Common Sense
Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137
September 23, 2016
Volume 17 Issue 1
South closes doors for option enrollment
Miriam Cortes Staff Reporter
For the first time in years, Millard South has closed enrollment for potential students residing outside the designated attendance zone. If an incoming student were to apply to attend Millard South but lived outside the mandated boundaries, they would be denied admission. The freshman class currently has about 625 students, which is partially due to the new programs such as ROTC, College Possible, and Early College High School. According to Principal Heidi Weaver, the biggest contributor to the increase is the boundary redraw. Before the map was reproportioned, students were opting to attend Millard West and Millard North even though they lived closer to Millard South. Because of this, Millard South now has the biggest and most populated boundary out of the three schools. Millard South registrar Matt Fedde also commented on closed enrollment and the increase in school population.
“We hit a quota number of students that the district approved and said we will no longer accept new enrollment students this year.” This is due to the number of students per teacher; Millard South simply doesn’t have enough teachers at this time to accommodate the growing student population, he said. Ultimately, the district has the final say when it comes to closing enrollment, and they are expecting the same number of incoming freshman next year. Due to the increase, the district will most likely have to hire more teachers. The district requires an average class ratio of 1:20, but with the addition of so many students, more staff will be needed to meet this goal. For this freshman class there is absolutely no space remaining for open enrollment. According to Rebecca Kleeman, Communications Director for the district, “It is very likely that next year we will have to close enrollment again for incoming freshmen after the capacity is met.” With expanding the school’s student body comes consequences: lunch is more crowded, the halls are packed, and students hoping to change their schedules are finding that class sections are full. This year the impact is concerning, but not detrimental. However, in the near future the district and school will be forced to accommodate to the growing numbers.
art by Tori Barkus
Doors may be closed, but Early College still draws more Isabel Kimminau Staff Reporter
mendations, student responses, testing, etc. “Early college students, in order to be successful, have Throughout this past year there has been a lot of buzz to be to be extremely hard working,” says Wesely, “The about the new pilot program that’s exclusive to Millard students who are being successful ECHS are the ones who South; the program entitled Early College High School are putting in the time and dedicating all of their efforts (ECHS). As the only high school that offers this program towards being successful on school.” The program is a comin Nebraska, Millard South is under close watch, as this mitment that these students are for their entire high school program may affect how high schools operate in the future. career. Despite the fact the program is in its second year, there are “Basically all of our courses are classes that we already still many who are unsure aobut what the progrm offers. offer here at Millard South, which is great. Our freshmen In the words of ECHS coordinator Amy Wesely, the are taking schedules that would look exactly like they would program is “an opportunity to allow student to graduate to any other incoming freshmen,” Wesely said. with their Associate’s degree. Essentially we are offering This being said, students tend to be leaning more tostudents the ability to take college credit courses, exactly as ward the honors and AP courses that are offered at Millard they are taking their regular courses here at South; they are South. just receiving credit for it and they are paying an insanely “It’s easier for Early College students to graduate when low cost,” she said. they are dedicated to taking honors language classes, when The cost for an ECHS class is $29 and the Millard Pub- they are dedicated to enrolling in AP classes, because it lic Schools Foundation pays half of that, bringing the cost simply gives them more credit at a quicker rate,” Wesely down to $14.50 per class. said. So as ECHS students, the rigor level that is expected of While at the start of the program it was open to upper- these students is higher than it normally would be. classmen, the program is now only available to the incom One of the biggest advantages of this program is the ing freshmen. The application process begins in January fact that when students do graduate they will not only have and they review many things from grades, teacher recomtheir high school diploma, but they will also be graduating with an Associate’s degree in their pocket. “Essentially these students will be able to go to college, not have to take a lot of expensive classes, just focus on their major, and they’re going to get out in the workforce quicker. They aren’t going to spend as much time in school and paying for school down the road, they’re going to be able to get out and be contributing members of society in our workforce faster,” Wesely said. “A drawback is certainly students who may not be dedicated to their school work and who may not be putting in the time needed for this program,” Wesley said. “The truth is that they are building a college transcript. If the academic side of things is not their priority, and those grades slip, then that will follow them to college,” she said. As this program advances the faculty is trying to prepare students for college without the help and support that they have available here in Junior Cody Klinkacek works on his daily reflection his Academic Seminar high school. class. Academic Seminar is a class where ECHS students learn life skills need- One of these things is a class called “Acaed for college. One of those skills is reflection. “When you stop and look in, you demic Seminar.” In this class students learn really learn a lot about yourself,” Klinkacek said. Photo by McKenna Krueger
about the resources that they have, good habits, how they should build their college resume, what colleges are looking for, as well as a variety of other life skills that they’ll need to succeed in college. Another thing that may have helped the students to succeed is their accessibility to laptops as they were also the students who piloted the One to One laptop program that, starting next semester, will allow every student to have access to their own, school distributed, laptop. “All of these classes are going to be transferable to various colleges and universities, but the easiest way to find out what those courses transfer in as or how the Associate’s degree transfers, is simply to contact the school you’re interested in,” Wesely said. UNO has also stated that all of the classes this degree covers will be transferable, though the actual degree itself is provided through Metro Community College. Basically the Early College High School program is way for students to get ahead in their academic career. When they graduate not only do they have a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree, which they were able to get for $14.50 per class, but they also have the life skills and experience that they need to be successful in college. This allows them to jump-start both their college careers and their life in the workforce beginning in high school.
2% 18%
80%
source: July 11, 2016, Millard School Board meeting packet Design by Isabel Kimminau