College. If students take courses at East that are part of the Articulation Agreement, earn a B or better in the course or pass a competency exam and enroll at SCC within a year of receiving their high school diploma, they can apply to be exempt from enrolling in the identified course(s) at SCC without having to pay tuition or fees. This is an excellent option for students who are planning to enroll at SCC in programs other than Academic Transfer. For a list of courses and programs, please see the Lincoln East High School Planning Guide. To find out more information about Articulated, AP, and dual credit courses offered at East High School please see the East High School Planning Guide or the department chair in English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Business, Family & Consumer Science, and Industrial Technology.
*Please note that every college/university sets its own policy about whether credits earned in high school will transfer as college credits. It is really important to know before you pay tuition for a course or pay to take an AP exam how the college you want to attend will handle that credit or exam score. Colleges and universities in Nebraska generally accept the dual credit but many other colleges do not allow a student to “double-dip” (receive credit in college for a class in which they earned high school credit). For students who carefully select and use dual or AP credit it is possible to get a great head start on a college degree.
WORRIED ABOUT PAYING FOR COLLEGE? In these tough economic times when more and more students and families are worried about how to make ends meet, paying for college can seem like an impossible burden. Let us tell you about a few ways to help ease the strain. There are many programs available based on the income requirements for free or reduced lunch/breakfast at school. Even if your son or daughter has no intention of eating at school once a family qualifies, other options open up. Be sure to notify your school counselor and we can help you with the application process for free or reduced lunch. If your family already qualifies, let your counselor know so we can help connect you with programs like these: ACT or SAT Fee Waiver—to cover the basic cost of taking the ACT or the SAT. Students can receive two waivers through ACT that covers the basic registration fee for the ACT or the ACT Plus Writing. For the SAT program an eligible student would be entitled to use fee waivers to cover the cost of two SAT registrations and two SAT Subject Test registrations (for a maximum of six SAT Subject Tests—a value of $45 each). Waiv-ers are available only through counselors, so please work with your counselor well ahead of the test deadline. Waiver of College Application Fees—colleges/universities will frequently waive or reduce the application fee for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Again, work with your school counselor to request this well ahead of the deadline for the admissions application. ACE Scholarship—pays tuition and mandatory fees for qualified, low-income high school students to enroll in college courses from Nebraska's colleges or universities, either through dual-enrollment or early enrollment agreements with these institutions. School counselors can help you obtain the application needed. Learn to Dream—seniors who qualify for free or reduced lunch in high school will receive the Learn to Dream scholarship as long as they apply. Learn to Dream is a partnership between Union Bank and Nelnet and it covers tuition and fees for up to 45 quarter credits at Southeast Community College. Nebraska State College Advantage—first-time students who qualify for Pell Grants (based on information from the FAFSA—Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will pay no tuition at Chadron, Peru, and Wayne State Colleges. College Bound Nebraska—students who qualify for Pell Grants pay no tuition at the University of Nebraska. Some families don’t qualify for Pell but might still qualify for full-tuition assistance because of other factors (generally a family of four with one student in college and income of less than $45,000). The services of EducationQuest—downtown at 13th and O or on the web at educationquest.org—are available to all students and families free of charge. They provide assistance with college information and scholarship searches and they will even help you file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Use their resources to help make college a reality for students in your family.
Lincoln East's Student Council has had a very successful start to their year. Most recently, Student Council held a Dodgeball Tournament. The winning team was the Dream Team and all proceeds are going to a new sound system for the gym. Student Council also had a Jean Drive as part of the Drop Your Jeans Campaign, all the jeans donated are used for house insulation. In addition to the Jean Drive there was a Food Drive, with over 400 cans donated. In progress is a new program called HERO (Helping East Reach Out). It's a collaboration between East students and Elliot Elementary school students; currently Student Council members are selling candy sticks, and wristbands to fundraise for HERO. Members will also be selling shirts soon, so be on the look out! Coming up in December will be the Male Talent show, Mr. East. Details about Mr. East will be on the school announcements.
Student Council News
East High School—December 2010 Page 12
Last year the first snowfall in Lincoln,, arrived
early in October, so I thought it was appropriate this fall to take a moment to talk about one of the most maddening and controversial deci-sions a superintendent will make: Snow days. Calling a snow day is probably not as critical a decision as the ones we make about instruction and budgets, but when weather conditions impact our classrooms they certainly receive as much attention. First of all, please understand we do not make these decisions lightly. Instructional time for our students is precious, crucial to their academic success, and we do everything in our power to protect and maximize that time. Further, we recognize that when school is cancelled we disrupt the learning schedules and home routines of thousands of students and families. In the end, however, any decision to close school must be based on one factor and one factor only: the safety of our students and staff. We cannot and will not compromise the well being of our children.
These days it is also important to remember the changing demographics of our community. Currently almost 40 percent of our students live in poverty (qualify for free and reduced lunch). We can no longer assume that children walking to school have warm mittens and adequate coats. Nor can we assume that if and when blizzard conditions arrive at the close of a school day, parents will be waiting outside school doors with a warm car. Yes, many students in Lincoln can bundle up, but many do not have the resources, the parental supervision or knowledge to prepare properly. For these reasons, the people at Lincoln Public Schools who help in making decisions about snow days anguish about this judgment call. There are no hard and fast rules. However, as superintendent of our school district, I will not call a snow day based on a weather forecast. I will call a snow day based on existing weather conditions such as significant snowfall or dangerous wind chills. I will call a snow day based on the city’s ability to make streets passable and our maintenance staff's ability to make our schools accessible and our parking lots clear.
When hazardous weather arrives in our community, we at Lincoln Public Schools will consider the safety of students and the ability of the school buses to get to the schools. We will get out and drive the streets. We will review and examine the conditions of arterials, as well as neighborhood sidewalks and streets – and the conditions at our 61 school sites lo-cated throughout Lincoln. My goal will be to make a decision, at the latest, by 5:30 or 6 a.m. in the morning. And when the decision is made we will send automatic phone messages that reach all of our families and staff members, and we will contact all local radio, TV and newspapers. We at LPS will make decisions about snow days with thoughtful, well-researched and conscientious practices and procedures. That is our promise to our community.
From: Dr. Steve Joel, LPS Superintendent
Volume 1, Issue 1
East High School—December 2010 Page 13
East High School—December 2010 Page 14
Message from the Athletic Department GO BIG BLUE!
John Farrand Asst. Athletic Director
After enjoying an autumn of wonderful weather, maybe the best in recent years, the colder temperatures of this past week have moved the Spartans on from thinking of outdoor activi-ties toward the beginnings of the winter sports season. As we return from the Thanksgiving holiday, the first contests for the basketball teams, swimmers and divers, and wrestlers are only days away. The swim teams will kick off the winter season by hosting Lincoln Southwest on December 2nd and basketball opens its season the same night hosting Lincoln Southeast, Omaha Westside, and Bellevue West in a three-day tournament that runs through Saturday. Wrestlers will open, under the leadership of new Head Coach Keenan McCurdy at the always tough Kearney Invitational on Saturday the 4th. As the new season begins we’ll say goodbye to some wonderful moments and memorable per-formances by Spartan athletes during the fall season. High-lights included the recent Divi-sion I scholarship signings by Jackie O’Doherty, women’s golf, with the University of Ne-braska and by Tara Curtiss, women’s volleyball, with the University of Denver. East was also well represented on the re-cently published All-City teams named by the Journal – Star. Three Lincoln East boys earned all-city selection in Cross Coun-try as Pierce Talichet, Justin Kohl, and Drew Schulenberg were all named to the honorary
squad. In football, seniors Colton Wolinski and Bryce Bostwick, were named to the defensive roster, while seniors Stacey Herbel, outfielder, and Alyse Menghini, infielder, were selected for softball honors. Hitter Tara Curtiss was the East selection to the Volleyball team. Individually, Jackie O’Doherty, defended her state championship title in girls golf and Sarah Dweikat finished 2nd in the Girls State Cross Country with a tre-mendous effort. Besides being selected to their respective all-city teams, both of these girls led their teams to Top Ten State Meet finishes as the girls cross country team finished 4th and the girls golf team finished 7th. The boys tennis team (5th) and the boys cross country team (8th) also racked up state meet Top-Ten honors. The boys ten-nis team was led by junior Court Clark who finished as the bronze medalist in #1 singles competi-tion at the state meet. A special congratulations is ex-tended to the following Spartans who represented East High School in State Tournament competition during the fall. In cross country the boys team members were: Pierce Talichet, Justin Kohl, Isssac Allen, Austin Mar, Andrew Schulenberg, Aus-tin Titus, and Curtis Dlouhy; while Sara Dweikat, Emilie Johnson, Katherine Janike, Skeyler Tenopir, Grace Iaquinta, Jacqueline Osenbaugh, and Lindsey Morgan represented the girls. Girls golf team members included Jacqueline O’Doherty,
Chloe Foote, Elizabeth O’Do-herty, Shae Brening, and Han-nah Howard. Boys tennis team members were Court Clark, Hunter Dunlap, Jacob Dunlap, Jackson Lauer, Jonathan Her-manson and Joel Spiehs. I’m always excited about the start of a new season and the opportunity to watch our ath-letes compete and demonstrate the skill improvement that comes from dedicated practices and great effort. Yet it is impor-tant to take the time to recall some of the significant accom-plishments by our athletes in the just completed fall season. How quickly the time seems to go and yet the lasting memories and lessons learned are the hall-mark of what high school sports are all about. May the upcoming seasons be filled with similar experiences and memories, highlighted by great competitions and acts of good sportsmanship.
Please be sure that
the school office has your correct email address on
file.
East High School—December 2010 Page 15
We hope you have a Happy Holiday Season.
May you spend time with those you love.
Lincoln Public Schools East High School 1000 S. 70th Street Lincoln, NE 68510
Phone: 402-436-1302 Fax: 402-436-1325
Important Dates: December 7 Financial Aid Night December 11 ACT Test December 22-26 Gym Moratorium December 23-30 Winter Break January 3 School Resumes January 11-13 Final Exams January 13 End of Semester 1 January 14 & 17 No School – Students January 18 Start of 2nd Semester
