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Crown Point High School @InklingsCPHS September 29, 2017 Vol. 82 Issue 1
Read about the boys’ tennis team’s effort to exceed expectations on page 12 “Ride Hailing”: Safety when using transportation services
page 6
Schools gauge impact of social media use on teens during tech era BY GRACE CLELAND AUDREY GACSY co-editors-in-chief
PHOTO PROVIDED BY RAMSEY HARKNESS In a surprise announcement yesterday, Flewelling was named 2018 Indiana Teacher of the Year by Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Jennifer McCormick.
Flewelling named Indiana Teacher of the Year BY ANDREA JOHN co-editor-in-chief
Students had no idea why they were being led to the small cafeteria during third period Monday morning. Anticipation grew as they observed school board members and state education officials towards the front of the crowd. As soon as physics teacher Jerome Flewelling entered, it became apparent he was the recipient of 2018 Indiana Teacher of the Year. He is the first educator in the Northwest Indiana region to be honored with this achievement. In a surprise announcement, Flewelling was informed of his status surrounded by his family, students and fellow faculty members. Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jennifer McCormick, announced his status to the crowd and following that, Principal Chip Pettit addressed the recipient and the audience. “He has been a wonderful role model for teachers in our school and community for some time. I am very pleased that he will now have the opportunity to serve as a role model for all teachers in the state of Indiana,” Pettit said. “What makes Mr. Flewelling a great teacher is the positive relationships that he makes with students on a daily basis. He is tireless. He is passionate. He is committed to his students.” Each spring, members in the school corporation can nominate any of the educators for CPCSC Teacher of the Year as well as Employee of the Year. For Teacher of the Year, a committee narrows it down to four or five teachers and eventually to one teacher for each category: elementary and secondary teachers of the year. “After that, you apply for state teacher of the year, and there’s five essays, and then a resume where you put on your professional development and things that you do outside the classroom,” Flewelling said. “Then you
send that down, and they give your application to two people, they grade it on a rubric, and then the top 25 of those people get put into the mix. Then they give your application to different people, and then from that the top ten get honed down. The top ten go down for an interview in Indianapolis in front of a selection committee.” Flewelling traveled down to Indianapolis to be interviewed in front of 17 people. The interview consisted of a speech by the nominee and a question and answer session. “It was kind of funny because I was nervous but I wasn’t nervous, so it was a great combination. I tried (to prepare well). It was interesting because I had anticipated what four of the questions would be, but there were four of them where I was kind of surprised and I was like ‘Oh, I hadn’t thought of that’,” Flewelling said. “In some ways it’s more accurate anyway because it’s coming out of who I am and what I believe in.” Following that, Flewelling was observed in his classroom by a small group from the state and later became a part of the top three. “The whole thing is exciting. It’s exciting to represent all of the teachers. It’s cool because I’m not like the best teacher but it just means that I’m representing our teachers well,” Flewelling said. “There are other really, really good teachers out there that may or may not have had this opportunity and I’m excited. It’s affirming, like what I’m doing is right and good.” Flewelling is an alum of Taylor University and is also the assistant director for theatre. He originally did not want to be a teacher, but found he could combine his love for physics and theatre into one. “The creativity in the classroom, like coming up with new lesson plans, energizes me, and interacting with the students, doing physics, the colleagues, and getting to work with such a great group of people is all good,” Flewelling said. Fellow physics teacher Maryanne Nicks
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NICK MORGAN Flewelling is embraced by three daughters after learning he was the 2018 Indiana Teacher of the Year.
met Flewelling eight years ago and acknowledges the impact he has had on her career. “Mr. Flewelling is one of the greatest individuals, he’s grand, he’s wonderful, I can’t say enough positive about him,” Nicks said. “I can’t think of a more deserving person for this award. I really can’t. I’ve watched him, from my personal observations, and he’s a hard worker. He is well deserved of this, and he has had a huge influence on my own career.” Senior Carlton Rager has been a student of Flewelling and works closely with him for the fall and spring theatre productions. “He engages with students and tries to help us understand what he means in a lot of very helpful ways and I’ve found his teaching to be the most effective,” Rager said. “He really is an awesome guy. He’s a family man, he is an amazing teacher, and I’ve learned a lot from him both in school and about life.” According to a press release from Indiana Department of Education, Flewelling will represent Indiana in the National Teacher of the Year Competition.
The saying goes that communication is key. Countless languages veil our planet, yet a single language remains universally understood: the language of social media. Children born in the United States today are likely born in a room that is wifi-accessible. A young child can teach an adult how to download an app. Even recent presidential administrations have taken advantage of social media platforms to connect with the general population. Adolescents today are the transitional generation that can still remember working in a computer lab or taking tests on paper, yet have personal laptops in their homes and classrooms. An increased amount of internet access has been the foundation for social media, which has been popularized by teens. The role of social media in the lives of adolescents is controversial considering that it is such a permanent facet of their lives. Senior Nicole Libiran admits that social media is an enjoyable part of her life. She thinks of her social media as a branch to other peers. “I think the best part about social media is its means of self representation. In seeing others’ profiles and pictures, one can learn about the lives of their peers,” Libiran said. “You can also be more informed about your peer’s interests and activities.” Consequently, Libiran feels that while social media serves to help connect others, the disconnect from reality that it creates can be damaging. “Social media has provided more consequences in my life than benefits. In general, it has just further heightened a certain perfection that people feel obligated to maintain,” Libiran said. “Girls are pushing to have photo shoots every week for the sake of more followers or for the enthusiasm of their appearance. Skin is smoothed out and hours are spent on creating a caption.” see social media on page 3