In late February and early March, students at DHS narrow down what courses they plan to take for the next year. Some decide to challenge themselves with rigorous math courses like Calculus, while others embrace their creative side with classes such as IB Visual Art and Commercial Art. Some students even sign up for a class that will get their voice heard, such as Journalism, Debate and Yearbook.<\/p>\n
However, although students may wish to take these classes, they aren\u2019t always available. In order to run a class, a certain amount of students must be interested enough to sign up. The \u201cmagic\u201d number changes each year depending on student population, but it usually is around the low 20s. Those who put the schedules together, such as Dow Counselor Lori Hallberg, often have students pick alternates so they will be prepared in the event a class does not run.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we pick alternates for classes, just to be safe,\u201d Hallberg said. \u201cIf a class ends up not running and we find that out in the summer time, then we don\u2019t have to try to get\u00a0a hold\u00a0of everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is helpful because it allows student to have a backup class if the one they really desired isn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n
There is also another requirement for a class to run: an allocated FTE requirement. An FTE, or a Full Time Equivalent, restricts the amount of classes the school can offer by assigning a point value system to each hour a teacher instructs a certain class.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery teacher at Dow High earns an equivalent of .1 FTE for every class they teach per semester,\u201d assistant principal Ted Davis said. \u201cFor example, Mr. Gehoski teaches 5 classes here. He is going to teach 5 first semester and 5 second semester. So his FTE (.5 + .5) is 1.0. A 1.0 full time equivalent means I have a full time job.\u201d<\/p>\n
This differs per teacher, because some only teach a few hours per day, or split their time between different schools in the area. From each teacher’s point value, they have to create a sum under a certain number.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur typical FTE usually runs between 50 and 52 based on student population,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n
The FTE sum has been higher in the past, when there were more students at Dow. In future years, the population of Dow is expected to go down, along with the allocated FTE.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor next year\u2019s enrollment it\u2019s going to be similar to what we\u2019ve had this year, but the year after, as in ,once next year\u2019s seniors graduate, the students coming in to replace them are about 60 to 70 students less,\u201d Davis said. \u201cOur school enrollment not next year, but the year after, unless something changes, will drop by about 70 kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
When the student population decreases, so will the allocated FTE amount. This may lead to a narrowing of class options, which could have a negative effect on our school. Davis believes that DHS should try to keep as many classes as possible, because the variety of curriculum it offers is what makes it so enticing to students in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur curriculum is so diverse,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThat\u2019s what draws students into Dow High School.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s too early to tell what classes will and will not be run at DHS next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very early in the staffing process, and students just placed course requests,\u201d Davis said. \u201cThere is going to be a chance for parents to view and make changes to those course requests. Once that takes place, then basically the district will set a time frame and allocate a certain amount of FTE, which allows us to start our staffing process.\u201d<\/p>\n
This period of time allows parents and students to discuss what classes would be best for them to take and make changes if needed with their counselors.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the next two weeks, parents are calling counselors and saying \u2018I need to get out of this class or that class\u2019,\u201d Davis said. “Right now a class may have 28 kids, but if parents pull them out, there could be 18 in two weeks. At this point, I don\u2019t even look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Classes like Yearbook, which wasn\u2019t offered this year, is still an option students can choose for next year. If enough students sign up, there is still a chance it could be a class. Davis hopes it will, and believes that the yearbook is an important part of the school, along with the school newspaper.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re recognized nationally,\u201d Davis said. \u201cNot to have a journalism class or school newspaper would be terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luckily, other options are offered for classes that aren\u2019t able to run. For example, the yearbook is being created this year by the Yearbook Club. However, because it isn\u2019t required for a grade, there has been a lack of commitment of the club members.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started the year with about 50 people signed up for the club, which was amazing,\u201d junior Julia Ahrns said. \u201cAs time went on, with sports and school, we\u2019re down to about six or seven people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because there is no grade incentive, some students lack the motivation to continue coming to the club and fulfilling their duties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting students that come in and want to help, but there\u2019s no incentive for them to get stuff done,\u201d Ahrns said. \u201cPeople come in and say they\u2019ll do stuff, but then drop off and don\u2019t tell us. We\u2019d rather you be up front with us and say \u2018hey, I don\u2019t have time for this\u2019 but instead we\u2019re hoping you keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n
This has put an immense pressure on the few members creating the yearbook. Each person is on multiple pages per deadline, which is extremely hard to manage. This time management is important to cost, because in order to get the yearbook printed, they have to make certain deadlines and are monetarily penalized if they don\u2019t meet them. Luckily, the Yearbook Club has leftover funding from last year, when they didn\u2019t miss a single deadline, but this year, they have missed a few, costing them $20 per page per day.<\/p>\n
Members also deal with other outside activities that they have to manage their focus on. As a junior, Ahrns finds it hard to manage with her rigorous school work, and also her goal to swim at a collegiate level.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very hard for me to keep to keep my mind straight, and my brain is really scattered,\u201d Arhns said.<\/p>\n
The Yearbook staff have had to cut on some of the content, but overall feel like it will still be a good yearbook.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn some pages we don\u2019t have body copies, just because with the amount of time that we have, we don\u2019t necessarily have time to write that,\u201d Ahrns said. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s more important to cover the whole season and the memories of it rather than trying to write something that we\u2019re not going to be happy with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although there have been significant cuts, Ahrns has high hopes. She also hopes that Dow students will see the effort the staff has made and really appreciate it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re going to have just as good of a book as we did last year,\u201d Ahrns said. \u201cIt\u2019s just something to keep in mind for all the students that they should be really thankful for the yearbook this year, because I\u2019ve gone through weeks with [Cammie] Hall where we\u2019ve only gotten three hours of sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the students who signed up for the Yearbook were placed in Beginning Journalism or Adva nced Journalism, which have the same adviser as the yearbook, Hall. This is a compromise because they have an opportunity to work on yearbook pages when they have free time in class, and also easily have Hall\u2019s guidance. The Beginning Journalism class also teaches students some yearbook skills, and has broadened on that this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to go through a series of learning how to write captions, creating page designs, learning how to write body copies,\u201d Ahrns said. \u201cNormally [Hall] focuses on the Update style of doing things because you have to take Beginning Journalism in order to get into Advanced Journalism for the Update. But because we have so few people, she kind of flip-flopped it to focus a little bit more on the yearbook side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lately, the Beginning Journalism class has been working on designing yearbook pages, which will actually be placed in this year\u2019s edition.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis deadline, they\u2019re actually working on how to write sports stories, so we have them on sports pages, and they\u2019re designing the full pages for the yearbook themselves,\u201d Ahrns said. \u201cDuring this two week time, they\u2019re acting as our actual Yearbook class, I feel like an editor in chief again.\u201d<\/p>\n
This brings up the question of what other classes could be combined to add more variety. This has already happened at DHS, where .2 and .3 options are combined into one hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously the curriculum is just a little bit different,\u201d Davis said. \u201cBut there may be different projects that everyone is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
An example of this combined curriculum is Carol Lewin\u2019s sixth\u00a0hour IB Visual Arts and Commercial Art class. Senior Lauren Wall, a Commercial Art student in the class, questions how good it is for student education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s usually pretty good, but sometimes it\u2019s really hard because Ms. Lewin has to split her time in between the two classes,\u201d Wall said. \u201cSometimes you are really trying to figure something out in Com Art, and you need her help, but that day she\u2019s helping the IB kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
The split class also limits the projects each side can do, and is a stress for the teacher to manage both.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve noticed the differences because I took Commercial Art last year too, and there\u2019s projects that she doesn\u2019t do any more with the commercial art kids, or she does them in a different order,\u201d Wall said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for her and as a student it\u2019s hard to get the projects done and try to manage and be aware of her and what she\u2019s trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wall also insists that there is a noticeably larger difference between the two classes, and they do not mesh well together. Commercial Art is very structured, and is a business related art, which often creates designs for local businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cCommercial Art is learning all the different design programs on the computer, like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign,\u201d Wall said.<\/p>\n
IB Visual Art is different in that it allows students to create their own projects based on what inspires them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn IB Art, you have a theme, which you work on all year until testing,\u201d Wall said. \u201cIt\u2019s really about finding what drives your art and why you\u2019re passionate about art. You work on any project you want, but a certain percentage of it has to be related to your theme. You pick your own projects and manage your own time and do a sketchbook.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wall does not think combining classes is a good solution, but understands that it has to be done in order to keep the classes students desire.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would be way easier if they didn\u2019t do the combined class again,\u201d Wall said. \u201cI understand that they have to and that they had to this year, so that\u2019s fine, but it\u2019s easier on the teachers and the students when it\u2019s not combined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis believes that sometimes it is necessary in order to support our wide range of curriculum at DHS.<\/p>\n
“The number of electives and core classes we offer far surpasses anything other schools can offer,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n
While he realizes it may be a pain for teachers, he believes it is greater for the school as a whole to maintain our diverse curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see every one of our classes full,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWe want to see as wide a variety of classes as we can get here at Dow High.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In late February and early March, students at DHS narrow down what courses they plan to take for the next year. Some decide to challenge themselves with rigorous math courses like Calculus, while others embrace their creative side with classes such as IB Visual Art and Commercial Art. Some students even sign up for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":364,"featured_media":7157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[948,277,78,908,949],"class_list":["post-7109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1-news","category-opinion","tag-948","tag-classes","tag-dow","tag-jordan-reid","tag-yearbook"],"yoast_head":"\n