Hawkeye 5 2015

The need for more teachers of color May 2015 | Volume 30 | Issue 6

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Teaching to various learning styles

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Some Hawks fly farther away

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Making the most of your time at Terrace 10

2 | May 2015

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May 2015 | 3 hawkeye Leadership ‘14-’15

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May 2015 | Volume 30 | Issue 6

Save electives

Diversity

The near cancellation of HBN shows the need to protect elective programs.

There’s a disconnect between the diversity of the district’s student body and the lack of diversity in its staff.

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College credit

Techniques

A guide to the increasingly popular College in High School classes compared to AP and Running Start.

How do MTHS teachers accommodate students with different learning styles?

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Requirements The graduation requirements for students can be unclear and frequently change.

STEPS TO SUCCESS START NOW

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“If you don’t feel anxiety about the transition you’re about to make, that’s a problem because that means you’re not motivated. You should be motivated to go out and make some moves.”

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Out-of-state A deeper look at what it takes to pay to go to college out-of-state.

Behavior coordinator

Editorial News Editor Stephi Smith Sports Editors Austin McDermott & Luke Thurber Feature Editor Daniil Oliferovskiy Co-Op/Ed Editors Beza Ayele & Isaac Otis Lifestyle Editor Maxine Taylor Business General Manager Open Advertising Manager Robin Choi Distribution Manager Brian Tran Visual Graphics Editor Erika Fisher Photo Editor Serafina Urrutia Design Editor Arsha Kiani Online Online Manager Jaira Arcilla Social Media Manager Maria Balcita Nick Fiorillo ........................................................

Adviser Vince DeMiero FANs Coordinators Sandra Merten & Cathy Fiorillo Printing Pacific Publishing Member MTHS ASB, JEA/WJEA, NSPA, Student Press Law Center, Tao of Journalism

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Mission

Policies

Taking an active role in your education W

Editorial Board Nick Fiorillo, Paxtyn Merten, Isaac Otis, Erika Fisher, Stephi Smith

Mission Statement The Hawkeye’s mission is to provide the MTHS community with quality, thought-provoking student produced publications. In policy and in practice since 1960, the Hawkeye is a designated open forum publication.

Michael Boxley

Letter from the Editor

hile brainstorming story ideas in the beginning of the year, Editor Emeritus Nick Fiorillo and I stumbled upon the idea of creating an edition, cover to cover, focused on issues pertaining to education.

What would be Paxtyn Merten Editor-in-chief a better way to serve our readers, largely composed of students, than to dig deep into topics that they have spent the last several years wondering about?

Graduation requirements, what types of advanced classes to take, why they cannot seem to retain information in certain classes and specifically why all of the actions and habits they make here matter.

Developing a good idea of future career goals and aspirations is vital for students to

Paxtyn Merten

Editor Emeritus

College admissions officers, teachers and state education officials voice the importance of getting an early start on post-high school planning.

Netania Rivera | Hawkeye

Editor-in-Chief

do while in high school.

For many who go into college blind to the way they want to spend the rest of their lives or who don’t have a clear end goal in mind, precious time and money is wasted doing this intensive self-exploration in college.

What some don’t realize is that high school is the place for students to really assess their personal strengths, weaknesses and interests. Based on that, they may put themselves into the best position to pursue a career related to their passions.

This could be through taking advanced courses, joining and becoming a leader in a certain club, or applying for a summer internship.

In a competitive job market, every single opportunity and action a student takes in the step of their future career path is a step in the right direction. Getting ready for the real world isn’t some foreign idea that

can be put off into the far future. Students must prepare today, right now, for the future that awaits just across that elevated stage.

Getting a grasp of everything that students may want to read or become informed about pertaining to education proved to be impossible to do all in one issue.

With such a broad topic and so many subcategories, it was difficult for writers to pinpoint what they were most passionate about covering.

There remain so many unanswered questions and areas of concern for high school students. While this may be the special edition education issue, the Hawkeye’s coverage of key issues in education does not stop at the end of these pages.

Staff and leadership will continue to cover the stories that are most important to us and the rest of the student body. H

2014-2015 Hawkeye Staff Alex Croce, Anna Vu, Anthony Markert, AsiaLee Donnelly, Clohey Horton, Edwin Olivera, Emily Anderson, Hannah Schuster, Ian Moffet, Irvin Zhang, Jack Fiorillo, Joshua Morrison, Katrina Pirie, Katryna Garza, Kiah Helms, Lilly Stelmack, Luke Smith, Max Tracy, Netania Rivera, Sarah Schank, Stephanie Garcia, Tessa King, Vivian Nowka-Keane and Zach Hoernlein.

Name in bold indicates the staff member of the month as selected by the Editorial Board.

The Hawkeye has established several open public forums for the exchange of information, opinions and artistic expression dedicated to those in the MTHS community. Since 1960, we have faithfully served our audience and community as an open, public forum where student editors make all decisions.

Editorials The editorial section of the Hawkeye serves as a forum for well-written, thoughtful, longer forms of expression. Signed editorials represent the opinions of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Hawkeye Editorial Board. Views printed herein are meant to be opinionated and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Hawkeye staff, student body, faculty, administration or school board. The Hawkeye will print submitted guest editorials as space allows and requests that all contributors include their name, signature and position relative to the editorial. The Hawkeye will edit all submissions for accuracy, spelling and grammar. We reserve the right to refuse to print any submission.

Letters to the Editor Readers are encouraged to voice their opinions in the Opinion section, a public forum for the expression of varying viewpoints on relevant topics. The Hawkeye will print as many letters as space allows. Letters must include the author’s name, signature and class or position relative to the letter. Typed or legible, hand written letters are acceptable, but should not exceed 200 words. The Hawkeye will edit all letters for accuracy, spelling and grammar. We reserve the right to refuse to print any letter.

Editorial Cartoons Submissions represent the view of the artist.

Editorial cartoons accompanying editorials and editorial columns represent the view of the author. Cartoons are selected based on appropriateness and clarity of message.

Advertising The Hawkeye will not accept any advertising that the Editorial Board deems to be: factually inaccurate; designed to mislead, deceive or defraud; containing malicious, vindictive or unsubstantiated attacks; offering goods and/or services illegal for teens to possess, buy or use; libelous; obscene; creating imminent danger or disruption to school. The Hawkeye reserves the right to refuse any advertising, solicited or unsolicited. Advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of the Hawkeye staff, student body, faculty, administration or school board.

Revised 9/2013

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Cover Photo/illustration

by Erika Fisher

Contact Us Email editor@thehawkeye.org Phone 425.431.7770 Mail Hawkeye | Room 130 c/o Mountlake Terrace High School 21801 44th Avenue West Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 © 2015 Hawkeye | All rights reserved.

reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

4 | May 2015

Hawkeye

Hawkeye staff editorial

Elective Classes essential to students’ success

ASB’s Spring Fling proves to be a big hit

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THS ASB definitely had the students interest in mind when organizing the “Spring Fling” on April 25.

The dance was obviously for student enjoyment rather than a way for ASB to make more money, as shown by the implementing of class fundraisers and a student DJ. With a student DJ that many people know of and are friends with, students felt connected and more comfortable as opposed to dancing in front of a random adult. Students can also request songs more without feeling too embarrassed.

Also, making the dance semi-casual was a smart decision on ASB’s part. Students could dress up for a fun night without spending too much money on clothing.

It was noticeable that a lot of hard work was put into this year’s second school dance. With announcements every morning and posters all over the school, students had few questions on what the dance would be like.

Students were very informed this year, which led to a large turnout and a fine profit to ASB. H

Outdated textbooks bad for students

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pening a textbook that was written and published before your parents attended high school is not the most beneficial thing for MTHS students.

With books that aren’t up to date, it’s hard to prepare for AP tests that change year to year. Students shouldn’t be expected to learn from textbooks that don’t properly prepare or teach them. They should be able to open their books at home and learn past what they were taught in class.

However, the case is usually that a student will read the book and it consists of mostly review.

Furthermore, a handful of the textual information isn’t always completely accurate. Students hear their teacher say “your book does a poor job at explaining this” or “this isn’t right in your book” as often as they hear their teachers say “open your book to page…”

Teachers also shouldn’t be expected to pick and choose what’s correct in their textbook, they should be able to teach with the book assign any book work with confidence that they aren’t misinforming their students.

Information is ever changing, history is being added to and fixed. So, why are students expected to be held behind with this outdated information?

An investment of updated textbooks would benefit both students and teacher and could even raise grades, graduation rates and standardized test scores. H

More graduation requirements, schedule restrictions limit students’ choices I

t was learned recently that with too few students enrolling in the Broadcast Production class, HBN would be canceled next year. After pleas to the student body, enough students went to their counselors to enroll in the class, saving the program.

Although this situation ultimately ended successfully, it is indicative of a disturbing trend for specialty programs that are essential to a school’s success. Elective programs are often disregarded as extras; fun additions to serious academic schedules. But this mentality creates a negative impact for students.

This issue is indicative of the problems that are created by overburdening students with additional graduation requirements. Programs like “Core 24” and other mandates are increasing the amount of credits students need to graduate. However, requirements that dictate what specific credits students need, limit students’ abilities to take classes that truly interest them and may potentially lead them to discovering their passion.

When students go to register for the next year’s classes, they often find that the control they have over their schedule continues to shrink. Instead, specific requirements limit choices and thus opportunities.

The challenge becomes much more severe for students involved in music, art or STEM programs. Mandatory credit requirements force these students to often times choose between classes they are interested in and classes they need in order to graduate.

While the increase in graduation requirements may be well-intentioned, the disregard for electives is a disturbing trend. The importance of elective credits is often overlooked.

Many education officials may not consider that it is imperative for students to have enough flexibility in their schedules in order to experiment with different subjects, courses and programs.

Electives allow students to find their passion in high school, allowing many students to go

into college knowing what they want to study.

Many students who enroll in college do so without knowing what they will study. This results in many college students changing their major, sometimes numerous times.

Students who show up to college without knowing what it is they want to do may have to spend an additional year or even two in college in order to complete a degree if they have decided to change. With more students filling more seats for longer amounts of time, tuition rates rise.

Having an idea of what you want to study in college before you get there is becoming more and more essential for students today.

It is for this reason that electives cannot be seen as an afterthought for secondary education.

As a school and a district, we need to value electives just as much as core subjects.

Additionally, electives serve as incentive for many students to stay engaged in school.

Elective programs such as music, art and career and technical education provide engaging, hands-on learning experiences for students.

While some students may not find a passion in a science or math class, for example, they may find they have talent in other areas. These elective programs provide students with a connection to their education.

Electives cannot be viewed as filler classes on the schedule. Their availability should not be based upon an arbitrary number of students who indicate they are interested in the class.

These programs should be fully funded and guaranteed for all students, every year.

The staff editorial represents the views of the Hawkeye Editorial Board.

Netania Rivera | Hawkeye

Hawkeye

The end is in sight

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s I write this article, there are ly, don’t let up just yet. It never fails that 29 days of school remaining for there are surprises each year—students seniors and 34 days left for the rest of us. who think they’ve passed their classes Another school let up and then they find out they failed year is coming a class at the very end. Don’t make this to a close. Now mistake. Stay focused. is the time to For 9th, 10th and 11th graders, how really focus you finish this school year will set the in on what’s standard for the new school year to come. left to do in Many of the same things I’d say to seniors Greg Schwab your classes. apply to all of you as well. Find out how Principal Summer will you are doing and if you are failing any be here soon classes, talk to your counselor and teachenough (at least on the calendar anyway) ers to find out what you can do in the and you’ll have time to relax and take remaining days to pass your classes. Show a break. For these remaining weeks it that you care by taking an active role in is critical that you stay on top of your what happens to you. grades and finish the year Finally, this message goes out on a strong note. to everyone—be safe. The end “Every year it For seniors, there is of a school year is a time of seems there quite a bit riding on these celebration and sometimes this is a sad story next few weeks. 22 credits celebration can go wrong. Every of high school are required for graduyear it seems there is a sad story seniors whose ation. Every year this of high school senior whose life was changed dramatically comes up that someone is life was changed dramatically because of one in a bind at the last minbecause of one bad choice. All it bad choice.” ute with credits or final takes is one instant where you projects and assignments do something you shouldn’t and that need to be done for your life and/or the lives of othclasses. Please keep this in mind. No ers are forever changed. Please remember one will walk at graduation who has not that each of you is important to so many completed all the requirements necessary people in your lives. Make good choices for graduation—that means all 22 credits and take care of yourself—for you and for need to be completed. Plan accordingly. If those who care about you. H you think you are in danger of not passNote: The Hawkeye provides the MTHS administration ing a class, don’t wait until the last week space each issue in the Op/Ed section as part of our of school to do something about it. Go mission as a designated open public forum. see your counselor, talk to your teachers.

Find out what you need to do to pass your classes. For those of you passing current-

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May 2015| 5

“Spring Fling” a big hit

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n April 24, the Executive ASB hosted have more opportunities for him to perform.

“Spring Fling Beach Bash” in the HUB. Another vital factor of the dances success This was the first time our school had done was having our very own Jazz Band perform. a Spring Fling in The group consisted of Collin Rhodes on bass, many years. It was Ryan Leppich on drums, Jun Park on piano, a bash to say the Josiah Sum on tenor saxophone, and Jacob least. There were Krieger on alto saxophone. They performed fun games upstairs a set of four swing dance songs. Having them including; ping perform along with DJ May’s songs offered a pong, foosball and lot of musical variety. Not only was it fun for Alisha Clingan pool. Class ASB people that attended the dance but, the Jazz ASB Public Relations Officer kept everyone Band seemed to have a lot of fun as well. satisfied; the Senior drummer Ryan Leppich said, “I sophomore class sold ice cream bars and the thought it was great that we had a chance to junior class sold lemonade. Toward the end play for the student body, especially at a dance. of the dance there was a limbo contest for It forced us to prepare fun dance music, and I both boys and girls. Not to mention there was think we got a positive response.” fabulous music. “I thought it was ASB looks to continue to collabawesome; great music, a sweet orate with Jazz Band and different “The most DJ, and lot of funky moves,” said parts of the school to create more important part sophomore Jeremy Ansdell. collective events for the student was that the There were several factors for body. student body the dances success; one of them There was a lot of work that went had a great being our schools first ever stuinto this dance, from decorations, time, making all of our hard work dent DJ, Joey May. In the past, to food, to coordinating with totally worth it.” students have tried to DJ, but the everyone. Despite all of the details, administration wouldn’t allow it. everything came together better After proposing all the details and a song list, than expected. There were over 220 people that Joey May was officially approved to perform attended the dance and with tickets at $5, ASB at Spring Fling. Leading up to the dance, he made a profit of $640. This dance was beyond invested in some DJ equipment and worked successful from every aspect. The most imporhard on his mixes. All of his hard work paid off tant part was that the student body had a great big time. time, making all of our hard work totally worth “Spring Fling was my first live performance it. Thank you to everyone who had a part in ever and all the feedback I’ve gotten has been making Spring Fling Beach Bash happen. If positive. I hope to improve even more and creyou are interested in viewing pictures and/or ate an even more amazing experience for the videos from the dance, be sure to check out the school at the next opportunity I get,” May said. “MTHS Spring Fling 2015” Facebook page.

Note: The Hawkeye provides the Associated Student Body space Having May DJ helped energize the danceeach issue in the Op/Ed section as part of our mission as a floor tremendously. Hopefully our school will designated open public forum.

HAWKS AREN’T AFRAID TO PUT THEMSELVES OUT THERE

ever be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.” ~Author Unknown There comes a time when we all take that one giant leap, chance, or risk that is out of our comfort zone. For many of you it may come in the form of trying out for a team, auditioning for a play or asking that one person to homeKim Stewart athletic director/activities coming. And for some, it may coordinator come in the form of a challenge or dare by others. How about pushing yourself academically by taking an AP class or learning an instrument? Maybe it’s deciding “today I stand up for a social issue.” Maybe it’s buying clothes or listening to music that doesn’t fit the norm but brings you joy.

So what stands in our way, blocking the road that keeps us in that safe place? Its fear. It’s the fear of failing, falling, or not fitting in. The fear of being mocked or laughed at if our

this was a new radical plan. A student DJ. What? And let’s attempt ends in failure. Then of course there are the scars to invite members of our jazz bands to play a set in the middle remind us, both physically and mentally. of the dance and do some swing dancing. What? We are “The fear of being laughed at makes cowards of us all.” really going out on a limb here, reaching for the ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s stars and grabbing rings. For the first time in Notebook, 1960 “What would a very, very, very long time, I had a very enjoyWhat would our world be like if we didn’t our world be like able time at a dance. The DJ, Joey May, was ever take chances? I would say pretty dull and if we didn’t ever not only good but professional. The jazz band? predictable. But we don’t have to worry about take chances?

Well the crowd had them do two encores. that. And I have heard, in one way or another I would say pretty dull and And did anyone know we had a jazz singer from current and past students and teachers, predictable.” in the house disguised as Alisha Clingan? that Terrace is a safe place to fail. So what are Somebody(s) took some chances last Friday you waiting for? Try something new. Start a night and proved you can have fun at a dance without that... new club or join a club or team.

Last Friday night ASB took a stab at having another dance. you know what I mean. Thank you to everyone who took the plunge last Friday. It was a stretch, but in the end, we all got When I became the Activities/Athletic director at MTHS, the stuffed animal and a lot of folks felt pretty dang good. the first two years we had 11 dances. “Yes, 11.”

“You’ll always miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

Over the years, because of dirty dancing, that number has dwindled down to just two. When members of ASB came to ~Wayne Gretzky Did you know Michael Jordan was cut from his high school me and said they had a plan for a Spring Fling dance I was basketball team as a junior? True! H skeptical. Our TOLO last year came off without a hitch but

6 | May 2015

Hawkeye

Clarifying College in High School

Schools nationwide are making efforts to implement opportunities for students to earn college credit while in high school. This has resulted in interest and growth of College in High School courses.

Story by Daniil Oliferovskiy Graphics by Erika Fisher

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ationally, legislators and educators are making efforts to increase opportunities for high school students to earn college credit.

As a result, many educators have been implementing College in High School (CHS) programs.

“College in High School is where students have the opportunity to take a college class in the high school setting, and they can earn college credits. [It’s] similar to going to Running Start, but rather than going off to the college, [students] can take [college classes] here at their high school,” counselor Tanya Benvenuti said.

CHS is a dual enrollment program that allows students to gain college credit and fulfill high school graduation requirements.

To earn the college credit, a student must simply pass the CHS course.

Many see this as an advantage over Advanced Placement (AP) programs, which are independent program from CHS, because a student must pass an AP exam to earn college credit. Students in CHS do not take a test but earn credit by passing the class.

Similarly, Running Start (RS), a program where students are able to attend college classes, awards students dual credit.

Students must find their own transportation to and from the college for RS. “In Running Start, you would pay tuition and you would go to the college and take the class at the college, but College in High School is where your instructors at [the high] school are certified by local

colleges to offer that class here at MTHS. You’d be able to earn the same credit as you would get for Running Start, but instead of going to the college you can actually do that here at the school itself,” CHS Astronomy teacher Mark Burbank said.

Most Edmonds School District CHS courses are adjunct to Edmonds Community College (EdCC).

That being said, students must be aware that they are simultaneously creating two transcripts.

“That can be one of the cons. If you enroll, you’re starting your college transcript early, so you have to be aware that you are generating a college transcript and if you don’t do well in that, that can hurt you later on,” Benvenuti said.

Students must complete the registration and pay a $195 fee. If a student is on Free and Reduced Lunch, they are eligible for a $100 scholarship and thus are able to reduce the cost of CHS credits to $95. These classes award students five college credits with only one exception.

“Only one class, Engineering 100, is $100 because it is a three credit class,” EdCC Director of Special Academic Programs Pamela LeMay said.

“It’s our teachers that have been hired

by Edmonds Community College to be adjunct instructors. And so they have to meet whatever the qualifications that are established by EdCC for their courses in their departments.”

Greg Schwab Principal

Implementing CHS courses To incorporate a CHS course into a high school, a local college must certify a high school teacher and essentially hire them as adjunct instructors.

“It’s our teachers that have been hired by Edmonds Community College to be adjunct instructors. And so they have to meet whatever the qualifications are that are established by EdCC for their courses at their departments,” principal Greg Schwab said.

To be clear, CHS is a national program and high schools can partner with any college. For instance, Mark Burbank teaches CHS Astronomy in adjunction with the University of Washington.

In order to meet the qualifications to become an adjunct instructor, a high school teacher must most importantly demonstrate superior background knowledge of the subject. For some courses, an adjunct must have a graduate degree in the subject they are teaching.

“The part-time adjunct faculty, which are your high school teachers, need to meet the same qualification as if they were teaching part time in the department at [a partner college],” LeMay said.

“So various departments have different standards.

Some, like Biology, require a masters [degree] in Biology and often times a high school teacher has a masters in Curriculum and Instruction or in Teaching versus [a degree] in the content subject content area.”

Often, AP and honors classes are deemed equally rigourous to some college high schools and are realigned to meet the college requirements for accreditation.

The number of Edmonds School District students enrolled in CHS according to statistics gathered from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships

Hawkeye

“The beauty of CHS is [that] we don’t have to do anything different. It’s already what we’re doing. And again, we’ve determined that the level of rigor in most of our AP classes is high enough that it meets the standard for some of the college classes that students take already. So basically, it’s taking what we do and aligning it to the classes at the community college,” Schwab said.

To certify these classes for college credit, the course must be realigned to the college’s needs.

This means that, curriculum liaisons, typically the head of a department at a college, will overlook the CHS class.

Curriculum liaisons work with adjunct instructors to ensure that CHS classes maintain the same rigor as the college class, create a new syllabus, and prepare assignments.

Benefits of CHS vs. RS and AP What makes CHS classes appealing is that they allow students to stay at the high school and stay connected to their friends.

“One of the things we hear a lot of times from Running Start students is that they don’t feel as well connected to what’s going on here, and I think [CHS] allows for a greater connection and a greater awareness of what’s going around the school. And again, we benefit from having an intact student body,” Schwab said.

One of the disadvantages of RS, is the inconvenience of spending additional time to travel to the college, pay for gas, and finance books and supplies. CHS circumnavigates these issues.

“For most students the CHS would be a better opportunity because its less travel time. For a lot of the classes you are meeting a lot more at the high school than at the college. So you get more instructor time [and] can move at a little bit of a slower pace and cover the same material,” Burbank said.

Furthermore, CHS classes are aligned with MTHS’s semester system, so students receive college and high school grades at the same time.

In comparison, RS students find difficulty in han-

May 2015 | 7

dling a semester system at the high school and a quarter system at the college.

Perhaps most importantly, CHS guarantees college credit to high school students, unlike AP. “You can earn a lot more credit through CHS and it’s guaranteed credit,” Benvenuti said.

“Now, AP is a good opportunity, but you’ve spent an entire year working your butt of in a class and it comes down to a couple hour test. And if it happens to be a question on the one topic that you don’t grasp as strongly or you just ran out of time, that test is sup“The College in High School is a national program, so for the most part, some public universities and colleges across the United States really accept the credit, but we always tell students to check with what we call the receiving institution.”

Pamela LeMay

EdCC Director of special academic programs

posed to reflect a year’s worth of work. Whereas in CHS, you can work on that credit for the entire semester and it should be a much more accurate reflection of your work and effort and understanding.

And if you have a bad day in a CHS class, you make it up the next day. If you have a bad day on an AP Test, you’re out of $100 bucks and a year’s worth of work,” Burbank said.

Another overlooked benefit of CHS, is that the challenging program helps ease the transition into college.

Transferring & Applying Credits As mentioned before, CHS awards students five credits for passing a CHS class – except Engineering Orientation, which awards just three credits. This allows students to reduce the amount of time it takes to earn a degree.

“It also can take longer than four years to graduate from college, so there’s kind of a push to start a little

bit earlier,” Benvenuti said.

These credits can be applied in a variety of different ways.

Some colleges only allow students to apply five credits for each criterion.

For instance, Edmonds Community College may require students to take 15 credits of Social Studies, but a student may only apply a maximum of five credits from one subject area.

A student must therefore take three different social studies courses of different subjects that award five credits each in order to amass 15 credits.

That being said, if a student accumulates over 15 credits, these credits can run over and fulfill elective requirements. “(For example) Dan Lafferty is offering computer science. If someone is going to be an English major, do they really need that computer science class? Probably not, but those five credits will count towards electives in most programs,” LeMay said.

It is well known that AP credits will apply to almost all colleges in the nation, but students are often worried about whether CHS credits will apply for out of state colleges.

“The College in High School is a national program, so for the most part, most public universities and colleges across the United States really accept the credit, but we always tell students to check with what we call the receiving institution,” LeMay said.

“In the state of Washington, we have a written, articulated agreement that all of public universities and colleges in Washington will definitely take these credits.”

When the credits are transferred to another college, the transcript does not distinguish where the course was earned.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the college transcript generated while taking a CHS course does not influence or factor into the GPA of a transfer college.

For example, when transferring an EdCC transcript to UW, the EdCC transcript does not influence the UW transcript. H For additional information, visit http://www.edcc.edu/highschool/chs/faq.html

8 | May 2015

Hawkeye

the basics of grad requirements

Standardized tests are updated every few years and course credit policies are also subject to change.

It’s important to stay up-to-date with these constant modifications in order to graduate on time.

Story by Max Tracy and Edwin Olivera

natives to make up credits. Some of these alternatives include retaking classes, online correspondence classes, summer school and Running Start.

However, many of these substitutes can only be of use if the student taking them can get past the problems they encountered in regular classes, according to Hatch.

“I think that students sometimes mistake the plethora of alternatives to mean that they don’t have to work through difficulties that arise in their current classes. Most students will run into the same barriers in the alternative classes and programs,” Hatch said.

There are other subtleties and more obscure rules that are important to be aware of as a student, especially for those with more unique or full schedules. For example, ESD

hawkeye staff

Contrary to what an optimistic parent at career day might say, dreams probably won’t fall right out of the sky. Just the same, graduation requirements probably won’t get done without some work and dedication. These requirements are critical, seeing as they’re the reason students are allowed to pass high school and walk across the stage at graduation, so it is essential for students to be educated about what is expected of them.

“For all students, even those students who are not at risk to fail courses or lose credit, knowing graduation requirements and having a plan is an important part of making sure that you leave high school with the skills and the course history necessary to gain admission [into college] and to be successful in the next chapter of your education,” freshman counselor Evan Hatch said.

These requirements also differ depending on graduating class due to yearly changes decided on by the district and the state. According to Hatch, changes are made mainly to stay current with the preparation needed for student success in post-high school life and faculty members agree that high school should do the same.

“I believe everyone has a right to graduate from high school prepared to be successful in college,” English teacher Peter Breysse said.

Changes have been made recently, one being that this is the first year the Edmonds School District (ESD) is not requiring senior projects to graduate. This decision was disputed because many students and teachers felt differently on the issue of removing senior projects.

“I think students were cheated out of a chance to do a senior project. I think many students [would have] had a chance to do projects that were more meaningful than anything else they’d done in high school,” Breysse said.

“I think students were cheated out of a chance to do a senior project. I think many students [would have] had a chance to do projects that were more meaningful than anything else they’d done in high school.”

Peter Breysse English Teacher

High School Course Credit Fulfillment Overall, students currently need 22 credits to graduate in subjects including math, art, English, social studies, science, Career and Technical Education (CTE), personal finance, health and physical education. The remaining credits are then filled by electives.

If too many classes are failed to fulfill requirements, it is still not the end of the world as there are many possible alter-

hannah schuster | hawkeye

requires 0.5 credits (one semester) of physical education to be earned in the school district before waivers can be requested for the remaining portion, according to Hatch.

“In my mind, this is because students who request waivers are almost always able to enroll in at least 0.5 credits of physical education during their normal six-period day,” Hatch said.

Although it may seem like missing credits could go unnoticed and then end up hurting a student in their senior year, there is an MTHS staff member whose specific job is to help students understand what they need to graduate and get them back on track.

“All the students that I see are ones that are needing assistance with credits. [They] might be a half credit behind or a little bit more,” MTHS on-time graduation coordinator Joseph Jensen said.

Currently, students can only fail two credits worth of classes (four semester long classes) and still be able to graduate, but that is slated to change in the near future.

Starting with the class of 2021 (current sixth graders), a new and dramatic change will have students under a new set of state graduation requirements called “Core 24.” This will up the credit requirement to 24 from the current 22 .

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may 2015 | 9

According to Hatch, the changes to be made are unclear. The Washington State Board of Education, which sets credit requirements for high schools across the state, is working on the rough framework of “Core 24” and has some plans posted on its website.

While current sophomores and juniors will be required to take the English Language Arts SBA, only sophomores will be required to pass the new assessment in order to graduate. Juniors who already passed the HSPE in their sophomore year will be required to take the SBA, but do not have to pass.

Students also have the option of not taking the SBA as well, but the consequences come in different forms. For juniors who opt out, their score shows up as a zero on the exam, thus lowering the test score average for the school. Sophomores who refuse to take the SBA will end up not being able to graduate, as the test must be passed to graduate for their class.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) This year, sophomores will be taking is a new standardized test that will be a the assessment on paper while juniors graduation requirement for the classes of will be taking it on computers. According 2017 and beyond. The tests will take place to Edmonds School District Director May 19-22 this year. of Assessment, The English Research and Language Arts SBA “The Common Core Standards Evaluation Nancy will replace the High are more difficult than last year’s, Katims, this deciSchool Proficiency but since the state of Washington sion was made due Exam (HSPE) for has always had high expectations, to concerns on havthe class of 2017 and I don’t believe scores will be ing enough bandbeyond. In addition, drastically affected.” width for all the the math portion of Nancy Katims computers students the SBA will replace ESD Director of Assessment, Research and Evaluation would need to take the algebra and geomthe test simultaneetry End of Course ously.

(EOC) Exams for the The computer assessments are computer class of 2019 and beyond. adaptive, meaning the assessment will ask The SBAs are based on Common Core, questions based on a student’s previous which are state standards in place to prepare responses while attempting to find his or her students for college and other post-high level of proficiency in reading, writing and school pathways. According to the Common math.

Core website, the standards were decided by On average, it will only take three weeks governors and commissioners of education for students to know their scores, according in 2009.

Standardized testing’s new look: the SBa

isaac otis | hawkeye

to the SBA Consortium.

According to Katims, the state renews standardized tests every five to seven years to ensure accuracy in testing students’ readiness to enter the constantly changing world.

The SBA may bring many benefits, but issues are still at hand. One of the biggest problems faced with switching over to any new test is helping students become familiar with it.

Principal Greg Schwab said that scoring is usually affected, due to students not having taken the test before.

“The trend has almost always been that when we switch over to a new exam, scores tend to go down, but after a while scores begin to improve,” Principal Greg Schwab said.

According to Katims, this trend was true for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Katims said when WASL testing began in 1999, the scores began low and gradually improved over the years.

Katims said the SBA has several accommodations for students with disabilities and students in the English Language Learners (ELL) program. ELL students will have tools available to assist them, such as glossaries in their first language or translated parts of the assessment.

The SBA Consortium said the intent of these accommodations is not to give these students an unfair advantage, but to produce more valid results.

Teachers have access to interim assessments, which they can administer throughout the year to check student progress and growth, according to the SBA Consortium.

These assessments could potentially help teachers identify places their students showed weakness in order to support classroom instruction.

Teachers will also have more resources on hand to help students prepare for the assessment. There is an online Digital Library on formative assessment containing tools such as instructional models and materials, all of which match the Common Core Standards.

“The Common Core Standards are more difficult than last years, but since the state of Washington has always had high expectations, I don’t believe scores will be drastically affected,” Katims said.

According to the SBA Consortium, the estimated cost to the state for the SBA end-of-the-year assessment is $22.50 per student. The estimated cost of the summative and interim assessments and Digital Library of formative assessment is $27.30 per person.

Check counseling and career center website Pass standardized tests (Classes 2017 & beyond: SBA, 2015 & 2016: HSPE & EOC) Complete High school and Beyond Plan Pay attention to required credits netania rivera | hawkeye

It’s Going to Take Work The large majority of what students need to know is straightforward and is provided consistently throughout the year. Students can also check on these graduation requirements in detail by looking at the graduation tracking sheets on the Counseling and Career Center website.

“We try very hard to help make students aware of their graduation requirements.

Every year we give you the graduation status report, and we want to make sure students know where they’re at with their requirements,” Schwab said.

Essentially, if students can stay on track, there should be few problems encountered in dealing with graduation requirements.

If needed, there are several MTHS faculty members available to help students get the requirements they need to graduate, including counselors and administrators.

“My goal is to help get kids graduated.

When I look at grad requirements, as the principal I have the ability to make substitutions [or] make changes or waivers to certain grad requirements, the goal being to try and make sure the educational program that we design for a student meets that student’s needs,” Schwab said.

While there is a lot of assistance in accordance to graduation requirements, it is ultimately up to the student to meet these requirements.

“All we can do is provide the tools. We can only show them the door, we can’t walk through it for them,” Jensen said. H

10 | May 2015

Hawkeye

Hawkeye

MAy 2015 | 11

Get in the game now

get a job

preparing for your post-grad plans should start long before you have your diploma

By Stephi Smith Copy editor

It wasn’t until after he graduated that MTHS alumnus Michael Boxley decided on his career as a behavior coordinator.

However, it was in Terrace classrooms and hallways that he took the necessary steps to get there.

“I think [MTHS] had a considerable impact on furthering my education when it came to the secondary education I pursued,” Boxley said.

Many school officials say it is important for students to take the first steps toward their careers while in high school, because students’ actions can have a great impact on where they go after they walk across the stage and pick up their diploma.

Working toward a goal

relax

make a goal

Post-grad preparation should not necessarily begin after graduation. Ninth grade counselor Evan Hatch said that although preparing for the real world while still in high school may seem a bit early, students’ actions and experiences give them the skills needed for a future career. He advised students to begin with an end goal in mind so that they always have something to work toward.

Hatch said there is no “right” time to begin thinking about what you’ll do after

high school. It is when you have a strict idea in mind of what you want to do when you should start working to achieve your posthigh school goals.

Andrew Kelly, Student and School Success Assistant Superintendent with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), agreed with Hatch, saying it is important to have a goal in mind early on to make achievements easier.

“The sooner you have a goal, the sooner

Creagan said preparing in high school has been good for her because she predicts it will help her in college and after.

Specifically, she said it has been beneficial for her to take the classes she has taken because they directly relate to her future studies. Creagan has also spoken to students attending her future college, Washington State University (WSU), who are majoring in a similar or identical career.

“I haven’t done anything major in high

“If it wasn’t for [my coaches, teachers and advisers at MTHS] I wouldn’t have the career I have today, I fully believe that. Those people provided all of these opportunities that I have. I’m really fortunate to have the [mentors] I have.”

Nalin Sood alumnus, business technology teacher and head basketball coach

you can make the steps [to achieve that goal],” Kelly said.

Senior Mckenzie Creagan already has a part of her future planned. Creagan said she wants to be an elementary school teacher after high school and said she has put a lot of thought into this career.

“I’ve spent my whole life just thinking about being that backbone for the children to lean on and look up to, and being in this career field would bring so much joy to my life,” Creagan said.

school based on my future career, but I have talked with family members and students at WSU majoring in elementary education.

I’ve also done some babysitting and research on some of the programs available for me,” Creagan said.

Executive Director Ben Rarick with the Washington State Board of Education said seeking out a mentor after having a clear goal in mind is a good idea. Spending time with and receiving mentorship from a professional can give students the opportunity

procastinate find a mentor

sleep

get a grip

to begin building the skills and strengths they need to achieve their post-high school goals.

Mentorships have the potential to “blossom” into a job shadow or internship, which Rarick said would be very beneficial for high schoolers.

A law was implemented in Washington in 2006 called the “Comprehensive guidance and planning programs for students” that encourages administrators in each middle school, junior high school and high school to create a complete guidance and planning program for all students.

Most school administrators will require a one-on-one meeting between students and their advisers or counselors to help students decide on their long-term plans.

Hatch said most high school students will not take their high school years seriously because they’re not entirely sure as to what they want to do when they’re older. Then, when they’ve realized what they want to do for a future career, they begin to take school more seriously.

“I think what students don’t realize in that situation is that when you don’t do things now you’re restricting what you’re aware of and what you have experience with later on,” Hatch said.

Rarick said the board wants students to

continued on page 12...

focus on grades

ace your finals

ask counselor for help

get involved

work hard Hannah Schuster and netania rivera | Hawkeye

12 | May 2015

Hawkeye

today’s choices affect post-high school plans for students, whether they know it or not ...continued from page 11

education as a career. After he graduated MTHS in 2005, he start thinking about what they’ll be doing began his career with special education. This made him want after high school and how to achieve that. to advance further into education.

“Our hope is that students are engaging in the planning He said he felt a responsibility to return to his local comprocess and thinking about what’s next, what the requiremunity and help students, just as he was helped in high ments are [for the next step] in their 13th year, what classes school by MTHS teachers, counselors and administrators. they should be taking and what skills they should be devel“I felt an obligation to come back to my local community oping early on,” Rarick said. to help students who came from the same situation I came Rarick recommends incoming high school freshmen begin from and [who are] making some of the same bad decisions looking at the requirements necessary to take their next step [to assist] them in making changes in their life so they can be after high school. He said both he and the board do not successful,” Boxley said. want students to be surprised at any requirements needed to Boxley also said the choices he made while attending advance after high school.

MTHS definitely affected him later in life.

Kelly said decisions made in high school can either create He mentioned how previous MTHS math teacher and or limit opportunities for the future. current Edmonds School District Union President Andi “I’m not saying that [it] means they can’t do anything if they Nofziger helped him get his current job as MTHS behavior messed up in high school, but it makes the pathway more coordinator by introducing Boxley to the open position. challenging,” Kelly said.

“Without that connection [with Nofziger], that personal Business technology teacher and head basketball coach connection with her, the relationship that was specifically Nalin Sood said as people built in her math class, I never age, they will either look would have had the opportunity back and be proud of the to work in this position I am in “I think what students don’t realize in that choices made or want to go right now,” Boxley said. situation is that when you don’t do things now you’re restricting what you’re aware of and back and change them.

Boxley said that getting close what you have experience with later on.”

“There’s decisions we all with high school staff members regret, but for the most can and will help students later Evan Hatch freshman Counselor part I feel like the deciin life because those people are sions I made and who I was always there to help. He said [in high school] set me up that even after graduation, the for the career I have now and the lifestyle I have now. All of people a student meets in high school can still be there for those things I have in life are part of the decisions I made,” assistance and guidance, the way they were for him.

Sood said.

Sood made contacts at MTHS himself. Looking around Behavior coordinator Michael Boxley said he made some his room at pictures he’s collected over the years, Sood spoke bad decisions, but that ultimately made him want to go into fondly of the mentors and role models he made while attending MTHS. “If it wasn’t for [my coaches, teachers and advisers at MTHS] I wouldn’t have the career I have today, I fully believe that. Those people provided all of these opportunities that I have. I’m really fortunate to have the [mentors] I have,” Sood said.

Boxley said that MTHS gave him many opportunities for success when he attended and still does now. He believes many high schools hold the same opportunities, so students are being well prepared for after graduation.

Boxley also said being a part of programs outside of the classroom is very important to being successful because gaining those “real life” skills will help you later. He said that students now, as opposed to when he was in high school, are lucky because they have many more opportunities to take advantage of.

He advises students to continue to do that – to avoid looking back and regretting not doing enough.

“You don’t want to have so many [regrets] and see all these things you missed out on. If anything, you want to look back and say... ‘I did too much.’ I don’t think many people say that,” Boxley said.

Sood agreed and said the biggest regret he hears from students is that they didn’t get as involved as they would have liked. He advised students to try out new things and get as michaela chase | Hawkeye involved as they can.

Sood said he participated in many school activities, such as ASB and basketball.

Another incredibly important part of Sood’s high school life was having a J-O-B, Sood said, spelling out the word. He advised students to get a job while in high school because having the experience holds many unique lessons.

Despite having so much on his plate, Sood said he had a lot of fun in high school, calling it one of the greatest experiences in his life.

“Have fun, but while you’re having fun think of the consequences of your decisions and how that can affect others and how that can affect you,” Sood said.

Making school your focus

Principal Greg Schwab advises students just starting high school to focus on grades and school in general.

“I think students can help themselves by making sure that school is a priority and making sure it’s a priority in their lives,” Schwab said. “They [should] understand that the things they are doing [while in high school] are going to be the habits that they build for the future.”

University of Washington (UW) Director of Admissions Paul Seegert said that, when accepting applications, the board at UW pays a lot of attention to a student’s academic career. He said that other activities are considered, but grades and a student’s GPA are a major concern.

Hatch called MTHS a “comprehensive high school,” meaning that it has a lot of different classes to help prepare the students for a number of things after high school.

He went on, praising the teachers and the administration at MTHS for allowing students to be able to branch out and use their interests to help them later. “[MTHS] has lots of different classes that help students be prepared for a comprehensive list of post-high school options.

I do think that MTHS classes have prepared students for really anything after high school,” Hatch said.

Creagan said MTHS has definitely helped her prepare for her future career. She said she has taken Child Psychology and AP Psychology. These classes will help Creagan because she thinks the work is similar to what she may have as an

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MAy 2015 | 13

elementary school teacher.

In addition, she believes her English classes have put her ahead because she’s “learned so much from all the amazing English teachers at MTHS.” Creagan went on about how MTHS has helped her motivational process, saying that will help her even after she accepts her diploma.

“MTHS has taught me that sometimes things get hard and you want to give up, but [the teachers and counselors] always remind you that graduation is in the distance and that will make it all worth it,” Creagan said. “Going into college, I will take that same mindset and challenge myself to achieve the things I want in life.”

Feeling stuck?

Schwab advised any student feeling stuck or confused about their post-graduation aspirations to seek guidance as soon as possible.

He advises students to seek help either by their teacher, a counselor or any staff member. “[The MTHS administration and staff] do everything we can to support students and give them opportunities to be successful.

We have a lot of help for students who need it if they’re willing to access it,” Schwab said.

Seegert said a majority of college students do not know what they’re doing after they finish school, so it’s more than normal for a high school student to be questioning their own future.

According to Seegert, more than a handful of students applying to UW will select ‘undecided’ as their major. In addition, over half of total applicants end up changing their major before they graduate.

“Out of nearly 37,000 applications, about 4,000 selected undecided, and every applicant has to achieve to a level that we believe to be successful here because we want students to succeed and graduate. We want to admit students who can be successful here,” Seegert said.

Hatch also said that if any student feels as if they don’t know what to do after high school, he or she is more than welcome to come in and ask their counselor for help planning their next steps.

Hatch is the counselor for all MTHS freshmen and grades 10-12 are sorted by last name.

Students can find their counselor under the “Counseling & Career” section of the MTHS website and make an appointment to meet with them in the counseling office. Counselors also accept drop-ins during both lunches.

It is normal to feel anxious about post-grad plans. In fact, Hatch said that anxiety motivates you to set up a plan and work toward your goal.

Boxley agreed, saying he thinks there are more students who aren’t sure of what they want to do than students who know their exact post-high school plan.

He advised students to relax for now because it’s natural to stress out during this phase of life, but it’s important to continue working hard for a brighter future. “[Do not] stress too much [even though] this is a time of anxiety and you have to make a decision. You’re at a transition point in your life when you’re graduating so it’s going to be a stressful time, but that’s actually healthy,” Boxley said. “If you don’t feel anxiety about the transition you’re about to make, thats a problem because that means you’re not motivated. You should be motivated to go out and make some moves.” H

10 Questions to ask yourself before mapping out your post-graduation journey what do you enjoy? what have you always wanted to try?

what do you want to have in life? what feat are you most proud of ?

what do your teachers & counselors recommend?

what’s most important to you?

who do you look up to?

Do you enjoy working alone or with people?

What are your skills?

What challenges you?

Hannah Schuster and netania rivera | Hawkeye

14 | May 2015

Diversity deficiency

Hawkeye

Despite the growing diversity of the student body, few Terrace educators are people of color

Business technology teacher and head basketball coach Nalin Sood assists a student with a computer program. Once an MTHS student himself, Sood is a 1987 graduate. Sood is one of the few teachers of color at MTHS. Story by Beza Ayele Photos by Serafina Urrutia Hawkeye staff

While walking through the halls of MTHS during the school day, you’re sure to see a great deal of diversity among the students who strut, stroll and wander from class to class. But walk into an MTHS staff meeting and you surely won’t see anywhere close to that same diversity.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in 2013, 44 percent of the students at MTHS were students of color. That diversity certainly is not reflected in the faculty.

Just a handful of the 54 teachers at Terrace are people of color.

The lack of teachers of color at Terrace is representative of the situation nationally.

According to a study from the Center for American Progress, “students of color made up more than 40 percent of the school-age

population. In contrast, teachers of color were only 17 percent of the teaching force.”

What’s also clear is that the rates of teachers of color are barely increasing over time. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of public school teachers of color rose by just over one percent from 2003 to 2011.

With such disproportionate racial representations in classrooms between students and teachers, many individuals and groups “It’s vital for students of color to see people [of color] in positions of power, people in positions that you can someday fill because then that makes it a realistic option for [students of color].”

Michael Boxley Behavior Coordinator

are calling for more people of color leading America’s classrooms. What will it take to close the gap? And why is a greater amount of diversity among teachers so essential?

The case for more educators of color After growing up, business technology teacher and head basketball coach Nalin Sood realized that as a student of color himself, having a teacher of color was beneficial because it showed him that people of all colors can achieve success.

“Being one of the few minority kids in my

kindergarten class…maybe I didn’t realize it then but I look back and having a minority teacher at the time was a good thing and showed me that…whatever color you are, whatever race you are, you make your own mark,” Sood said.

It’s important for students of color to have a visual representation in the classroom, behavior coordinator Michael Boxley and Black Student Union (BSU) adviser said.

Boxley is the only person of color on the administrative team.

“It’s vital for students of color to see people [of color] in positions of power, people in positions that you can someday fill because then that makes it a realistic option for [students of color],” he said.

Studies have shown that diversity in the classroom is beneficial to the learning process, especially for students of color. According to American Sociological

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May 2015| 15

Association’s research on the impact of rently employed in the Edmonds School racial diversity, “Black students are sigDistrict unfortunately deter potential nificantly more likely to discuss minority applicants of color from applying. groups, bring up personal experiences “If you’re a minority applicant and you with course topics, discuss anger or other look at coming to Edmonds, which is emotions, and make connections to social a pretty white place for the most part, theory or theorists.” and the district even as hard as they For students of color, racial diversity tried to make hiring minority a prioramong the school staff can bring a sense ity... if you’re a minority candidate and of trust and comfort. Boxley said he you look at Seattle and even Everett has found this experience to be true at and then you look at Edmonds, I think MTHS. you’re probably going to be more attract“It’s kind of a trust thing as well, some ed to a district that has more people students because of their experience in who are like you.” race they are kind of jaded and they don’t Despite this challenge, Schwab said trust people of other races,” he said. hiring more teachers of color is essenAdvocates of more diversity amongst tial. teachers say students of color feel more “I absolutely agree that we need to comfortable sharing openly with teachers make it a priority to hire more qualified of color. Additionally, individuals callminority candidates,” he said. ing for more teachers of colors in schools Tong said he believes that MTHS point to the learning opportunities affordneeds a more diverse staff, but only if ed by diversity. applicants are chosen on the basis of Student of color and BSU member their knowledge and not because of sophomore Grace Naucukidi said she them being a minority. would like to see more teachers from dif“I don’t think it’s a good idea to hire ferent backgrounds at MTHS. teachers just on the basis of their skin “I feel like it would be more comfortcolor. I think if you got two candidates able for students that don’t feel the same where everything is equal but you got as other students or feel open toward one person who represents a racial teachers...it would be a lot better for them minority... then I’d say yeah.” educationally to open up in school and it Teachers of color face unique chalwould open up opportunities for them to lenges both in the application process really get out there and step out of their and in the classroom. For math teacher comfort zone,” Naucukidi said.

Stephanie Lee-Henning, the job searchSophomore Amaree Green said Boxley ing process included asking herself how understands challenges unique to stumuch her race was a factor in her hiring dents of color, such as family issues. decision.

Green is also a student of color and a “At one of my first interviews, they BSU member. made some comment about how I’d be “He’s our role model,” Green added good for the numbers of the district. about Boxley.

I’ve always kind of questioned did I get Naucukidi also expressed the comfort hired because I was the best candidate she has with being able to have a teacher or the color of my skin?” she said. of color as a role model.

Being one of the handful teachers of “I know Boxley has helped a lot of us color can also bring upon pressure in like in BSU…and he’s definitely porTOP: Behavior coordinator Michael Boxley talks with students during a Black Student Union meeting. the sense of first impressions and wanttrayed a lot of it through his actions and Boxley is one of the few educators of color at MTHS. BOTTOM: Broadcast and photography teacher ing to set a good example. dealing with us,” she said.

Broadcast and photography teacher Angelo Comeaux looks over recently developed photos with a student in his film photography class.

Science teacher Jonathan Tong said Angelo Comeaux said that as a teacher diversity in a variety of measures makes of color, he has felt these personal presfor better learning at school. teachers that students can identify as something outside of sures.

“Every student really does come from a different experience the normal white middle class range I think is important and “It’s about getting the job done and teaching the students. I and background and it’s really not just racial minority…there valuable.” know in the back of my mind I’m one of the few black adults are students of different religious backgrounds, different they might encounter so, that’s a big responsibility to not sexual orientations, different economic backgrounds,” Tong damage their impression,” Comeaux said. noted. “Just growing up in different cultures or subcultures But despite these challenges, Boxley said it’s critical for peois different and I recognize that it’s important so, having ple of color to seek employment in schools such as MTHS. “I think that also falls on people of color. I think that we have to take that as a responsibility to go out and fill those “It’s about getting the job done and With many recognizing the need for more people of color positions, not for them to put us in those positions,” Boxley teaching the students...I know in the as educators, the question becomes: how does MTHS said. back of my mind I’m one of the few black achieve this goal?

“I think that we have to take on a responsibility to go out adults they might encounter so, that’s a Principal Greg Schwab said the issue is in part, “because and take things and that doesn’t mean taking and stealing, big responsibility to not damage their this is a community that for whatever reason we’re just not that means going out and taking positions of power, taking impression.” attracting applicants.” positions that allow us to make change for future generaAngelo Comeaux Schwab suggested the low rates of teachers of color curtions,” he said. H Broadcast and Photography Teacher

Growing a more diverse teaching staff

16 | May 2015

Hawkeye

Multiple intelligences How the learning Paradigm is shifting Story by AisaLee Donnelly Photos by Serafina Urrutia Graphics by Netania Rivera hawkeye staff

Traditionally, school consists of students sitting at desks and listening to lectures, then testing on the subject matter. That process, however, is changing as the knowledge behind how people learn is unlocked.

The notion that there is only one way to learn has been challenged by the idea of multiple intelligences. According to Howard Gardner, the developer of the multiple intelligences theory, there are eight categories of learning that have been found: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist intelligence.

This means some students learn with words or logic, which are the styles schools have traditionally catered to, while others learn through art and visualization, physical action and involvement, music, self-reflection, socializing, or nature. “[My goal is to] hit all the different learning styles… so it will connect with whoever has that learning style.”

Angelo Comeaux broadcast and photography teacher

MTHS psychology teacher Kimberly Nelson, has worked with the idea of multiple intelligences extensively since it is material covered in her AP Psychology class.

Nelson reflected on the way she saw multiple intelligences being incorporated at MTHS when the current school building was being constructed.

According to Nelson, when school was awarded a Schools for the 21st Century grant in the early 1990s, classes

and classroom structure was designed around the theory of multiple intelligences. This theory became the “foundation of planning curriculum” and was a “commonplace theory for teachers to learn.”

At MTHS, many teachers are incorporating the idea of multiple intelligences into their daily lessons.

For English teacher Gaynelle Derr and photography teacher and Hawk Broadcasting Network (HBN) adviser Angelo Comeaux, teaching to multiple intelligences has become the norm and their classes are structured around the theory.

For Derr, the reality of different learning styles hit close to home. Her daughter was a smart and capable child, but her test scores did not reflect her actual knowledge.

Looking for ways to help her daughter be successful in school, Derr began trying different teaching strategies, such as making her daughter move around more and “use her elbows to pick the correct answer to a question” to make lessons more involved and capture her attention. As a result, she saw her daughter had a better understanding of the concepts.

Having successfully worked with multiple intelligences to help her daughter, Derr found “if she (her daughter) had had more multiple intelligences along the way, she, I think, would have done better in school,” meaning that if she would have had a greater variety in the lessons incorporated in her classes she would have been more likely to grasp the material and truly gain an understanding of the subjects.

Derr said she tries to incorporate this

Linguistic intelligence: Learning is centered around being proficient with words and language. Jack Fiorillo | Hawkeye Logicalmathematical intelligence: Learn best by logically analyzing problems.

Intrapersonal intelligence: Being an intrapersonal learner involves lots of self reflection and introspection.

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: Involves using your body and physical activities.

theory into her classes by allowing time for individual reflection on a topic before having students meet in groups for small discussions, and later having the class complete projects.

For example, during her education unit she had students read articles about various educational structures,

Hawkeye

may 2015 | 17 watch videos regarding education systems, talk in small groups and have class discussions about what they’ve discovered. To end the unit, the students had to take their learning and apply it to a group project by designing their own school with their own ideas and decisions.

Likewise, Comeaux said he has designed his curriculum in all his classes to accom-

Interpersonal intelligence: Being an interpersonal learner means working and relating well with others in a group. Maxine Taylor | Hawkeye

Spatial intelligence: Spatial learners do best with 3-D objects, shapes and thinking visually.

Musical intelligence: Attributed to people who learn well by using rhythm and sounds.

Natural intelligence: Learning accompanied by a sensitivity and interest in nature.

“In the world of psychology, [multiple intelligences] is probably taken more seriously than an IQ test.”

Kimberly Nelson psychology teacher

modate multiple intelligences.

He begins each lesson with a writing activity where the students read about the topic and then have to translate what they learned into a written piece. He then presents the lesson in a PowerPoint so students can visually see what it is he is talking about, after which they complete a project concerning the lesson.

His goal in doing this is to “hit all the different learning styles… so it will connect with whoever has that learning style.” He also said he takes the time to get to know each individual student and which learning style best fits each person.

Biology teacher Adam Welman also said he tries to have varying lessons in his class in hopes of reaching different students in different ways.

Welman has his class start their day working independently on a warm up, then discussing it as pairs before listening to a lecture. After a lecture he has the students complete a lab or a presentation as hands-on work to display their learning.

Some teachers, however, do not find the multiple intelligences theory applies well to their class subject material.

Math teacher Nick Lencioni said it’s harder to teach with different methods in his classroom.

“Unfortunately with algebra and calculus a lot of it is theoretical. There is not a lot of visual and kinesthetic things that you can do,” Lencioni said.

It is because of this that Lencioni uses online lessons as a means of providing more class time for students to be able to work on problems together and with him one-on-one if needed.

For science teacher Gil Comeau, the idea of multiple intelligences is a theory he can see applying well in some classrooms, but not in his.

This is because he feels as though teaching students depending on their preference will

not prepare them for the real world.

“I’m not a fan of all those new teaching methods,” he said. “Your boss is probably not going to try to accommodate you.”

He expanded on this, saying that someone’s boss at work is not going to take the time to give them instructions different ways until they understand what they need to do and how to do it exactly.

In Comeau’s opinion, it is more important to prepare his students for real world situations.

He believes it is more beneficial for students to have to problem solve and work through problems on their own. Then, after they try to figure things out for themselves, he is available to give them assistance.

While Comeau believes multiple intelligences is a valid idea, he said he believes that scientists come up with great theories in education, but they are never tested to the appropriate extent. In his opinion, researchers have yet to be able to prove whether such educational ideas are beneficial enough that they should be incorporated into classes regularly rather than simply be considered. He said that over the years, new educational theories come and go, but none are ever proven to work or be more effective than traditional teaching styles.

After teaching for 36 years he has observed and tried different teaching methods but he “I’m not a fan of all those new teaching methods. Your boss is probably not going to try to accommodate you.”

Gil Comeau science teacher

has found, personally, that classic teaching styles work well for him and his classes.

Although he may not consider multiple intelligences as the best scenario for the classroom, he still tries to accommodate his students in other ways. Comeau tries to make lessons fun, act goofy and “do the stupidest things [he] can possibly do” in order to make the lessons sink in and be memorable.

Still, Nelson said that she believed multiple intelligence tests to be more accurate and valuable than IQ tests in determining the knowledge of an individual.

While an IQ test is meant to determine a person’s intelligence, the idea of multiple intelligences takes into account the different types of learners and, in doing so, gives a more precise account of their ability to learn and retain knowledge.

“In the world of psychology, [multiple intelligences] is probably taken more seriously than an IQ test,” Nelson said. H We want to hear from you: Do your teachers teach to different learning styles? What works? What doesn’t? Write a letter to the editor about what method you think works best in the classroom and email it to editor@thehawkeye.org or bring it to room 130.

18 | May 2015

Hawkeye

The Clash of In-State vs. Out-of-State

venturing out or staying home for college – what is best for you?

By Irvin Zhang and Joshua Morrison hawkeye staff

College can be described as a combination of the most stressful, riveting, important and daunting periods in a person’s life. According to a study by the New York Times, 65.9 percent of high school graduates go on to enroll at a college the following year. For those students, which college they go to can be one of the biggest life decision they make.

The high school graduates in this nation have a plethora of colleges to choose from, making the decision difficult. There are 53 four-year colleges and universities in Washington state alone. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are a total of 2,870 four-year universities in the United States as of 2011.

According to the Department of Education, only 13.7 percent of students throughout all of the United States attend colleges that are out of their home state.

For many, that percentage is so low due to one reason: financial costs. The average cost of tuition at private colleges in 2013 was a whopping $46,272, according to the College Board. In comparison, the 2014-15 average of in-state school tuition is a mere $23,410, roughly half that of private school tuition.

Community college is even less than that.

For MTHS alumnae and current University of Pennsylvania freshman Barbara Biney, hard work literally paid off.

University of Pennsylvania is, according to U.S. News and World Report, tied with Duke University as the eighth best university in the nation and has a tuition of roughly $48,000. Biney said that it was through her hard work that she earned a scholarship from the school that was nearly a full ride.

Attempting the climb to the top of the mountain of academics the way Biney did can be hard, but it can be worth it. It can even bypass the financial challenges of college.

“Generally a lot of schools that are at the top of the nation give a lot of financial aid,” Biney said. “Since they’re private schools, the amount of tuition that an in-state resident would have to pay is the same as an out-ofstate resident. Honestly, it’s all need-based. If your parents [aren’t making enough money], you’ll get financial aid.”

MTHS alumnae Teryn Bouché went on to receive a degree from University of San Diego where her experience was similar to Biney’s.

“When looking at the schools that accepted me from out-of-state, I immediately dis-

According to the U.S. Department of Education, about 14 percent of students throughout the nation go out of state for college, whereas 86 percent who stay in their respective states. Hannah schuster and netania rivera | Hawkeye counted the ones that I didn’t get any financial assistance from,” Bouché said. “The only reason I was able to go [to the University of San Diego] was because of a really good academic scholarship I got from them.”

Despite a tuition of roughly $44,000 a year, Bouché was able to receive scholarships and attend the University of San Diego for almost half the price. That, coupled with her room and board costs being covered and her working as a resident assistant, reduced the total cost even more.

Of course, not everyone is going to be able to get scholarships as big as the ones that Biney or Bouché got. In fact, the reality of getting scholarships may be a bit stunning.

According to the book “Secrets to Winning

a Scholarship” by Mark Kantrowitz, only 0.3 percent of all 2007-2008 undergraduate students received enough scholarship money to fully cover their tuition. Kantrowitz’s book also notes that only one in 10 students received private scholarships for college, with an average of $2,800 awarded per year.

There are other ways to at least buffer the “Honestly, it’s all need-based.

If your parents [aren’t making enough money], you’ll get financial aid.”

Barbara Biney MTHS Alumnae, current Penn. Freshman

steep blow of tuition costs. There’s a program that can reduce the tuition for those who want to go to college in the west coast, whether it’s in-state or out-of-state. This program is offered by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and it’s called the Western Undergraduate Exchange.

“It’s pretty much instant tuition,” MTHS alumnus Alex Hatch took advantage of this program, which is currently enabling him to attend the University of Hawaii in Manoa.

“It was a factor in me choosing to go [to University of Hawaii] because they give you so much money if you’re on the west coast.”

And that they do. Students who are residents of WICHE states, which include

Hawkeye

May 2015 | 19

a range of western states such as Washington, Oregon, University, Hatch was able to pursue the specifics he wanted the Institute for College Access and Success, 69 percent of California, New Mexico and North Dakota, are eligible in a school by going out of state. The University of Hawaii, graduates in 2013 had an average of $28,400 in student debt to request a reduced tuition rate. The program cuts down Manoa had the great weather he enjoys, the eligibility to play nationwide. tuition to 150 percent of in-state tuition at participating two for their Division I baseball team, and the degree in sports Aside from the many financial limitations that come with and four-year college programs outside of their home state. medicine that he was able to pursue. attending school out of state, there are educational reasons Financial matters aside, going out-of-state can also provide All of this is not to say that going out-of-state is picture behind why one might want to stay in-state. For example, unique experiences that may perfect and that everyone Washington contains plenty of academically sound institunot be provided in-state. should do it. It should be tion. According to US News, the University of Washington, “I just wanted to experience considered but of course, it’s one of the top medical research and clinical schools in the “There were two reasons why I wanted to go a completely different city and not for everyone. Location nation, is tied with a handful of other universities such as out of state. One of them is that I wanted I knew that going out-of-state and financial cost are both the University of Florida and Pennsylvania State University to go out into the world and meet new people as well better orienting my self with would be a good experience big factors that ultimately for the 48th spot. On the other hand, Washington State different places. The second reason was the for me,” Bouché said. “I’m determine this. Many University is ranked a respectable 128th nationally. specific program they had at [Embry-Riddle really close with my family students are immediately There’s simply not a clear cut answer as to where students Aeronautical University.] It was very specific, and so I went out-of-state to discouraged when they look should aim to attend because everyone has different reasons which was something I liked. give me a good sense of indeonline and see the cost of out- for different educational paths. Whether it’s in-state or outJohn Moore pendence.” of-state. Senior Rorie Ching of-state, there are plenty of options to help students afford MTHS alumnus, current ERAU Sophomore Along with the new experiknows this harsh reality more and attend the college that is right for you. ences available through venthan most.

For some, finding the best school for them requires going turing out-of-state, a variety of “At the beginning of the far away from home. career paths can be opened up specific programs or degrees. year, [going to a out of state four-year university] would’ve For others, it requires a twenty minute drive down the “There were two reasons why I wanted to go out of been more of a possibility than it is now,” Ching said. “The road. state,” MTHS alumnus and sophomore at Embry-Riddle reason is that I thought I could take student loans and everyFinancial limitations and daunting statistics aside, the Aeronautical University John Moore said. “One of them is thing like that… but then I took personal finance and we debate of in-state and out-of-state mostly comes down to perthat I wanted to go out into the world and meet new people talked about interest and we saw this video of college sophosonal choice. H as well as better orienting myself with different places. The mores and juniors who had to stop going to college to live at second reason was the specific degree program they had at home and pay off their student [Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.] It was very specific, loans before they accumulated “I just wanted to experience a which was something I liked.” more debt because it was so overcompletely different city and I Like Moore found at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical whelming already. Now I’m more knew that going out-of-state seriously considering two years at would be a good experience for a community college than a four me.” year university.”

Teryn Bouché Even worse than having to MTHS, University of San Diego Alumnae struggle with high tuition costs are the chain reactions that occur because of it. Ching was forced to turn down acceptance into the University of Chicago, one of the top schools in the nation due to costs. According to U.S. News, it is tied with Stanford and Columbia University as the fourth best university in the United States.

For those who choose to go to out of state, many will have to face the reality of student debt. According to TICAS,

Washington universities face off against out-of-state universities in the battle for student enrollment.

Hannah schuster, isaac otis and netania rivera | Hawkeye

20 | May 2015

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YOUR SCHOOL YOUR TEAMS

HAWKS路MAVERICKS ROYALS路WARRIORS SPRING SPORTS POST SEASON Follow the action at: www.SoundLiveSportsNetwork.com or MLTNews.com

LynnwoodToday.com

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LIVE Your home for LIVE coverage of Edmonds School District sports!

The Sound Live Sports Network is brought to you in part by the Edmonds School District Career and Technical Education Department at Mountlake Terrace High School in cooperation with the My Neighborhood News Network. Students from the Broadcast Production Class and the Hawkeye apply their study of broadcast sports production, sports reporting and sports announcing by producing these broadcasts. Other high school students in the district may participate in the broadcasts through an intradistrict CTE Broadcast Field Production course.

Contact Angelo Comeaux at MTHS for more information.

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