Annapolis High School
Conceptual art dominates IB show
By ERIC LEVINE, Annapolis High School
The senior IB Art class held its annual art show in the Annapolis High school auditorium on April 4. The students displayed works from their two-year course with Mrs. June Perry, the IB art teacher.
During the course, students were asked to focus on a 'journey' for their artwork. These journeys were basically a specific theme that each artist chose as a focus for their artwork. This year's class of IB art seniors chose a wide variety, ranging from struggle to capturing different styles of world architecture.
The focus on a specific style is necessary for their IB art examinations, which took place during the school day before the evening show. In these oral examinations, students had to explain their journeys and their artwork to an IB examiner.
Since most students worked their projects into visual appealing artworks, this year's art show was a lot of conceptual work, Mrs. Perry said.
The evening show provided friends and family of the art students with an opportunity to see the student's artwork and effort. Mrs. Perry awarded each student with a gift that was related to his or her artwork and journey at the end of the show. The students responded by giving Mrs. Perry an art piece and flowers. The art piece incorporated decorated squares that associated each student's journey.
Abbe Aielo and Jillian put all of the squares together and drew a pear and a bear to symbolize Mrs. Perry's nickname the IB Art class gave her, 'Pear Bear.' Later, Mrs. Perry turned this artwork into a screen T-shirt.
There are so many facets to put in examination and the art show at the end of the year. Creating the art show and getting everything to that cumulative point was very difficult, she said.
Mrs. Perry thought the show was a great way to end an intense, extended program. She was happy to end the year full of so many memories with a good art show.
Meeting discusses No Child Left Behind progress
By ERIKA SINGLETON, Annapolis High School
Annapolis High School became the host site of the discussion for the No Child Left Behind meeting. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Raymond Simon visited the school and participated in an education policy roundtable discussion with state Superintendent Nancy Grasmick and local superintendents from across the state. The main focus of NCLB is for schools to focus on every child, not just a specific group.
Mr. Simon discussed the progress of NCLB goals in Maryland, as well as trials and tribulations for the year ahead. He also discussed the Differentiated Accountability Program pilot, which will allow states that have met four specific requirements to come up with plans that will help the school system to distinguish between schools in need of dramatic intervention and those that are closer to meeting goals.
The new plan will also assist states by helping target resources and interventions to those schools most in need of intensive intervention and significant reform.
Mr. Lilley believes that No Child Left Behind is a great program, but there are a lot issues to consider when making these things happen. The program is expensive, yet there is no funding for it.
Mr. Lilley also commented that in order to meet the required state standards, there needs to be excellent teachers. This requires colleges to prepare teachers to teach all types of students, especially the growing Hispanic population.
'No Child Left Behind changed our national conversation on education forever,' Mr. Simon said. 'Instead of questioning whether or not all students can learn, thanks to this law, we're finally beginning to make sure that every child is learning.'
Mr. Lilley believes that all children should have equal opportunity to learn. That's why he supports NCLB, but he would like to see some modifications.
All children do not achieve the same standard of excellence at the same time. One must put into perspective that it is not a school's fault that a student hasn't made adequate growth over time. Overall, Mr. Lilley believed the discussion produced various suggestions that have the potential to grow into a successful program.
Annapolis High benefits from restructuring
By CAITLIN RAYHART, Annapolis High School
Annapolis' restructuring program, added this year in order to deal with failure in the past five years to meet targets in reading under the No Child Left Behind Act, appears to be having positive results.
When the program was introduced, the number of critics and skeptics outweighed the amount of advocates. Perhaps the increase in grade point averages will convert the non-believers.
The number of students with a grade point averages of 2.0 or higher increased by 6 percent in this year's first marking period and 4 percent in the second marking period compared to the same marking periods last year.
Amid African-American students, 13 percent of those who did not already have a 2.0 in the first marking period of last year were able to increase their grades to over a 2.0 in the first marking period of this year.
Nine percent were able to increase their GPA in the second marking period.
Catalysts believed to have sparked this change include the Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell's decision to zero-base the staff.
All staff members were required to reapply for their jobs if they wanted them back. They also are required to work over the three summer months to increase planning time and professional development.
The implementation of the ninth-grade academy and summer bridge program may also have led to the positive change.
These programs, meant to acclimate ninth-graders to the high school environment, help develop positive student/teacher relationships and make freshman year a positive experience.
The school has also employed an advisory period called Panther Connections with hopes the period would be used to practice respect, responsibility and good relationships between everyone at Annapolis High.
These programs faced much criticism in the beginning, but the Board of Education forged ahead. If the grades are any reflection on the project's effectiveness, then it appears to be a job well done.
A few tips for movie theater etiquette
By ERIN TOWNLEY, Annapolis High School
Like a lot of people, I love going to the movies. Granted, it's expensive, but in my opinion, it's worth it. So, what gets on a movie-goer's nerves?
Tardiness
I love to watch the previews. They provide you with something good to look forward to.
It gets annoying when multiple people carrying popcorn and candy, waving their many shopping bags, continuously whisper, 'Excuse me. Can I get by? Are those seats taken? Could you move over one seat?'
A late arrival's time-telling skills should not affect the other people in the theater. Five minutes extra time on their part to arrive before the theater show begins should not be that challenging.
People-phobias
Everyone likes to have their space, but when it comes to movie theaters, we can't all have the world. When you go to the movie theaters, you should expect to sit next to someone you don't know. Having one extra chair on each side of your party on a big movie night is just rude. If you know the show is sold out or you are going to see a movie on a weekend or an opening night, then you know that the theater will be packed.
Either that or go see a movie early on a weekday when no one else is around.
The Classics
No one can forget the classics: feet on or over your chair, full songs from cell phones and people talking loudly (all those things the animated frogs, flying popcorn, and talking sodas tell us about before every movie).
I doubt that anyone enjoys having someone's smelly feet anywhere close to their face. If you want to put your feet up, get to the theater a little early and sit in the first row of seats.
With many of the spring and summer's biggest movie releases approaching, please try to keep all of these nuisances in mind. Does anyone really want to be THAT person at a movie?
‘Reality' TV far from the truth
By GABRIELLE DUCHENE, Annapolis High School
Reality shows continue to become more and more scripted, and yet, devoted followers continue to assume that it is still reality.
The students of Annapolis High School were asked multiple questions on the controversy of when reality television shows lose their reality.
When asked, 'Do you think teenagers believe reality TV is true?' there were mixed responses. William Casey Rinard, a junior, says 'some people actually think it's partially true and that saddens me. I realize the majority of us teenagers know it's false though.'
People's responses in determining how much of the shows are real resulted in firm answers of both extremes. Junior Kelsey Swensen said, 'Although the people aren't actors and there is no script, it is common knowledge that certain aspects of the shows are tweaked.'
Junior Lena Sutch said, 'There are definitely scripted parts and fake people. Most of the people are chosen because they're physically right, with the token odd-ball.'
The general consensus was that although the people are real, the characters they play are not.
As sophomore Nicole Schneider said, 'Nobody's life has that much drama in it.'
Most people enjoy watching the controversial shows because 'it brings up good moral issues,' according to Kiley Shields, a sophomore.
Senior Phoenix Geimer said, 'allows people to imagine how they would react in a novel situation while not actually having to go through it.'
Continuing on this tangent Karen Rose, a junior, said, 'it's very easy to develop your own views when faced with someone else's radical viewpoint. And that's what people are like on those shows: they're the extreme.'
Upon further questioning, most students did not believe that the reality shows were influencing them, but as you walk through the halls of most high schools, it is not uncommon to hear someone quote a line from a popular show.
The truth is that reality television, whether consciously or not, affects what teenagers do to some degree.
This is evident especially during prom season. It is expected that the boys think of creative ways to ask girls out to prom so that they can look sincere and genuine. Lately, many of these ideas have been copied from reality shows' prom episodes like in MTV's 'Laguna Beach.'
The biggest question of all is whether watching too much television is having a negative effect on teenagers.
One junior, Claude Lee, said he thinks 'teens watching too much TV give them a false idea of the actual world, where people aren't dictated by scripts written by others, so they try to act like the characters from TV shows.'
Sadly, there are a lot of teenagers who imitate reality shows, but on a good note, it is not nearly as many as people think.
No matter what people think, teenagers will still continue to watch reality television.
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