1/24/2018 We Should Put The Paint Where It Ain'tBy: Kaileigh CliffordLots of schools all over Indiana allow seniors to paint their parking spots if they are student drivers. It's a fun way for students to express themselves as well as mark a specific spot for them to park in all year. As the school year ends, the parking lots are re-painted, so new students can have a fresh start and begin making it their own. I’ve always wondered why WD doesn’t allow their seniors to paint reserved parking places, so as a senior, I hoped it would especially be an opportunity this year.
Mr. Mealy says that painting parking spots has been suggested by seniors for several years now. “The past three years I've been the high school principal, and two years before that when I was the Vice Principal, a student from the senior class has asked about painting parking spots.” Mr. Mealy says he agrees with the students’ reasoning for why they should be allowed to paint, but unfortunately he does not make that call. When a student makes a suggestion for something like painting parking spots, it is first heard by the high school principal, who then takes the suggestion to the superintendent, and he decides whether it is allowed or not. As a superintendent, Mr. Bush makes all “ground calls,” meaning he decides if students are allowed to paint or draw on school property. Mr. Bush has always felt strongly that students should not paint their parking spots, especially because they are part of school grounds. There could be change on the horizon for upcoming seniors. After this school year, Wes-Del’s current superintendent is retiring, so the corporation will be getting a new one. This means if someone brings up parking spot painting to him/her next year, and they agree, this idea might become a reality. Wes-Del’s seniors love to express themselves, and with some huge potential for big changes coming our way, they might be given this opportunity. 5/24/2017 5th Grade TripBy Ciera Parks The fifth grade class comes to the middle school every year. They follow the current sixth grade class around all day. Mr. Ponto, the middle school guidance counselor, says this trip benefits the 5th grade because they get to learn the hallways and the way the tardy bell works ;they also get to learn how to work the lockers and how to put in their combination. Before the 5th grade is set free they have a meeting in the cafeteria about the expectations for middle school.. Mr. Ponto goes to talk to the 5th grade in January to explain to them what middle school is like and how important it is.
I asked four, sixth graders about the experience they had in elementary compared to being in middle school. Avery Townsend said taking the trip helped her out because she got to know who the teachers were before she started here. She imagined middle school to be fun because she knew she wouldn't have to sit at lunch and be quiet. Avery thinks giving the students more time trying with the lockers would benefit them because that's the number one thing they struggle with. Travis Bunch said the 5th grade trip helped him because he learned how to work the lockers and knew where his class would be on the first day. Travis was scared to start middle school because he didn't think the upperclassmen would be nice to him. He also thinks that giving the 5th grade work to do with the 6th grade would help them. Olivia Davis said the trip helped her because she learned what room she was supposed to be in and she got to know the teacher's before she had them in class. Olivia said when she started school here she was stressed out because she couldn't find the rooms she was supposed to be in but when the teacher's started to help it was a lot easier. Sadie Grandstaff didn't think middle school would be as small as it is she figured it to be way bigger and scary. Sadie was prepared to start middle school and the trip helped her out a bunch. Sadie said in elementary school they didn't move around from room to room and in middle school you do so that different to her. 4/7/2017 Early GradutaionBy Kloee Benadum Not only in our school but in schools everywhere there could be students thinking about the benefits of graduating early. However, here at Wes-Del, students can't graduate ahead of their class. So if a student is thinking about graduating early they may have to leave Wes-Del in order to go to the MACC or use other resources in order to acquire their needed credits to graduate, because at Wes-Del there are classes that are required as a senior that don't allow students to graduate early.
There are definitely benefits to graduating early, but there are also disadvantages to graduating ahead of your class. Hannah Hayth, former Wes-Del junior, left Wes-Del and is now a student at the MACC. She will be able to graduate this year as a junior. She is getting the remainder of the credits she needed from the career center. Hannah says the advantages of graduating early are that she gets to have more responsibility and gets a head start on college and the rest of her life. She says some disadvantages of graduating early would be that she may have to settle for a general diploma or a Core 40, since graduating early doesn't allow much time for Academic Honors. Also she will miss out on the "senior year experience". Graduating early would require students to leave their friends and high school lives behind. The student might also lose touch with their high school friends. Lastly, settling for a lower diploma could be a negative aspect about graduating early and something students may regret later in life. Guidance counselor, Ms. Chambers, says that graduating early would require a student to give up his/her childhood and move into early adulthood. She says she understands under some circumstances graduating early would be necessary for some situations such as a student getting pregnant in high school or a student needing to have the income of a job graduating early would help in those situations. Although she wouldn't advise a student to graduate early and miss out on their "high school experience", she does see when it could be necessary. Graduating early would be a big adjustment for a student. He/She would be leaving behind everything he/she had known and would be moving on to bigger things without their friends to experience it with them. He/she would be one of the youngest at college or in their jobs. Although Wes-Del doesn't allow students to graduate early some schools do. If students are considering graduating early, they really need to contemplate the benefits as well as the disadvantages of graduating early before they make their choice. 4/7/2017 Math-Science ClubBy Reece Malchow At Wes-Del Middle/High School students get to branch out and join as many clubs as they wish. The clubs at Wes-Del vary from academic clubs to clubs relating to personal interest. Recently, the Math Science Club went on a trip to Chicago, where the members not only had fun but also educational experience. A few places the students went to in Chicago this year were the Museum of Science and Industry, the Brookfields Zoo, the Bean, downtown area, and Shedd Aquarium. They were glad they went on the trip because they got to talk to and hang out with people they usually don't get the opportunity to during school. Students were able to do something they would want to do but also have it be educational. "My favorite part was the Museum because I liked the old exhibits and history," says Kathleen Mcgarvey.
"My favorite part was being with the kids; it's fun to watch them have a good time whether it's an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry or in a mirror maze. It's fun to watch them pick up on things and have hands on examples," states Mrs. Trehearne, the sponsor of the club. Students found it easier to pay for the trip in increments because then they didn't have to pay for it all at once, which could be difficult for some students. In total students, had to pay $205 for the Chicago trip, which included paying for the charter bus, admissions into each experience, and the hotel rooms. The club requires students to have 5 math and science classes combined either completed or are currently enrolled in. The trip varies year to year considering on where the students want to go. For instance last year the Math Science Club went to St. Louis. A couple of places they visited were the Arch and a zoo. The Chicago trip is not the only thing that the Math Science Club participates in. They also visit the elementary school, play math related games, and help the students there. "When we visited the elementary school, we took math games we thought they'd like. We went into different classrooms, where we divided students up into groups and then played games based on the grade they were in," says Taylor Partazana. The Math Science students visiting the elementary helped introduce the kids with what groups are available in high school and what they may be interested in when they get older. The students also do community service to receive their service hours and help out those in the community. Next year, more and more students plan on joining the club and most current members plan on continuing to be included in the Wes-Del Math Science Club due to these exceptional educational opportunities. If you have any questions about the Math Science Club contact Mrs. Trehearne. 3/1/2017 Academic Super BowlKloee Benadum The academic Super Bowl team is an academic-based club sponsored by the State Principals' Association. It is much like the skill bowl teams Wes-Del offers in middle school. Wes-Del has offered Academic Super Bowl in the past but hasn't offered it for the past several years. However this year, Academic Super Bowl was offered to the whole high school student body; there is no set of requirements for a student to be a part of a team.
There are a series of competitions for Academic Super Bowl teams. They are typically held at other high schools. For the first year getting back into it, Wes-Del got a late start and at this time, are only planning on competing at one competition in April. There are five teams covering the subjects of Fine Arts, Social Studies, Science, and English. The overall theme and focus for all the categories this year is The French Revolution. High school guidance counselor and team leader, Mrs. Chambers, says there are many benefits for a student being on an academic team. Some of these benefits include being a part of a group that's isn't athletic, the members learning information that may not be in the school requirements, and also students surrounding themselves with other students they may not typically. She also says for students interested in academic teams this would be a good preparation for academic clubs and opportunities in college. For example, sophomore, Kory Candelario, says he joined because it was a good opportunity to learn new things and will look good on college applications. Each individual team has their own set of items to study. There are lists of topics each team should know within their subject. Being the member of a team can be a lot of work for a student. There is a lot of reading, research, and studying a member must do to be well prepared for the competitions. Much, if not all of the work a member is responsible to do on their own. Although they do do a lot of work on their own they also meet as a team to quiz each other and share research they have conducted. A team may decide to divide the work. So that students will individually research different topics then will share what they researched with the team so they don't all have to research everything individually. The academic super bowl team could potentially be a big undertaking for an involved student. It is a lot of research and responsibility to be a member. This would be a lot of work for a student who is also involved in other clubs and sports. It would especially be a big undertaking if a student was a member of more than one team within Academic Super Bowl. Sophomore, Kory Candelario, is a member of both the science and social studies teams. He says that he thinks being a member of two teams will be a lot of work, but he isn't involved in sports, so he has more time than a student athlete would to study and research. The Academic Super Bowl team will overall be a good opportunity for the team members and school in general. It will expose students to information they may have never been required to learn and will be an opportunity for them to meet new people. It will also be beneficial for some of their future activities or college studies. At this time, Wes-Del is planning on offering it again next year, as they had more student interest this year than they were expecting. 2/6/2017 Early RiserBy Reece Malchow Wes-Del Middle/High School students hurriedly head out the door hopping into their car. They rush hoping to make it to class on time. They've tried time and time again to wake up earlier, but it just never seems to work out that way. Even when the student arrives to school only a few seconds late, they receive a tardy as the secretary scribbles down a pass. A few students slump over their desks, unable to comprehend what the teacher is lecturing about because their brains haven't woken up yet.
"After puberty, there is a biological shift in an adolescent’s internal clock of about 2 hours, meaning that a teenager who used to fall asleep at 9:00 PM will now not be able to fall asleep until 11:00PM. It also means they should be waking 2 hours later in the morning. In most school districts, the move to high school is accompanied by an earlier school start time. Some high schools start as early as 7:00 AM, meaning that some teenagers have to get up as early as 5:00 AM to get ready for and travel to school. Some things that can keep a student up late would be homework, sports, after-school activities (often occurring during the evening), and socializing." The person who wrote this statement is Mindell JA. It shows that many students' internal clocks are varying from those of adults and children. They fall asleep at a later time, which causes them to need to sleep in at a later time to preform at their best. If students come into school early in the morning, their brains might not function as well as they would if they were allowed to sleep longer. Mrs. Lee, who teaches a psychology class, recently discussed how there is scientific proof that shows that the adolescent brain doesn't wake until 9 or 10 o' clock in the morning. She thinks the middle/high school should start later. It could be a possibility since other schools have started having middle/high school start later on so that students can get their required amount of sleep and be fully awake in school. Reese Collins says that it would be easier to go to school an hour later after the farming season is over. He says there are benefits of stating school later, which would be having time to eat breakfast or sleep in, but it may alter his work schedule because of daylight saving time. "Starting later would help academics because everyone would be more rested and be able to concentrate better. " Mr. Sims agrees that starting school later would be beneficial for students. "I think the school day would be more aligned with families and their work schedule. It would make it easier on parents and guardians. An extra hour would also beneficial to those students that have a lot of activities." Mr. Denny believes that students would appreciate it because they would be more rested and energized. He does, however, feel as if he'd be at a disadvantage for his job as athletic director since all athletic events would have to be pushed back at a later time. Most teachers and staff believe that school starting later would be easier for students, so they can arrive to school well prepared and rested. It would be easier for students' sleeping schedule but may also affect work, sport, or club schedules that are also important to the school environment. There are many positive and negative outlooks on starting the school day later. 12/20/2016 The Class Not Takenby Kloee Benadum Wes-Del High School provides a wide variety of classes and sports to its students. Although there is a wide variety of classes and sports offered here, there are still academic and athletic options the students wish were available. Below is a chart displaying the most wanted sport and class for each grade and for the overall high school. Offering a new or different class or sport may seem simple, but there are many things to consider. For us to offer a class there has to be enough student interest in that particular class. Even if students are interested in a class, there are always scheduling conflicts that could prevent a student from being able to take that class. There has to be at least four students interested and available for a class for it to be offered. As for the sports, Wes-Del doesn't have the resources for some sports or enough student interest to form a full team. Although Wes-Del would like to provide its students with as many opportunities as possible, some classes, sports, clubs, and opportunities just aren't available for our small school at this time.
11/28/2016 Juggling JobsBy Reece Malchow All around Wes-Del students prepare for job interviews and fill out applications in the hopes of getting a job. Other students spare what little free time they have to work in order to get paid or earn job experience. Some students even juggle a job, club, sport, and academics all at the same time. Some find it difficult to manage these but others feel that they can find time in their schedule to be able to complete homework. On the other side of the spectrum, teachers try to be understanding with busy students who work on homework late at night.
"I try to understand that people are busy outside of school. Sometimes I forget to grade assignments. Everybody forgets things, so I try to be lenient with kids," Mr. Stacy explains. He understands that students can be busy, especially if they have a late shift or game that runs late at night."The best thing for students to do is to learn time management skills. It's easier to start sooner and learn how to budget your time and try to spread it around as equally as you can." Mr. Kubick also agrees with this. "If you're in clubs or sports it's just a matter of managing your time." He, however, is understanding of students being busy since he had a job in high school. He understands that sometimes students are involved in after school activities or have a job and allows them to turn in late homework. "I try to allow them to get as much done in class so that students don't get loaded down with a lot of homework." Jasmine Jones has had a difficult time with being in FBLA, student council, the yearbook class, track, golf, her job, and band but has managed her time well. If she has several events in one day, she tries to go to school based events first. "My priority is school, so I'll usually try to get someone to cover for me at work. One time, I had band and a golf county meet, so I went to golf because I was on the varsity team. The meet ended up getting cancelled, so sometimes it's hard being apart of different things." Mason Williams, who works at Meijer, says, "I work 5 hour shifts, so sometimes I have to go straight from school to work and then I get home late." It explains how sometimes it's hard to work and manage homework at the same time. Demarcus England who also works at Meijer enjoys having a job but does miss out with spending time with family and friends on top of time he could be spending on academics. "I can't spend time with my mom or friends sometimes because I have work." Overall, a majority of teachers are very understanding if a game runs late of if a student has to work a late shift and forgets to do homework because everyone makes mistakes and Wes-Del teachers want to see students be involved in activities as well as be successful in their academics. Students having a job have to sacrifice a lot of time with friends and families, but they always try their best to complete school work. They are learning something even more valuable than they realize by managing their time and activities. 11/3/2016 Pride Time PurposeKloee Benadum Pride time was first introduced to Wes-Del in the 2015-16 school year. It was the idea of Principal, Mr. Mealy. The idea of pride time was based on Google's "Genius Hour". It is a twenty-five minute class in which students aren't partaking in the typical classroom activities. The purpose of pride is to be a time for students to work on projects that interest them or that they are passionate about.
Over the last year pride time has had several different purposes. At first it was meant to be a time for students to work on anything that interested them. From this we got the "WNA's", an award program treated like a red carpet event and WDTV, a online student video news program. Both of these were products of pride time in the 2015-16 school year. Last year, Pride was also used as test prep for the second portion of the year. This year pride time has shifted more toward a study hall. This year pride also allows time for pep sessions, convocations, and club meetings without disrupting academic class time. Clubs and groups have increased in popularity because for a majority of the clubs students don't have to stay after or come early to school because they meet during pride. Pride time is still a work in progress. Principal, Mr. Mealy, says that the current state of pride is not what he had originally envisioned. He thinks that it is still beneficial for students to have a break in the day to work on homework or just decompress. Junior, Natalie Grant, says, "pride time is very beneficial because it gives me time to work on homework." Mr. Mealy also sees pride as a time for teachers to mentor the handful of students they have. Mr. Romine says that he feels closer with and is more of a mentor to the students he has in his pride class. Mr. Mealy also sees it as an opportunity for students to create friendships with some they may not have without Pride. Although Pride is not being used this year as the originally intended "Genius Hour", it still has enough benefits to the students that it's still worth keeping in the schedule. According to Mr Mealy, "Without Pride, the pep sessions would have never happened, we wouldn't have the school spirit that we have, and we wouldn't have clubs like FBLA." For Mr. Mealy and some of the teachers, it's an incredibly important time. Pride is so important to Mr Mealy that he said, "I will fight for it every year." Pride time has also opened up a time for different learning experiences for students. There have been several educational convocations during pride so far this school year. The most recent being over cyber safety given by the Indiana State Police. These educational experiences for the students would not be possible without Pride. Mr. Mealy also has hopes that one day, Pride could be a time for students to learn life skills they typically wouldn't learn in school such as how to change a tire. At the time being, clubs only meet once a week on Wednesdays, but that makes it hard for the students that are involved in multiple clubs. These students have to choose what club is more important and attend that meeting. Our pride schedule is open for having clubs meet more than once a week if the students would be interested in that and there weren't any other conflicting events. Although having clubs meet more than once a week would be an advantage to those in multiple clubs, it would take a lot of time from those in WDTV. WDTV is an online news program produced by Mr. Romine and his pride class. Mr. Romine says that his pride students participate in a great portion of other clubs and the majority of his students are in club meetings on Wednesdays, which takes away from the time used to make the WDTV program. Although Pride isn't what it was originally expected to be, it is still very beneficial to the students and staff members. There is no set schedule or expectation for Pride, and its main purpose may change throughout the year or from year to year. Pride is still new to Wes-Del and can be expected to grow and change as time goes on. 10/4/2016 Warriors in the MACCBy Marie Lawrence Many people think the Muncie Area Career Center is for students who have no other options, need help finding a career, or always have low grades. There are an extreme amount of opportunities that aren't given respect due to the negative stigma that some feel about the Career Center. They overlook the positive benefits of attending each day.
Mrs. Chambers, guidance counselor, agrees that sometimes people overlook the options at the career center. It offers some courses that Wes-Del might not have and exposes them to new things. According to Mrs. Chambers, "Some kids attend to get out of the traditional school environment and try something new, or they might have a passion they can learn more about." Mrs. Chambers can't advise for it or against it, but there are students who have interests that would be great for them out of the 13 different programs the Career Center offers. "The benefits are definitely meeting new people, getting exposed to other careers, and gaining certification for college." She adds, "Each semester gives 3 credits." Mrs. Chambers thinks there is some negative mentality shown towards the MACC because in the past, it was only used for unsuccessful students. "It was only looked at as just an option to get through school instead of getting a diploma." "A lot of people don't understand the courses at MACC; they're college based. My classes are graded equally to a college course," says junior, Zoé Michael. She attends the Career Center because she wants to go to school for something she wants to do in the future. She would rather go to a class where she learns what she loves than take high school classes, that may not help in the area she wants to study in college. She explains, "MACC offers students' credit recovery and classes to help those struggling with grades, but that's not only what it's for." Senior, Ben Mathewson, has not witnessed any negative mentality towards the Career Center. "People still overlook the better education and skills towards their future career opportunities," he says. He is planning on going to college, and he says the courses at MACC are focused on certain skills that benefit students in their future careers or areas of study. "It's an opportunity to enhance learning in a field I enjoy," he says about attending in the mornings everyday before attending Wes-Del. The Career Center is something students should learn about to see if it's right for them instead of basing an opinion on a stereotype. Students still get to attend Wes-Del activities and take their required classes to graduate while attending the Career Center to get college credits. Though they are found in the Career Center halls, they're still warriors at heart. |
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