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Billie Bulletin Staff Editorin Chief..........Sierra Johnson PageEditor ......Brittany Odegaard PageEditor .............Melina Nielsen PageEditor ............Adana Lindsley PageEditor .....Evi Hernandez-Hill Reporters Tabitha Adams Hannah Alvis Clay Ambrose Connor Baker Bri Barrett Reece Blatch Emma Boys Ashlee Edmisten Janel Elkins Zoie Gray Luke Guill Trevin Lundegard Jenna Michelson Megan Miller Nicole Orre McKenzie Privat Ashley Quimby Key Key Rinker Trea Rogers Michelle Tate Israel Vahala Maddie Vanis Are Classes bursting at the seams? Opening the class door a wave of sound and confusion wash over you. What is that on the other side of the door? That would be Mr. Meinzen’s 6th period Scholars World History class which has 38 kids. Mr. Meinzen isn’t the only teacher teaching large classes. Even with the two new teachers, a few classes are full to the brim. Is it a good thing to be busting at the seams, or should we be worried on how much more this 52 year old school can take? Not everyone has the burden of larger classes. English teacher, Jan MacRae said some of her classes have actually gotten smaller. Last year she had 40 kids in her AP English class. This year she only has 24 in AP. Her freshman class has also shrunk because we have a new English teacher, Mrs. Rene Saxon. In her Writing 11 class, Saxon has 30 students. Like Meinzen, she wishes it could be smaller so she can help students one-on-one with their writing. Principal Randy Fisher said some class sizes have gotten smaller than others but that Scholars has expanded because more kids want a greater challenge. Fisher ac- knowledged that 38 is too many but has allowed Mr. Meinzen to suggest changes. Meinzen would rather encourage kids who are not ready for the challenge to switch, rather than pushing kids out who might sincerely wish to be in Scholars. Fisher pointed out that the average class size at Pleasant Hill is about 23 kids. Bri Barrett said she likes small classes more because she can “be herself.” She also likes small classes because it is easier to learn and get one-on-one help. “I think its more fun to be in a small class because the teachers are more lenient. But then again I don’t really mind big classes be- cause it doesn’t affect me too badly.” Overall class sizes have settled down a bit easing some of the crowding. Connor Baker Over the summer while students were playing in the sun or working at a job PHHS changed its approach on many things. Our school parking lots configuration has been improved and repainted to help improve traffic flow. But the improvements don’t stop there! New information signs have been put up all around the school to help visitors and students get to where they need to go. Also, a new fence around the perimeters of the school helps ensure the safety of Pleasant Hill’s students. All students and Visitors are encouraged to enter campus through the main entrance. This year PHHS has some new faces! Mrs. Saxon and Ms. Ermini teach MS Eng- lish and HS Science respectively. Teachers and students can also take advantage of our new water fountains! Billies can now re- fresh at cold water fountains. “I really like the water fountains. They kind of sucked last year.” said Alex Mc- Intyre (10). The bathrooms are newly painted minty green. New sinks and soap dispensers add to the improvements. Even some of the toi- lets are new! “It’s a lot nicer with the sinks and paint but it would have been great if they put more effort into having locks than covering the writing on the walls” said Nina Stearns. (10). Pleasant Hill continues to improve so- cially and academically. This year PHHS has what is called “Common Core,” as well as a new bell schedule on Monday’s and Tuesday’s. Monday and Tuesday are mixed blocks with an Academic Enrichment hour to help kids catch up with missing assign- ments and enrichment. High School sees many changes over the summer Maddie Vanis For 90 minutes students stay in their rooms as teachers stretch lessons or offer a variety of activities. They also provide this time for students who need help with homework. Here at Pleasant Hill High School we have a new mixed block schedule on Mon- day and Tuesday. Wednesday through Fri- day has regular schedule. Mondays are even class period days and Tuesdays are odd class period days. Wednesday through Friday is regular full seven class period days. The Billie Bulletin got the chance to interview some of the staff and students and get their thoughts. Mr. Fisher, our high school principal, said that this block schedule has its pros and cons depending on the individual. He said students get more one on one time with their teachers. Fisher also suggested that 90 minutes can be a long time in some cases. This all depends on the student or teacher. “Everyone is making it work for the bet- ter of student learning.” He also mentioned that having this schedule means less pass- ing time between class periods. This makes the office more efficient with fewer inter- ruptions. Mrs. D’Agosta School Administrative Secretary said that for certain classes it is good to have that extra time. “For other classes I think it is a little bit tougher for students and teachers.” “I like and don’t care much for it at the same time.” Ms. Bonaventure, one of our English teachers, really appreciates her long prep period. She mentions that although the prep period is nice it’s tough to come up with activities to fill the time in her classes. “I try to make sure that there is time to get up and move around for the students.” She mentioned that they had had a block schedule in the past but she felt like she lost a lot of that time. “It requires a wider variety of activities to keep students’ inter- est and avoid 90 minutes of solid sitting.” “The block schedule allows teach- ing with depth. The mixed block allows for labs, simulations, research, and films which work better with longer periods of time.” said Mr. Meinzen. Meinzen is one of our history teachers and has been a sup- porter of the block schedule. He says that transitions in a seven period day with all the “hubbub” make it a constant challenge to take attendance, settle kids down, get students focused, and then teach only to realize that time is up. “Block schedule gives hard-working students a day breather between classes and that can be a big help with homework. The block schedule allows assessment and evaluation in the same period.” He said that the schedule encourages teachers to experiment and try new ap- proaches to teaching. “90 minutes forces us to bring more variety into our lessons.” When the Billie Bulletin took a poll from most of the student body it looked like most of the students like the new half block schedule. Most students who like the new schedule like it because they get more one-on-one time with the teacher. The new schedule offers more time to do homework and gives variety to the week. Students also think that the new sched- ule makes the week seem shorter. Students who have off periods especially like the block schedule because they have more time. Students who don’t like the mixed schedule said they didn’t like it because the periods are too long. They now have to know/memorize three new schedules. A lot of students feel like there is no need to spend that much time on one subject. Some students feel like the teachers run out of things to do to fill the time. Other students feel like they now have to prepare differ- ently for each day. The new mixed block schedule has its strengths and weaknesses. The thoughts and feelings towards the block schedule all depend on the person. Mixed Block Schedule gets mixed reaction Reese Blatch Scholars History has 38 stu d ents tucked in tight. 2 designed by Brittany Odegaard “It requires a wider va- riety of activities to keep students’ interest and avoid 90 minutes of solid sitting.” Red and purple leaves are caused by the presence of sugars from sap that is trapped inside the leaves.
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