1·.·.·~.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.·.;·:·:·;·;:;::.;;;;::·:;:•::.;:•.::,:-.:.::;.,·;•:·;·;·;··········:·.: ...·.:,,:~.;.~:-:;.•:·.·:·.·>.·.:.;.::•.·=::: ...;.::::~:~:~::<.::;.;.;.:.:.:.:.;.:.;.;:;.:.;.:.:.;.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.;.;.:.:.;.;.:::.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.;.;.:.:.:.:.;.:.;.:.:.: ...:..;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;.;:;.;.;.;.;.;:·:;:;.:.::;.;:;.{f}~:~:'.:;:;.:.:.;.;.;.;.;.;.;:;:;:;:;:;::::_·::::.:::.:/:;:::::::::::::::;:::;:;:::>:.::;<:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:;:~::.: ;::::::·.:·
2229 '' J'' St. Lincoln, Ne. 68510 Vol. 89 No.1 September 22, 1989
Will not help 1989-90 School Year
•
By Jack Dempsey Renovations for the current Public Schools Administration Building (PSAB) are scheduled for Marchof next year, accordimg to Principal Sanford Nelson. "We should have some classes in there by the start of '90," said Nelson. The first step in the renovation is to remove all the asbestos from the building. He said this should take about a month. The second step will be to redesign the interior of the building. ''We're working with architects right now," said Nelson. He said the building has air conditioning, a large room for speakers, and is suited for the handicapped because it has elevators. 'Teachers will be working with the architects to help design the classrooms," said Nelson. He said that the building was the forerwmer to Pius but was never opened due to the Depression. It was acquired by Lincoln Public Schools in
1941. Larry Hennings, facility supervisor, said the renovations on the interior of the building should begin in April or May. 'That design process is in the beginning stage," said Hennings.
The design team for Arclhitecture Partnership, the firm renovating the buillding, has conducted a high school study to help tlhem design the build• mg. "We will be able to best determine what .is needed for Lincoln High," said Hennings. Included in the renovatimns is a means of connecting the building to Limcoln High. "There would be some mtethod of getting from one building to another wiithout going outside," said Hennings. The building has about 410,000sq. ft. of usable space and about 140 parkimg places. The goal is to be done by next fall. "We're going to try to make it happen," said Hennings. In a Sept. 12 meeting of the School Board the remodeling cost of PSAB i.waslowered from $1.1 million to $649,000, said Meg Lauerman, assistant to the superintenden1t for communication • services. This is about $7.72 a sq. ft., although the average cost of sirniliar pr-oject is about $20 to $25 a sq. ft., said Lauermam. To save money, she :said, Lincoln Public Schools will use their owm crews, and Lincoln High students will help with the graphics.
.·.•.•'•
~;;~z;;:~ ;.·.,_,,·.·:.~·, :..:.·... ..
..,,·.,,,.x;_:;,;,~:::,::: ..
Photo by Susan Kirsch Hugh Lau, a sophmore, sits on floor and tries to view assignment for biology class.
vercrow
ers
•
eam1n By Vikram Jaswal In an attempt to meet the needs and interests of 1,970 students, facilities at Lincoln High are
",.,.,..,.,~•c;,
•.
'
ForegnLanguageteacher Terry Hanshew is calling parents for students truancies.
tten
ance truancies
By Cory Ortega Lincoln High has implemented a new attendance policy for the 1989-90 school year due to problems with the previous one. Under the new policy, the parents of any student counted as truant will be contacted by the teacher of the class in which the truancy occurred. The student will then serve a detention for the missed class and receive a grade of zero for the day. After the third cumulative truancy, the student will have a required conference with the attendance coordinator in addition to detention and after the fourth, the consequences may include: modification of their schedule, alternative education or assistance program, referral to student services, a contract with the teacher(s) with stipulations for passing the class(es) and/or withdrawal from class( es) or school for the remainder of the semester. According to Attendc;;1ceCoordinator Opal Stoehr, the change was :nade to concentrate only on truancies, rather tha,1 all absences. "We're going to deal will t'.1ekids who aren't coming, not with the kids who have a legitimate excuse," said Stoehr. With the previous policy, any students accumulating 12 absences in a class would fail unless they went through an appeal process. This year, the parents will also receive a call from the teacher, in addition to a recorded call from Principal Sam Nelson alerting the parents to
a missed class during the day. The call from the teacher, however, will only be the result of a truancy while the recording will be placed automatically the evening after an absence to give the parents time to call in. Sto,ehr said parents tend to question the validity of a call if someone other than a teacher makes it. They tend to question if the student was really absent or just late. Stoehr went on to say that if the teachers call, they can answer any questions the parent might have. "It's better communicatiom between the parent and teacher because it's direct," she said. Vice-principal Barry Star:k said that the parent response has been good. "It's obviously a little extra time for the teacher, but the parents appreciate it at home," Stark said. Stark said the policy has .helped already. Last year it took more than two weeks for a student to accumulate 12 absences, but now truancies are being taken care of after the first one. He said that absences are down and it may be due to student~' being reluctant to skip. According to Stoehr, in the three years that she has been attendance coordinator there have been three policies . Stark said that they are trying to stay with just one. 'The idea is to put an attendance policy in place and keep it there. If there are problems we can modify it, but keep the basic format," he said.
classes, such as band and concert choir, tend to throw off the figures. He suggests to set a maxi''being taxed to the maximum," according to mum and a minimum class size for the average Principal Sam Nelson. class instead. With more sections being offered in nearly Ferris's classroom does contain a sink and sevevery department, teachers are having to share eral storage cabinets, which he claims are a rooms, and every classroom seems to be full bonus, but it does not have lab tables, which every period. The problem lies not in the fact that means that when students do labs, they must be the average class size is 26, but the average classdone on the floor. The floor is also carpeted, so room is 500 sq. ft., a 2-300 square feet less than it would be impossible to do a lab with even a other high schools. remotely hazardous chemical because of the fire "It's getting to the point of stress with staff and risk, he added. students," Nelson said. "The students are great about it, but my comfort Although 1,970 seems like a large number of level isn't. Therefore I won't do labs as often as students to be placed in one building, it is not the I should," Ferris said. most that Lincoln High has ever seen. In the An immediate solution to the lack of space at 1938-39 school year, there were 2,765 pupils Lincoln High isthe Public Schools Administrahere. The building included the frrst floor east tion building (PSAB), which LHS recently acand west hallways leading to Johnson Gym, • quired. The building, directly south of LHS will which was not built until 1956, but did not have probably house one or more departments and the relatively new industrial art rooms. Howallow the others which remain in the original ever, classes were held in the halls and class size building to expand. sometimes swelled to 50. Not good, according to "PSAB will help eleviate the major problem we Nelson. face, that is adequate classroom space," Nelson "My personal ideal class size would be 20 or 21. said. However this is not possible because of fiFerris disagrees, and said he would be surnances." prised if 12 large rooms could be made out of Steve Ferris, a science teacher who has been PSAB. assigned room 104, a social studies room in pre"One's tempted when in a situation far less than vious years, claims looking at averages can be optimal (like I have) to not look for long range misleading because small classes, such as adsolutions, but to look for those quick and easy vanced placement and MR classes, and large solutions that would make tomorrow easier," Ferris said.
Photo by Dan Koperski Students and staff rushed to rescue their cars from the flooding waters on Sept. 8.