Tag Archives: editorial

Veterans’ holiday forgotten

November 16, 2011 jlang@nafcs.k12.in.us Leave a comment

Veterans Day is the forgotten holiday. Some observe two minutes of silence. Some go to a church ceremony

or participate in a march. What does America do to observe Veterans Day? Very little, maybe an assembly or moment of silence cut short by teachers’ lessons and whispering students.

Our lives can easily get bogged down with school, sports, friends, and family, but that does not mean we can make excuses for ignore veterans and their service.

Our country has formally declared war on three different occasions, while also fighting in as many as ten others. The occasions when we found ourselves at war were tense times for the soldiers

fighting, families at home, and others involved.

The respect and acknowledgement necessary and appropriate for our veterans is clearly lacking. The veterans put their world on hold, risked their lives, and gave for you. With their sacrifice we can; have all the food we could imagine, sleep in peace, not worry of approaching enemies, and have the freedoms that we so easily take for granted. Unlike much of the world we do not worry about our next meal.

Young men have died in battle and their families and friends have suffered because of this. Fighter pilots have also been shot down so we can sleep without the threat of genocides or dictators happening here in America.

Do we think about it on a daily basis? Even once a year on Veterans day? It is a chance to find a veteran, be it in your community or family, and thank them. They gave you something you cannot get any other way than putting their entire world on the line.

Veterans should always be respected and recognized. They have sacrificed too much to be recognized only once every year by putting their life on the line every time they go into a battle. Many veterans have gone above and beyond and served multiple tours. They knowingly stand in the way of enemy baring guns, bombs, and a hatred we cannot even imagine. Just for us.

There are plenty of good Americans that provide wonderful services like doctors and teachers. But no one can say they did more for their country than veterans. These servants realized such freedom and liberty was worth more than their lives. What will we do.

Editorials, Forum

Unfair grading causes stir

October 14, 2011 jlang@nafcs.k12.in.us Leave a comment

Public Law 221 was created to set up a new system of accountablitiy for public schools in Indiana. This

Grade Editorial cartoon copy — Graphic by Summer Haynes

system gives a letter grade A through F much like a student’s report card. Unlike a students report card, however, these grades are based on progress of the schools standardized test scores and not on the quality of them. Not only is this system of ranking unfair, it is misleading and could eventually produce a counterproductive result.

This plan is unfair because schools who are producing subpar results are being ranked higher than those who produce excellent results. A school that consistently obtains high test scores will receive a low grading because their improvement rate is low, while a school that improves but still produces low scores will be ranked highly. This is unfair because lower-quality schools are being rewarded for being lower-quality schools.

This grading system is also very misleading for anyone trying to decide what schools are the best in the state of Indiana. Schools given an A are actually schools that have just recently improved and have not consistently been exemplary schools, while consistently high acheiving schools would be listed as C or below. This is as logical as putting a student who improves from an F to a D above an all A student in class rank.

Eventually this system could become counterproductive and cause schools to purposely lower their scores to be able to improve. Supporters of this system may believe taht it will cause positive competition and encourage struggling schools to work harder, but they do not take into account those schools who are not struggling. Eventually these consistent schools will grow weary of not being recognized for their job well done and will lower scores in order to raise them.

The solution to the problem of Public Law 221 is simple. Schools cannot be graded solely on improvement in test scores. While this should be a factor of the grade a school recieves, other factors such as consistency in test scores, graduation rates, and conduct should be considered as well.

Everyone would agree that this system would be an inappropriate way to grade students, so why should it be applied to schools? Not only is it unfair, misleading, and potentially counterproductive, it is blatanly one-dimensial.

News

Journalists prepare for upcoming year

July 8, 2010 jlang@nafcs.k12.in.us 1 Comment

Editors, writers, and photographers from both the newspaper and yearbook staff attended the Indiana University Bloomington campus in Bloomington, Indiana for workshops this summer. They learned essential skills to help them create the best possible print newspapers, website, and yearbook for students, teachers and our community. Included are is some of the work that was produced by the students in week one. (July 5-July9)

Lindsey Payton

Multimedia Director, Online Journalism

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSSeaO6CbQw]

Carmen Huff

Co Editor in Chief, Editor in Chief lab

Carmen Huff

Denise Roberts EIC lab

Editorial

Unexplained injury, battery, and rape are often thought of when talking about abuse. However, there are many other types of domestic violence that teenagers do not consider abuse. Some examples of these are extreme jealousy, intimidation, and power control. Domestic violence is most prevalent in teenagers age 16 to 24; according to Middle Way House in Bloomington, Indiana. The crime also causes about 2,000 deaths annually.

The staff believes an entire community is disturbed by local domestic violence, not just the victim; or “survivor” referring to a victim who makes a direct decision to live. Therefore, creating a family type atmosphere to allow people a safe place to be open about their experiences and fears allows us to further protect not only ourselves but one another.

On a very rare basis, an abuser will follow the “survivor” to different shelters to try and contact them. Other shelters will enclose their locations to try and keep the people staying there safe. However, Middle Way House is open about where they are located and the volunteer opportunities available. By doing so, the staff creates a community presence that an abuser would have to be really forward to approach.

Having a community presence is a strong defense against crime in general. People who come together and let others know that they are safe and wanted and loved, are less likely to expose themselves to violence. Crime and violence is not something that only teens face, but a problem that continues as teens grow into their adult lives. We believe that coming together, as Middle Way House did with domestic violence, we will be able to overcome obstacles, protect one other, and grow as people and a community.