It’s a new year with a lot of new teachers!
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Summit High School
125 Kent Place Blvd. Summit, NJ 07901
New adviser arrives By ALEX ARIAS Editor-in-Chief
Students acclimate to curtailed drop-offs By MEREDITH ROBERTSON Buzz Editor
the chain of students attending schools in the Northeast area. There are so many schools out there with great opportunities that I want us to branch out,” said Grill. Grill is not only here to help out the seniors, but also here to help out underclassmen as well. “I want to develop a curriculum for every grade so that students start taking classes that will interest them as potential majors,” comments Grill According to the Summit District Schools, website, Grill graduated Summa Cum Laude from Drew University. She later went on to earn her Master’s of Arts in Counselor Education from Kean University. She received a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA in 2012. For the past four years, Grill worked at Morristown High School as a counselor. She also spent several years as an Independent College Counselor at Admit U Consulting in West Orange, NJ.
At the beginning of the school year, a new policy was enforced which prohibits anyone from entering the building unannounced, and more specifically prevents parents from dropping off anything for their child during the day. It is confirmed that almost 400 people visit the school on a daily basis, and to reduce security risks, that number must be reduced significantly. Superintendent of Summit Schools, Dr. Nathan Park-
“Every time the front door opens, it creates a risk”
Photo by Alex Arias
There has been a new addition in the guidance office this year. Ms. Allison Grill has been hired as a College Specialist, to help out with the complete college process. The newly created position has been funded through a grant from the Summit Education Foundation. There are a lot of aspects to her new role. “In school my jobs are to review college lists, help students on how to apply, and enhance a student’s resume so that they are marking their strengths,” Grill said. “One of my goals is to increase acceptance in the nation’s high-end schools,” she continued. Along with in-school sessions with students, Grill will also be traveling to colleges across the country. I’m going to be traveling and meeting with college representatives to promote Summit High School. I want to break
College is her specialty! Ms. Allison Grill will be here all year, helping seniors with the college applica-
Volume XIV Issue 1
er, clarified that this policy has never been officially labeled“Zero-Tolerance,” however, and he is sorry to hear that a rumor has spread. “Basically all we ask is for parents to give us a heads up when they come to school,” explains Parker. “Every time the front door opens, it creates a risk, and if we can reduce that risk it will be a much safer
Photo by Meredith Robertson
October 2013
Sadness strikes. Senior James Farley, upset that the drop-off privilege has been taken away.
place.” The policy also states that students are required to bring in a note the day before they plan on getting picked up from school early, or have their parents call into the main office. Drop-offs of items are prohibited, but Principal Paul Sears explained that if it’s an emergency, a parent only has to call in ahead of time. “We have people piggy backing to get inside the school,” he elaborated. “One person will have the door opened for them, and then another will walk in after them.” To increase the safety of the students, this new policy will be enforced in years going forward.
Parker also made a point saying, “It could really teach the kids something in the end. Responsibility, strategizing, remembering all the things you need. In a way it’s helping to make them more mature.” To many, frequent drop-offs have become a way of life, making this new transition especially hard. Junior Emily Chin stated, “I really can’t imagine life without the comfort of the drop-off. There have been so many times where I’ve been able to grab my sneakers, gym clothes, and even homework from the front office. This new policy may make things a little tricky, but I’m sure well all get the hang of it,” she said.
tion process.
With grant, iPads play new role in LCSMJ classrooms By EMILY GAO Reporter
As technology evolves and changes, teaching methods in the classroom tend to follow those trends. The Summit Education Foundation decided, during its spring grant cycle, that sixth grade is a fit time to provide iPads for the students as they begin the secondary part of their education. A grant of $139,000 was provided to fund distribution of these powerful educational resources, according to Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School Principal, Matthew Block. The students will be able to keep the iPads throughout their middle school career and use these tools as a new way to assist them in their studies. Block stated, “I am hoping that this will have a major impact on teaching. iPads provide opportunities for input and output that have not consistently been available to teachers at the middle school
before. The iPad will open the doors to resources that teachers can use in their planning and instruction.” Students will be receiving the iPads in January, though middle school teachers received them during the week of Sept.
“It’s good that they’re getting technologically advanced, but on the other hand, it can be more distracting than beneficial” -Heather Wang
9, in order to incorporate the use of this new technology into their lessons. However, there be no required applications that students will need to download; they will be encouraged to use the iPad and download applications that will help them individually. Technology Supervisor Dory Marcus explained, “This is about having another tool to use in the classroom.” Supervisor of Technology Douglas Orr said that the technology department expects “that students and teachers will be able to access resources to meet their individual needs. “We also expect that learning will become increasingly more collaborative because of the powerful social elements that the devices provide.” Concerns arose with the idea of handing the young middle school students such technology.” The iPad distribution is also interesting news for the upper
grades. “It’s good that they’re getting technologically advanced, but on the other hand, it can be more distracting than beneficial,” sophomore Heather Wang said. Students will be reminded that the iPads are school property, according to Marcus. In addition, in order to prevent possible technological issues, the network infrastructure of the district was upgraded to support a large number of wireless devices before the project was launched. “It’s really unfair. I want an iPad,” eighth grader Katie Buchan said. Though current seventh and eighth graders will not be receiving these new tools, the hope is that the budget will allow the middle school to provide every future student an iPad as they ascend into sixth grade, Orr explained.
Inside this issue of Verve!
Globe 2 Buzz 3 Screen 4 Opine 5 Sports 6 New Staff 7-8