Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
PAGE 4B AUGUST 6,2008
School News
East Jackson Comprehensive High School Officials expect to see 25 percent more stu-
math teacher and volleyball coach Tim Thomas dents Thursday than last year,
prepares materials for the first day of school.
EJCHS Expects 25 Percent
Growth In Enrollment Thursday
Entering its second year, East
Jackson Comprehensive High
School is expected to grow by 25
percent.
Principal Pat Stueck says 1,015
students are expected when the
doors open Thursday morning.
“We can handle it," she said.
“This school was built for 1,800
students."
With 200 more students than last
year, the school had to add eight
staff positions, including a second
media specialist and a half-time
counselor (to be shared with North
Jackson Elementary School). The
latter two positions are needed to
retain accreditation.
The school is also offering four
new courses, including computer-
assisted design (CAD), journalism
and creative writing and JA\A/
Oracle programming and advance
placement music theory.
'The creative writing and journal
ism will support the school news
paper," Stueck explained. “We had
a school newspaper last year, but
the kids did it on their own after
school. This year, they’ll do it in the
classroom."
More Guidance
The school will also implement
a new guidance initiative — a stu-
dent-as-advisor program — in an
attempt to head off a low gradua
tion rate.
Statistics suggest that the first
class to go a full four years at
EJCHS will have a 67 percent grad
uation rate unless the school finds
a way to intervene, the principal
said.
'That is not acceptable," Stueck
declared.
“Every student in the school is
given an adult who is their advi
sor, who will follow them for four
years and meet with them," she
explains. “They will check on their
attendance, their grades and see if
they are meeting their goals. There
will not be a student in this school
who does not have a teacher who
is their advocate."
The program is a result of semi
nars attended by staff where drop
out rates were the hot topic. Stueck
said a new school offers “brand
new opportunities" to try new
ideas, and that schools which dra
matically cut their dropout rates
found the teacher-as-an-advisor
program to be effective.
The idea is for teachers and stu
dents to meet regularly — weekly
during August and twice a month
thereafter — so teachers can get to
know the students and better help
them toward graduation.
“Our goal will be to see that they
reach their goals," Stueck explains.
“We will have a lot of good princi
pals as mentors and advisors for
this."
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Jackson County Growth likely
To Exceed 'Slower' Expectations
By Kerri Testement
Shannon Adams recently pre
dicted a slower growth rate than
usual for the Jackson County
School System — but that may
not be the case.
Adams, who is superintendent
of the county school system,
said last week that 530 additional
students were expected when
class starts Thursday, Aug. 7.
The prediction was smaller than
the school system has typically
experienced on the first day of
class in recent years.
However, the county school
system’s central registration
office has been busy this past
week welcoming new students,
Adams explained Monday.
Adams said the county school
system won’t truly know the
number of enrolled students
until after class starts.
Sunday afternoon, the system
welcomed the community to tour
its newest school, Gum Springs
Elementary in West Jackson. The
two-story school is the largest
elementary school in the county
school system.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams said GSES is expected to
have 725-750 students Thursday.
That’s about 100 students short
of the school’s capacity.
“It’s going to be difficult to
keep up with the growth on that
side of the county," Adams said.
Commerce City Schools
2008-09 Calendar
First Day
Labor Day holiday
End First 6-week grading period
End first 9-week grading period
Teacher in-service (student holiday)
End second 6-week grading period
Thanksgiving holidays
End first semester
Teacher in-service (student holiday)
Winter holidays
Teacher in-service (student holiday)
Second semester begins
MLK Day (holiday)
End fourth 6-week grading period
End third 9-week grading period
Teacher in-service (student holiday)
End fifth 6-week grading period
Spring holidays
School ends, CHS graduation
Post-planning
Thursday, Aug. 7
Monday, Sept. 1
Thursday, Sept. 18
Thursday, Oct. 9
Monday, Oct. 13
Friday, Oct. 31
Monday-Friday, Nov. 24-28
Thursday, Dec. 18
Friday, Dec. 19
Dec. 22-Jan 2
Monday, Jan. 5
Tuesday, Jan. 6
Monday, Jan. 19
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Tuesday, March 10
Friday, March 13
Wednesday, April 1
Friday-Friday, April 3-10
Friday, May 22
Tuesday-Thursday, May 26-28
Lee Michael Riley
Graduates From
AK High School
Lee Michael Riley, Palmer,
AK, graduated in May with a
3.75 grade point average from
Colony High School in Wasilla,
AK.
He is the son of Bart Riley
and Diane Scherer, Palmer,
AK, and Ashley Gibbs and
Brents Gibbs, Commerce.
Riley will attend the University
of Alaska-Anchorage in the
fall.
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