CRIER Vol. 50/Issue 7/Feb. 5, 2016
MUNSTER HIGH SCHOOL
Page 2: Newly created Winter Percussion Ensemble prepares for competition season
8808 COLUMBIA AVE, MUNSTER IN 46321
Food for thought Senate compromise bill could increase flexibility in nutritional standards for school lunches
Meena Kandallu Editor-in-Chief
INSIDE LOOK
A
lmost a year ago, Sara Wilson, senior, switched to a vegan lifestyle, primarily because she believed that
the change would lead to a healthier diet. Since her own change in diet, she has also seen many of her friends changing their diets with the goal of having healthier lifestyles. “I’ve just noticed that over the years, not even within our school, but society in general, especially our age, has been paying more attention to health and has been realizing and taking notice of the things that are healthier and better options for us,” Sara said.
Like Sara’s efforts to live a healthier lifestyle, a push to
make school lunch programs healthier has gained
national attention in recent years. Beginning with the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, multiple legislative measures regarding school lunches have gone into effect. The most recent lunch-related legislation is a bipartisan bill that the Senate Agriculture Committee approved Jan. 20. This bill is a compromise to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act promoted by Michelle Obama, which created a set of guidelines for school lunches, including daily fruit and vegetable requirements, a mandate that 100 percent of grains served are whole grains, and sodium and calorie limits. This compromise will maintain the recent national push toward healthier school lunches while relieving some of the burden that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act imposed upon schools, according the School Nutrition Association (SNA), a non-profit organization of school nutrition professionals. “In the absence of increased funding, this agreement eases operational challenges and provides
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Page 3 Robotics team works to complete robot before Feb. 23 deadline
Page 4 With Super Bowl 50 this weekend, Crier staff member reviews top ten moments in Super Bowl history
UPCOMING n
Student-Faculty Game: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Fieldhouse; tickets cost $5 at the door
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SAT Registration: Today is last day for regular registration for March SAT at MHS
photo by Vrusti Patel
OUT TO LUNCH During lunch, Clayton Seput, junior, and Leo Ortiz, senior, converse with their friends while eating their meal. School lunch regulations could undergo reform if a bipartisan bill recently approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee passes through Congress. This bill would add flexibility to existing regulations that limit sodium levels and require that all grains are 100 percent whole grain.
Detroit sick-outs spark discussion about Ind. teacher rights Danie Oberman Associate Editor Throughout January, Detroit Public Schools closed due to a “high volume of teacher absences.” These “sickouts,” a form of protest where so many teachers call in sick that schools are forced to close, targeted problems including packed classrooms, pay cuts and rising insurance costs, Ann Mitchell, Detroit Federation of Teachers Administrator, told ABC News. Issues with class sizes, work hours, and working conditions expand beyond Detroit, according to Mr. Tom Barnes, English teacher and vice president of the teachers’ union, Munster Teacher’s Association (MTA).
In 2011 state law restricted teachers’ collective bargaining rights. This law no longer allows Indiana public school teachers to negotiate anything beyond salary and benefits. Working hours and conditions, among other things, are no longer available for discussion. “State law has kind of handcuffed what we’re able to do as teachers or what we’re able to negotiate with administration,” Mr. Barnes said. After these changes were made, Mr. Barnes watched morale among teachers shift. “It is hard on teachers to know that we don’t have as much power as we used to (as far as) determining more things about our job, so that can be really frustrating,” Mr. Barnes said.
When Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels restricted teachers’ collective bargaining rights in 2011, it was done to be fair to taxpayers and provide better government services, according to Gov. Daniels. “I think really, government works better without (unions),” Gov. Daniels told Fox News in 2012. Salary and benefits for MHS teachers are negotiated between the administration and MTA. While not all MHS teachers are in MTA, Mr. Larry Hautzinger, science teacher and MTA bargaining chair, says it is an important tool for enhancing the career. “I believe that (being in the union) is good for the profession,” Mr. Hautzinger said. “Teachers basically know
what’s best for education, and to stand together, they can make their desires known.” There are many ways to cause change with enough voices, according to Mr. Barnes. “Striking is a classic union method of showing solidarity and disagreeing with something,” Mr. Barnes said. “And in the state of Indiana, we can’t, as teachers, strike. So there are other things we can do: we can lobby, we can have a protest. I mean, you could not necessarily walk around here with signs and everything else, but teachers or groups of teachers have been known to go to the government centers of various kinds and show how unhappy they are with certain situations.”