Raven Report
Sequoia High School
Volume vii, Issue 4
1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062
December 11, 2013
Common Core to be holiday spirit tested on computers
Drumming up
By XAVIER BOLUÑA and CLAIRE BUGOS Staff Reporter and Photo Editor
Photos by Lily Hartzell
Band, wind ensemble, choir, showchoir, jazz band and the drum line performed in the annual winter concerts on Dec. 4-5. 157 different students performed over the two nights.
No longer will students sit through STAR tests. No longer will teachers cater to standards that are stretched a mile wide but only an inch deep: the new nationwide Common Core encompasses fewer standards and focuses on quality over quantity. For the first time, all the standardized testing will be done solely on computers and will include short answer and multiple response questions. Aside from scratch paper, every component to the test—including calculators—is embedded into the test. To many this seems a welcome change, but others worry if it comes too fast and too soon. “I think we all grew up being taught how to work things out with pencil and paper,” junior Alex Croft said. “On a computer, this is taken away, but maybe with the new generation who have learned on a computer and you can do your work on a computer, that would be different.” The standards are much more writingoriented than the previous state standards. Questions on both math and English tests will require short answer, which is why Sequoia piloted an all-school numeracy activity last month.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Sequoia focuses on many similar methods, thus putting Sequoia at an advantage in the transition period between CST and Common Core. “I think that the standards in California were already pretty high even before Common Core, and I think with the IB and ICAP programs at Sequoia, it’s already pretty solid,” junior Emma Elliott said. “I think that we might not have too harsh of an adjustment period here, just because there’s already pretty in-depth concepts taught in classes.” Based on the results of the pilot test juniors will take in May, teachers will further adapt their curricula in order to more accurately teach based on the content in the tests. “The standards are so new, we’re only realizing what’s possible,” English teacher Nick Muys said. “We’re living in a transitional time where it’s not clear how we can best prepare students.” “We’re trying to make this huge shift in instructional practices and how we measure a student’s abilities,” said Brandon Lee, Director of Research and Assessment for the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD). “[It’s] revolutionary in the delivery method, and that’s huge in and of itself.”
Happiness Club spreads joy through “Gratitude Wall” By EVAN ISENSTEIN-BRAND and ABIGAIL WANG Staff Reporters Giving thanks doesn’t stop after Thanksgiving. The Sequoia Happiness Club is helping students express gratitude throughout the holiday season. Recently they have organized a gratitude wall, a series of index cards posted near Room 38 on which students and staff can write the things that they are grateful for. The idea for the wall was sophomore Abby Hartzell’s, a member of the Happiness Club. “I was thinking we should bring to light the fact that we have a lot to be grateful for; we have a lot of thought provoking hall decorations, I thought the gratitude wall would be cool,” she said. “People can see what their classmates are thankful for and connect better
feature: Ms. Ignaitis
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[with them] to create a closer community at Sequoia,” said senior Cole Dunbar, President of Happiness Club. Posts on the wall varied from “I’m grateful for people who smile often and a lot” to “I am grateful for teachers who accept [...] late work.” Dunbar founded the club after he was inspired by a trip to Northwestern University. Meeting in English teacher Katie Karlin’s room at lunch on Fridays, the Happiness Club’s aim is to spread happiness at Sequoia through a variety of schoolwide events. “[The Happiness Club at Northwestern] was a group of four or five kids and they were just trying to do things that made people happier,” Dunbar said. “I thought it was really cool and I wanted to bring that to Sequoia.” Sequoia’s Happiness Club has done other work to decrease students’ stress and lighten their mood by giving out sweet treats during the week of IB exams and finals last year.
spread:
Immigration at Sequoia and beyond
Pages 4-5
Over 300 students have posted cards on the “Gratitude Wall,” which was organized by the Happiness Club. Photos by Simon Greenhill and Abigail Wang
By the Numbers
602
total number of cans collected in annual Thanksgiving can drive