“Rumors, innuendo and half truths have been rampant along with anonymous letters and inappropriate calls,” Corey said. “Dealing with such behavior only takes energy and time away from making this school district the best it can be.”

Although Corey faced some tough times in the board, many of her years of service were filled with fellowship and cooperation. Fellow board member Mary Jo Rozmenoski thought of Corey as a productive member who always took her role on the board seriously.

“I will remember Lois as a member who was prepared and took her position seriously, always remembering the board code of ethics,” Rozemenoski said. “She always could see the ‘big picture’ with board decisions and had a commitment to board teamwork.”

Board President Ramie Bakken also pointed to Corey’s strong dedication to student success.

“Lois has been consistent in advocating for clear educational objectives, and for the opportunity for all students to have a high quality education,” said Bakken.

Bakken and Rozmenoski both point out how Corey’s creative mindset will be something missed on the board. However, they each look at Corey’s resignation as a sort of opportunity.

“When new members join the board, there is change within our team. I, personally, always view change as an opportunity for improvement,” said Rozmenoski. “I believe we cannot be fixers of the past but together we are creators of the future.”

Bakken looks forward to the change. The Board hasn’t seen three new faces since 2000, so this is a new experience for most members of the school board.

“I am looking forward to working with those newly elected and appointed as well as continuing to work with the other veteran board members. I am confident that we can learn from one another in order to serve the needs of our students,” said Bakken. “Education is always changing, always evolving, always striving for both improvement and innovation, and so I welcome new thoughts and ideas that will benefit students.”

Corey has high hopes for the board’s future. She is sure whoever is appointed will do an excellent job and wishes them the best of luck. She also has a few words of advice for them.

“Do your homework and be informed about matters on the agenda,” said Corey. “Be fair and balance in deliberations with a large dose of common sense.”

The board announced that it would be holding interviews of interested individuals on May 9. The interviews will be open to the public and held in the High School LMC beginning at 4:00.

If you were Cassia, you would live. Then you would fight.

In Ally Condie’s novel Matched, Cassia’s province doesn’t have any rights. In her world, the Society makes all the decisions in her life and others around her, with the help of Officials. The novel starts off with her matching ceremony, where she meets who she will marry. In a way, it is an arranged marriage. The Society picks out who gets married to who, to help match the genes up to lead to healthy children. Cassia doesn’t doubt the Society’s power until the night after her banquet.

When she tries to watch her match’s profile, another face appears on the screen, someone else she knows. It’s already abnormal for her to be matched with someone she knows, but another face appearing on the screen is twice as abnormal. Cassia becomes confused and scared, unsure what the incident means. She is told later on to ignore the glitch in the system, but she finds it more difficult than she anticipates. Her desires conflict between the safe, secure and known boy she was paired with, and the unknown, mysterious and new boy that flashed onto the screen. Day after day she comes into contact with the new boy and finds herself falling in love with him. She finds herself facing the choice between the two boys, which ultimately is the decision between following the Society, or going against it.

I really enjoyed the novel. It kept me in the pages; though I have a busy schedule and don’t have much time to read, I found myself reading during class and during any free time I found during school. It was really intense and kept my mind on the novel when I wasn’t reading it. I really liked the mysterious twist she threw into it by not telling the truth of the Society. Cassia finds out about the Society in the novel and the limited point of view really makes the novel interesting. I also really like the theme of the novel; she shows the importance of simple freedoms. Cassia’s troubling tale emphasizes the importance of fighting for what you want.

I would easily recommend this book to anyone, for it has a great meaning. The story involves romance, suspense, mystery, a little politics and has great detail, which peaks the interest of several different types of people.

The 2012-13 schedule gets finalized, the girls basketball team earns statewide recognition for academics, and we find out about local frolfing options.

Find out about FCCLA state, an up and coming rapper who calls Black River Falls home and a new team.

Many fishermen not only attribute the growing popularity of fishing to the early spring, but also the use of social media.

“I think the early spring has led to the popularity of fishing this year. There have been a lot of activities that people have been enjoying a lot earlier this year than they have in previous years. So I would attribute the popularity to the fact that more people are getting out and enjoying the outdoors, and what better way to do that than with a fishing pole in your hand,” said Brad Lobenstein, English teacher and outdoorsman.

While pictures are being uploaded to Facebook and Twitter, friendly competitions stir between peers.

“The big thing is Facebook because we all have a competition to see who can catch the biggest fish. The pictures just get us out there and get fishing,” said sophomore Dalton Shaw.

Fishing season doesn’t open till May 5, but fishing with a hook and worm is still permitted. Most suggest looking for holes and remain patient when fishing with a worm.

“Look for deeper holes on the river bottom and also stay patient. Don’t give up hope, they’ll bite,” said junior, Billy Dykstra.

To enjoy fishing there is no need to spend tons of money. Just a simple rod and reel and some good friends will do the trick.

“All you need is a basic fishing pole some line and a few hooks, and a bobber and some bait, that’s it,” said Lobenstein. “All you need is the desire to have a good time and people to hang out with.”

When there is a weather emergency, Weddig gets the school organized and ready with a plan that he and the teachers know.

“We have [a] plan that encompasses the entire school where every student should go from every classroom to to be safe,” said Weddig

The plan is simple but has a set schedule.

“The plan is reviewed before the school year starts and then we do a drill for the tornadoes in April,” said Weddig

Weddig is the only one that actually works on the plan. He gives the plan to teachers to look over what they think about the plan. If they have a problem with the plan, they discuss possible changes.

In case of an emergency, there are signs around the school that inform students and staff where to go.

“It is a copy of the whole school and where all of the classrooms should go in case of a  weather emergency. There is also a sign given to each teacher and it tells where that class is to go. This is put there so if the teachers forget, or there is a substitute, or the students don’t know
where to go,  they can then look at the sign on the way out,” said Weddig.

Besides severe weather emergencies, fire drills are also an important part of the school.

“One time this year the fire marshal came in [when] we had a fire drill. To make sure that the teachers were taking headcount, he took four or five students from the halls when the drill was going on. We also blocked doors to see how the teachers would react if there was a fire behind that door,” said Weddig.

Weddig works with the National Weather Service. They send the information out to him about the storm or whatever is happening. Next week they will be calling him about the tornado drill that has to be done by every school in the state.

Social Studies teacher Kris Wrobel sits in on a department meeting.

Throughout their high school careers, students meet new people, encounter new challenges and face more responsibilities. The advising program has been around for several years, aiming to help students through these challenges.

“I think the advising program can be looked at as a way for us to find connections for kids to the school, and so it initially started as a way for us to take students and create little families,” said Business Education teacher Megan Finch. “Every teacher is assigned a certain number of kids to kind of nurture, look after and be an advocate for, make sure they’re on task with grades and classes and in feeling involved in part of the school life. So the advising program is really a way to create success for students at the high school level.”

One advantage of the advising program is it allows mingling between the upperclassmen and underclassmen, even if it’s for only a focus period.

“I think it’s a good program,” said senior Savannah Markee. “It helps kids bond with and…have a chance to meet with kids in different grades and get advice on scheduling and classes from upperclassmen. You have a chance to talk to a faculty member about grades and other things.”

Markee believes allowing the students to pick their advisors would greatly improve the program. This method would ultimately make the bonding process more natural.

“You could pick a teacher in your own career field, and or just a teacher you have really bonded well with, and that you trust,” said Markee. “It’s easier to talk to them if you trust them.”

One negative to the program is inconsistency. Finch thinks a more structured program would be more worthwhile.

“I just think there needs to be…a common understanding between the students and the staff,” said Finch. “I think we need to have consistency from the staff on how to run the advising program.”

Though some dislike the program in general and dread going to the meetings, Markee thinks it is a worthwhile program.

“Yeah, I think it’s a really helpful program and…a lot of students benefit from it,” said Markee. “They might not like it but it essentially helps us.”
]]> http://brfhspawprint.com/2012/04/16/advising-program-assists-students-through-high-school-career/feed/ 0 http://brfhspawprint.com/2012/04/16/channel-97-news-april-16/ http://brfhspawprint.com/2012/04/16/channel-97-news-april-16/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:49:55 +0000 Paw Print Staff http://brfhspawprint.com/?p=2507

US Representative Ron Kind talks about his visits to Black River Falls schools, students talk about a favorite teacher–Mr. Wrobel, and athletes reveal their superstitions

The law would go into effect in stages and some parts have already been put into place. Those laws include allowing people like you and me–students–to stay under our parents’ health care until we are 26. Another major aspect of the law is that insurance companies can no longer deny or discriminate coverage to an individual based on a pre-existing condition. This is an aspect of the law many see as highly positive.

The Individual Mandate
Now what exactly about the law is being declared unconstitutional? Some condemn two aspects unconstitutional; first, as I’ve mentioned earlier, the individual mandate. People ask, how can the government force Americans into a market? The court is also considering the constitutionality of the extension of Medicare to 16 million Americans who would have not qualified for the program in the past.

The importance the insurance requirement has on the rest of the law is extremely clear. If the mandate is not upheld by the Supreme Court, individuals can find workarounds in buying insurance. Because of the law that insurance companies can no longer deny insurance based on pre-existing conditions, families could literally not buy insurance until somebody in the family becomes seriously ill. Another thing to consider is that these individuals without insurance would not be receiving preventive care, making costs that arise later more likely to be more expensive. Not only is this unfair to every other family paying into the insurance, but it also raises premiums for the others already paying into the insurance pool.

The second problem in not upholding the mandate is that having a mandate puts more money into the system, therefore lowering the cost of insurance for everyone. Insurance works like this: you pay a certain amount each month in case you do have to seek medical care for something or another. If you don’t, that money you put in goes to some other individual who had to make a trip to the hospital. If everybody were putting money in (and everyone would be if the mandate is upheld), the insurance company would have more money to use. This would help to lower insurance costs.

The Medicare Extension
The other concern the justices are looking at is  the extension of Medicare to 16 million more Americans. 26 states–including Wisconsin–have filed lawsuits against the federal government saying that forcing states to extend Medicare is an overreach of power. The extension is intended to help families that might not be able to pay for insurance once it is required. This is yet another vital program that would need to be extended in order to make the health care reform a success.

Making Progress
As compassionate people, we should want every American to be insured. We shouldn’t want this for purely fiscal reasons. We should want all to be insured, because every human is entitled to affordable health care. People should not be made to suffer on the basis that they can’t afford a medication. Every human deserves a quality life–a healthy life. Our health is not something that should be made into a ‘for profit’ industry. Under the current fully unreformed system, American’s are pawns in the hands of insurance companies. The Affordable Care Act changes that.