VOLUME 53, ISSUE 2 222 Memorial Drive Berlin, WI 54923
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
The
Red ‘n’ Green
A BERLIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT OPEN FORUM SINCE 1924
Newsbriefs
Deacon Eberhardy Reporter
Students undergo MAP testing
Students grades 9-11 underwent Measure of Academic Progress, or MAP testing, from Oct. 12-14. “The main difference with MAP compared to the ACT/ PreACT/Aspire, etc. is that this test will be given multiple times a year like iReady," Director of Secondary Education Jodi Becker said. "We can then chart growth as the year goes on, rather than yearly snapshots like the other tests provide. By testing multiple times a year, we also have more reliable data to look at.” MAP testing is designed to show where a student is in their class and to better understand what a student knows or needs to know. ”We can chart growth throughout the year on our students’ proficiencies on the standards. We have never had this data to look at, and it will help inform our decision-making and adjustments to our instructional practices,” Becker said.
Agriculture starts new class
Agriculture teacher Kim Dehn started the Farm to Table class to teach students about Wisconsin agriculture and foods. “It is kind of a combination between things that Mrs. Keyes and Mrs. Collins would do, along with the stuff normally done in my classes,” Dehn said. “Part of the reason that we go into the foods lab every week and create something is because it is called Farm to Table, so it's not only learning about the commodity itself, but knowing and learning how to use it.” Farm to Table aims to educate students on the products that Wisconsin produces and how those products are used. ”We talk about commodities that Wisconsin produces a lot of, or ranks high in compared to other states in terms of exports or economic impact,” Dehn said. The class talks about the specific importance of each commodity to Wisconsin. ”We talk about how much is produced, how it is raised, what we do with it, the money impact it has and then on Thursday every week the students do some sort of food lab where they use that commodity as the main focus of their dish."
COVID increases faculty absences, forces students to adapt Kaylee Olson Reporter Many teachers have been quarantined due to COVID-19. With students being in higher level classes it can be hard for them to comprehend information with the teacher not present. Some teachers have found ways to still stay in contact with students even when they are not physically in school. “It makes my chemistry class a lot harder because the class is very fast paced, but with technology, we have still been able to meet with our teacher for help,” junior Maddy Rilling said. “Teachers can try and have lesson plans that include activities around things we have already learned instead of new material.” With the number of positive cases increasing daily, according to the district’s COVID webpage, students and staff are on edge. With large numbers of students being quarantined at one time it can make it harder for the teachers to send out information. Assistant Principal Colleen Pariso says there is no need for unnecessary panic. “Students and staff should not be worried because we do not have any cases here that have spread from student to student, or from staff to student,” Pariso said. “All cases here come from the outside. So students may have had family members who tested positive or were showing symptoms. Same thing with our
Photo: K. Olson Technology education teacher Bryan Lammers helps Spanish 3 student Elyse Osterberg. Lammers had to sub after Spanish teacher Jairo Granados Barquero left for a soccer game. “If there was an academic problem I would have the students go back and reread the directions and look on Canvas,” Lammers said. staff. It is their children that may have been in contact, or their spouses.” For English teacher Amy Wenig, who has been quarantined twice for exposure, she is always prepping for her substitute teachers. “I have the benefit of having a student teacher this trimester and she has been a huge help as she knows how the classes operate and what needs to be done. With that said, it still takes a lot of prep as far as making sure things
are either run off or ready to go in advance in Canvas,” Wenig said. With advanced classes, it can be a lot harder for students to be able to retain information with the teacher not there. Some students need to be able to learn hands on or be able to talk directly to the teacher. “In the past I used to be excited to have a sub, but this year it is different because I am a junior and I have a lot of harder classes, so I actually need the teacher to be there to understand what I
am doing,” Rilling said. Administration is trying to spread out who subs for what teachers, so it is not the same teachers every time. “I have had to sub multiple times this year. I try to pick up some time slots so it does not always rely on the teachers. It gets hard because I could miss a situation that comes up with a student that is urgent. But, I do like being in the classroom and kind of seeing what is going on. That is the fun part,” Pariso said.
Class continues South African pass tradition Skylar Longsine Reporter
Every year the Human Spirit class, taught by English teacher Amy Wenig and history teacher Andrew Sotter, does a project in which students experience one element of being a South African during the time of apartheid. For about a month all students in the class make a pass to keep on them all the time. Throughout their day, whether it is at school or if they are spotted outside of school, teachers can ask for their passes. Sotter says the project has students experience South African struggles. “It is about South African apartheid. Part of the experience is that black South Africans had to carry a pass. The pass helps students understand what they went through and how frustrating and restrictive it was,” Sotter said. Sotter finds this project to be beneficial by teaching students to be more empathetic. “At the end of the trimester we
asked students if there was something that they really took away from our unit. They said that a lot of times it is hard for people to understand the struggles of other people unless they are in those people’s shoes. This is our little way to get a small taste of that,” Sotter said. Staff members are encouraged to partake in the project by asking students for their passes. This process quickly becomes bothersome to the students. “Students really enjoy it at the start and then by the end of the first week they are tired of it. All the other teachers also take a role in this education process,” Sotter said. Junior Bryce Werch has found it has made him a better person. “It has made me more responsible by always making sure I have my pass on me,” Werch said. Werch’s favorite part about the project is the lessons he has learned from it. “It helps you realize what the people back then had to go through during the South African
Photo: S. Longsine During third hour English teacher Cory Willhite asks junior Grace Werch and junior Bryce Werch for their South African passes. The pass project started in early October. injustice,”Werch said. Junior Grace Werch understands the importance of the project. “I think it is important to teach us the world is not sunshine and rainbows. There are things happening like this all over the world that people actually have to go through, and that the people that actually have to go through it are human,” Grace said.
In this
Issue
- French exchange student pg. 3 - Breast cancer awareness pg. 4-5