Inklings
Volume 73 Issue 3 • Crown Point High School • 1500 S. Main Street Crown Point, IN 46307 • inklings@cps.k12.in.us
• Monday November 24, 2008
Tomorrow’s forecast High 39° Low 28°
Few snow showers with a 30% chance of precipitation
Thanksgiving Traditions
Students share creative holiday traditions
Twilight review
Guitar Girl
Midnight showing packed with fans. Check out showtimes.
Guitar Hero controllers designed for girls
pg. 6
pg. 10
Crown Point squared
Construction continues as city grows
pg. 12
Alternative method to math Online class provides students a new way to learn Algebra I By Cori Novelli / executive editor
Photo By Alex Parrish
Buildings on Main Street are constructed for future businesses and housing. The square has experienced much renovation as population growth in Crown Point leads to construction both in town and as far as the Lakes of the Four Seasons. By Cori Novelli and Deanna Sheafer / of the way to avoid the construction, and I had to deal with all the traffic,” he said. executive editor and copy editor
While Crown Point’s population grows, road construction increases as new businesses and housing projects develop to accommodate the rise in people.
Much construction can be seen in and around town as new streets and buildings have been reconstructed to either expand or improve Crown Point. The interchange between Crown Point and Winfield, 109th Street, had been closed for about four months opening up again at the end of October with a wider paved road and raised bridge to prevent flooding. Despite the benefits of the better road, the construction affected traffic for many as they managed to find new routes around the closed road. Junior Lindsey Wacnik had to deal with such problems. “I live off 109th, so to get in or out of town I’d have to use a different road while 109th was closed. But after they closed another road, I had to go back another way wasting more time because it was impossible using 117th as everyone was on that road. It was a huge problem,” she said. Junior Steven Polacek experienced the same issue. “I live right on the other side of where the construction was happening, so it was annoying. It took me extra time driving out
In addition to the street construction, many new businesses and buildings have gone up all over town as chain restaurants and stores begin to populate the area. Broadway alone, with the new businesses abundantly lining the street, is a great example of all the new construction. Senior Alex Fichau’s family owns Beef O’ Brady’s, located in the plaza off of Broadway across from the new Strack and Van Til. “We went down to Florida and visited one the Beef O’ Brady restaurants and really liked it. We’d never owned a restaurant before but we looked into it and decided to start one here,” she said. Beef O’ Brady’s combination of American and Irish food with a modern atmosphere adds to the city’s leap from quaint little cafes to new, modern chain restaurants. Senior Nick Utterback has been working at the new Italian restuarant Pranzari for a few months as a busboy. “I like having the new businesses because they provide more people jobs,” he said. For Firchau, the new businesses not only supply people with work opportunities, but create new places for them to hang out. “Before, there really wasn’t anything close that people could do; you usually had to travel,” she said. While new businesses are prospering as part of the overall growth, new housing has developed to incorporate Crown
Point’s growing population, as well. There have even been plans to begin the process of creating new apartments. According to planning administrator Steve Nigro, there are currently two multifamily residential apartment building plans that are seeking approval from the city. One is an apartment development known as Greenstone, which would be located at the southwest of the intersection of 93rd Avenue and Chase Street. Greenstone has had a first reading for a zone change request before the City Council. The building is going to house 300 units. The second project is known as The Preserve at Beacon Hill, will be located on the east side of Broadway, north of the Strack and Van Til store and south of where Summit Street ends. This project will include a commercial/retail component as well as multi-family residential units. The Preserve would include 568 units. Some residents have concerns about the plans, however. “Some members [of the Plan Commission] feel that the apartment developments, not necessarily in Crown Point, started out nice but have not been maintained as well as they once were by the property management company. These members believe that owner occupied units, such as condominiums, would establish a sense of pride in ownership where everyone has a financial investment in the development,” Nigro said. In general, the buildings, roads and housing developments overall have been increasing to account for Crown Point’s rapid population growth.
After years of traditional learning, students have now been given the opportunity to learn math concepts in a completely different way: through online instruction. Credit Recovery Algebra I allows students to learn the information via an online, self-paced course which provides an academic coach and experienced math students to assist the class. The course is directed by math teacher Ryan Collier. “Dr. Ban had a vision of starting this online course class, and so he approached me one day asking if I was up to handling it,” Collier said. Chapters are broken down into lessons, where individual concepts are explained by written instructions or instructed by the program’s own professor Edward Burger, a personal “teacher” who explains lessons through a video feed. There are no six weeks assessments or semester tests, but the program does hold exams that the students must pass while maintaining at least a 70 percent average to earn credit for the class. Though expected to finish three chapters each six weeks, the class encourages students to understand the concepts at their own rate, using alternatives to traditional classroom techniques. Students can also log on to the class outside of school. For junior Nina Corradin, the class comes as a great benefit. “I get a lot more done because I’m able to understand the concepts explained this way at my own pace. Even though I can’t do quizzes at home, I can finish many lessons at home and get more finished,” she said. This change in approach has resulted in drastic effects for some students. “I’ve gotten so much better being able to work on my own and can tell because I find myself actually understanding the lessons and completing my homework,” Corradin said. The online course provides the flexibility of individualized learning that a teacher cannot always achieve during the time constraints of one class period. “It’s a lot easier now because I can learn at my own pace and don’t have teachers going too fast,” junior Matt Preslar said, “I also never have to deal with the embarrassment of being called on or having to answer something at the board.” Experienced math students also serve as aides, sharing their knowledge by assisting others involved in completing the program. “They’re my life savers. Whenever I have a question, I always ask them for help,” Corradin said.
continued on page 3 MATH