Ch-ch-ch-changes
Sophomore Brandon Sickler gets a meal during his lunch period.
Major changes are being made at North Platte High School. The changes include closing the campus, altering graduation requirements, and modifying summer school.
Principal James Ayres said next year freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will have a closed campus. “Out periods will only be offered to seniors during first and fourth periods. He also said instead of three lunches, there will be four, 30-minute lunches with a five-minute passing period. “Most senior classes will have the latest lunch” Ayres said. The building will become more secure. “To ensure safety for students, a buzzer will be installed at the front entrance,” he said. Seniors will have different colored ID’s to signal that they are allowed to leave the building. The principals said seniors may only have one out-period per term and to earn two out-periods, students have to be on track to graduate. Students may earn two additional out-periods if they are proficient on their NeSA tests. Senior Tyler Weeth doesn’t agree with the closed campus, “I think the juniors should be allowed to leave because it’s a tradition.”
The graduation requirements have also changed. Now, students will have to take four years of English and a quarter of communications; three years of math, Algebra I required; and three years of science including physical science, biology and an elective science class. The social studies requirements include world history, American history, American government, and five additional elective hours. Only two years of physical education will be required, but students are encouraged to team sports as a freshman. Info-tech is no longer required, but it will be required that students take other computer-oriented classes. Ayres said he wanted to change the requirements so that students have more time to take elective classes, when they may not have had the chance to before. This also opens up opportunities for career education and to have internships or job-shadow people with the careers that they may be interested in.
Summer school is also being modified. In the past, the only summer school that was offered was credit recovery, in which students would have to pay a $100 fee. Now, all summer school is free, including credit recover. Other courses include PE classes, a course to make up English 9, and an eighth to ninth-grade transition class. Students who struggle in school would be taught reading, writing, math, and study skills to help be prepared for high school and become acquainted with the building. The course would count as an elective.
Summer school would take place from 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and last about a month. “I think [at first] we won’t have a lot of students take these courses during the summer, but then after a little bit, they’ll start to opt into it,” Ayres said. “I’m excited for the students and the opportunity for them to take more classes.”
Janessa Leisy • Jan 13, 2017 at 11:30 AM
I think this is a great idea. I feel like only seniors should leave for lunch but at the same time it needs to be better controlled. So many underclassmen leave and never get caught even when there are teachers right there checking badges. Lunches already feel rushed so why shorten them. Kids already are trying to get in line, waiting for a while, and then scarfing down food in the few minutes they have left. TO me it does not make much sense.
Sierra Dowhower • Nov 4, 2016 at 12:39 PM
I do not agree with everything Mr. Ayres said. Leaving campus is a tradition and it always should be. I was a freshman last year and last year was not only a lot more fun, everything made sense. I wish everything could be the same.
Sumar Mathews • Mar 7, 2016 at 12:37 PM
I don’t think that I could agree with the close campus. I think they should just keep it they way it is right now. But i do agree with the school and opening more classess
Autumn Brinker • Mar 7, 2016 at 12:21 PM
I don’t necessarily agree with them closing campus because not everybody has friends in their own age and grade. Also with only the freshman and sophomores it still gets overly crowded and you’re not able to really enjoy your free time. But I do agree with the school opening up more time to take classes.
Caiden • Mar 7, 2016 at 12:12 PM
In my opinion i don’t think we should have changes. I mean it’s always been the same for a long time. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it you know what I mean. I just think that it will change a lot of things and a ton of kids won’t like the changes like closed campus, out periods, shorter lunches. I just don’t agree with it.
Jeff • Mar 7, 2016 at 12:10 PM
That seems like a lot of changes. If I was a sophomore I would be pretty mad about the closed campus. I think most of the changes will happen will improve the school, like having the option to take more electives.
Shawn • Mar 7, 2016 at 12:01 PM
As a senior this year this will not affect me. But I am glad that it is only open campus for seniors now. There is just way to many kids out if both juniors and seniors have open campus. I also think that summer school being free is huge. I really wish it was while I was in school. Would have been easier to retake classes I did not do so well in. Great Article.
Christian L. • Mar 7, 2016 at 11:50 AM
My thoughts on the changes are they’re are some good things and some bad. I like the arrangement with lunch but I believe that if are old enough to own a vehicle you should be able to leave for lunch considering thats what I did from sophomore up due to the fact that the schools food is just terrible. (no offense) It’ll be nice to see these changes play out hopefully it’ll all work out in the end.
Autumn Derman • Mar 7, 2016 at 11:49 AM
I think Juniors should still be able to leave, because the high school has always had it be that way, and I’ve waited my whole school career just to be able to leave for lunch, why make it another year that I have to wait? I think it is unnecessary give the Seniors colored ID’s. I think some Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors will find a way to leave.
cheyenne • Mar 7, 2016 at 11:42 AM
I think that this is a good idea of letting only seniors leave because they are the ones graduating and should be the ones that are getting to do more of the opportunities that they can get. Many of the freshman andsophmores that are not supposed to leave, they do anyways. Either they get a ride from somebody else or they already have a drivers licience. The colored ID’s are a really good idea to because that will illiminate more of the student leaving.