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From the Principal's Office
Dec. 21 - Mid-term graduation 4:00 p.m.
Dec. 22 - End of First Semester
2:00 Dismissal
Dec, 25 - Jan. 3 - Christmas Vacation
Jan. 4/5 - No School
Teacher Prep/Staff Development
Jan. 8 - School Resumes/Second Semester
Jan. 11 - Financial Aid Night
Jan. 12 - Advisory Schedule
Jan. 24 - 2:00 Dismissal
Jan. 26 - Advisory Schedule
Feb. 2 - Advisory Schedule
Feb. 6/7 - Parent Teacher Conferences
Feb. 6/7 - 2:00 Dismissal
Feb. 8/9 - No School
Professional Development
Feb. 16 - End of 4th Six Weeks
Feb. 16 - Advisory Schedule
Mar. 1 - Advisory Schedule
Mar. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 - Spring Break
Mar. 14 - 2:00 Dismissal
Mar. 30 - Advisory Schedule
Apr. 5/6 - No School
Apr. 9 - No School
Apr. 13 - End of 5th Six Weeks
Apr. 18 - 2:00 Dismissal
Apr. 27 - Advisory Schedule
May 4 - Advisory Schedule
May 10 - Class Day for Seniors
May 13 - Graduation
May 24 - Last Day of School
Noon Dismissal
A New Beginning
If you noticed, our newsletter is different, beginning with this issue. There will be no more
commercially made pages; rather, all the material will come right from our Department
Chairpersons. Sean Thiemann, a senior at GISH, did the artwork for the new newsletter.
World Languages
Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, Fröhliche Weihnachten
The World Language Department would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. May the year bring you and your family health and happiness.
Our department has been blessed this year by the arrival of a new member to our family. Bella Rose Croghan was born on November 17. She is the daughter of one of our Spanish teachers, Mrs. Krista Croghan. Bella Rose joins her brother Noah. However, we are not done. We are expecting another addition this school year to our World Language family. We hope to tell you all about this new addition in a future newsletter. We are very lucky that one of our former Grand Island Senior High students, Dustin Peñas, is subbing for Mrs. Croghan. Welcome back, Dustin.
Our classes are progressing very well. The students are learning about the target language as well as being aware of the culture with which the three languages deal.
The Spanish IV (dual credit) classes will be registering for college credit some time during second semester. Look for that date in your newsletter from the Counseling Center. This is a great opportunity for students at Grand Island Senior High who could graduate with some college credit.
Social Studies Department
Many exciting things have been taking place in GISH≠s Social Studies Department. Freshmen American history students in Ms. Bailey and Mr. Jeffries classes have wrapped up their World War I unit by producing ≥Great War≈ newspapers. Ms. Bailey≠s class even awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the best written newspaper. Next, American history students will be analyzing songs and poems for the Harlem Renaissance period.
Students in world history have completed their unit on ≥The Age of Exploration≈. Much discussion took place as to whether or not Christopher Columbus should be remembered as a ≥hero≈ for discovering the New World or as villain for the mistreatment the natives endured.
Government and economics students have recently completed their written assessments for the semester. Both groups of students were given the task to analyze and interpret a set of documents and then make a written response to a possible solution to their problem. Instructors have been very impressed with the students' writings thus far.
Our Social Studies Department is proud to have one of its faculty members give a presentation at the National Council for the Social Studies meeting in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 2. American history instructor, Ms. Bailey gave a presentation titled ≥The Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890.≈ Her primary photos and documents of the event was a success and well received. A big congratulations to Ms. Bailey.
Lastly, the Social Studies Department would like to make a Happy Holidays wish to all. Enjoy, and have a safe holiday season!
Fine Arts Department
The Fine Arts Department had a fast and furious first semester. ≥CATS≈ was a hugh success with a lot of help from parents and community. The band had another ≥superior≈ filled competition season and the show choir had another great turnout for Kids Camp and Premiere Night. The following is the schedule of events until the next newsletter.
Jan. 14 - ≥With One Voice≈ concert
2:00 & 7:00 - auditorium
Jan. 15 - All City Honor Band concert
7:00 - auditorium
Feb. 12 - Islander Jazz Band Festival
1-9 - auditorium
Feb. 15-18 - The Comedy of Errors
7:30 & 2:00
Feb. 20 - Orchestra concert
7:00 - auditorium
Feb. 24 - GISH Show Choir Competition
All day - auditorium
Feb. 26 - Middle School Choral Clinic
All day - 7:00 concert - Barr
Mar. 19-21 - Auditions for Vocal Select
Groups - vocal room
Mar. 25 - Winter Band Concert
3:00
Mar. 27 - Vocal Concert
7:00 - auditorium
Mar. 29-31 - Student-directed One Acts
7:00 - Little Theatre
Apr. 1 - Student-directed One Acts
2:00 - Little Theatre
Apr. 17 - Spring String Fling - Walnut
Apr. 19 - String Recital
Little Theatre
Apr. 20-21 - District Music Contest
Apr. 26 - Show Choir Cabaret
7:00 - auditorium
Apr. 27 - Big Band Night
East Gym
May 3-6 - Spring Play
7:30 & 2:00 - Little Theatre
May 7 - Band Concert
7:00 - auditorium
May 8 - Orchestra Concert
7:00 - auditorium
May 10 - Vocal Concert
7:00 - auditorium
May 15 - Vocal Recital
7:00 - Little Theatre
May 17 - Drama Banquet
6:30 - auditorium & Little Theatre
May 21 - String recital
7:00 - Little Theatre
Special Education
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
It is that time of the year again when everything and everyone is busy. The Transitional Living Program students and their teachers are working like Santa≠s elves to make special treats for all.
In the Bag Every year students in the Transitional Living Program (TLP) expand their curriculum by designing, creating and marketing gift bags. This student business is known as ≥In the Bag.≈
Through the operation of their business, students are expected to conduct themselves in a businesslike manner and work to develop the following skills: communicating with others, using a calculator, counting money and making change, accessing banking services, cooperating with coworkers, managing time, practicing social etiquette, improving stamina and following through on a project to completion.
Profits from the gift bag sales are used to enhance the existing community-based curriculum through experiences that further develop independence and responsibility.
This year≠s Christmas bags include:
Glitter Bulb, Twilight Snowman, Nebraska, Shimmering Pine Cone and Congratulations.
In the past students have sold between 600 and 1,000 gift bags. The bag size is 8≈x5≈x10≈. The cost is $3.00 each plus shipping, if applicable. Bags include tissue and gift tags. For more information on the gift bags, call 385-5635 or
385-5634. Thank you for your support of the Transitional Living Program.
We appreciate you providing this valuable educational opportunity for our students. Have a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year.
Media Musings
There is always a certain amount of research that is done at the high school level. Students who take advantage of the resources in the school Media Center and the City Library can work and succeed more effectively and efficiently. Much of the efficiency comes from the use of approved databases. Databases are a great way for students to find the information they need without spending time checking to make sure the information is valid. Our district offers an online database (NetTrekker) as well as several online encyclopedias for student use.
The NetTrekker database is part of the Media Center catalog site. Students can access this from anywhere as well IF they have registered as a user from a GISH computer. Please encourage your student to stop in the MC to set this up (and for help), so he/she can access this valuable resource.
Students of GISH can also access the Media Center materials catalog from anywhere there is an internet connection. Access is through the Senior High Media Center Catalog http://204.234.44.3. ; Access can also be gained through the district page http://www.gips. org/Click on Senior (bottom right hand side), click on Media Center (middle left side), click on Senior High Media Catalog. Student login is their ID number + 4 zeros and the password is the student≠s last name. Once in the site, students are free to use the web links for citation help and for trusted research sites.
The City Library has a multitude of databases that are free for use if you hold a library card and know your person identification number. Please encourage your student to get a City Library card if they do not have one.
ReferenceUSA, eLibrary and SIRS are our three top picks for user-friendly researching.
Counseling Department
Grand Island Senior High has been selected as a College Access Grant recipient. In
partnership with the EducationQuest Foundation, we hope to increase student access to higher education. This program is, trying to reach students who might have a barrier that could prevent them from attending and completing college.≈ Mrs. Gayle Bradley has been hired to coordinate the program. About 20 students per class will participate. So far, students from the classes of 2007 ad 2008 have been selected.
Students will have the chance to visit Central Community College, University of Nebraska - Kearney, University of Nebraska - Lincoln and University of Nebraska - Omaha. Community support from local businesses is also part of the program. In combination with the already existing programs, we hope to pave the way for a successful post-secondary transition.
CTE Department News
(Career and Technology Education)
New Equipment
The Industrial Technology Department is excited to be receiving a few pieces of new equipment to be used in several classes. The equipment is being purchased with money acquired through the Carl Perkins Fund Grant.
Students will be able to train on more up-to-date equipment and use processes that more closely resemble those used in industry. We will be using MasterCAM software to do CNC programming for a new CNC Router in our 9th Ind. Tech classes. The MasterCAM software will also be used in our manufacturing classes.
We have acquired a 3 Dimensional Printer to be used in our Engineering Drafting program. This printer will take a drawing created by the student in a 3D software program and print (build) it three dimensionally so the students can see what the part would actually look like if it was produced on the manufacturing floor. We are one of only 2 or 3 schools in Nebraska to have this piece of equipment. It will be a great asset to our program.
Toys for Sale
The Carpentry 1-2 classes are finishing up a Mass Production unit in which they are building wooden toys to be donated to the Lions Club for the Christmas Cheer program. This unit allows students to perform operations on a variety of woodworking machines and shows the students the importance of accurate measurements. We always save back a few toys that we offer for sale to the public. This year we are building a 2-car train, Bi-plane, wrecker, twin engine airplane, bulldozer and a helicopter. Each of these may be purchased for $10 by contacting Mark Brei or Ed Kinne at Senior High. The phone number is
385-5950.
Engineering Experiences for Students
For the past two years students from GISH have had a unique opportunity to find out what engineers in the community do on the job. The program was initiated last year by GISH parent and professional engineer Kris McElligott. Kris arranged for interested students from GISH to get tours of local businesses and industry that employ engineers. After the tour the students were able to visit with engineers to get questions answered and, in some cases, receive refreshments.
During the inaugural year the group visited Dramco Tool, Chief Industries, the Platte Generating Station, Olsson & Associates, and other locations. This year≠s kickoff was a pizza party with several engineers at Senior High and the tours have included visits to MFS/York/Stormor, Hornady Manufacturing, and the information systems for the St. Francis Medical Center tower.
The goals, according to Kris, were to familiarize the students with local businesses that employ engineers, let the students get a first hand look at what engineers do on the job, and give the students an opportunity to discover if a career in engineering might be for them.
Mathematics Department
"Why do we have to learn this? When will I ever use this?" These questions will occasionally arise form students and, less frequently, from parents. In math, we probably don≠t hear them as often as some other disciplines because math has such direct applicability in so many occupations and in so much of our every day family life. Still, we do hear them once in a while.
Beyond the direct applicability, I want to emphasize a reason for studying math (and other areas) that sometimes escapes notice. Math is a reasoning skill!! This was brought home to me several years ago when a guest speaker, an attorney, in my junior high learning skills class was asked by a seventh grade student what courses he recommended for somebody wanting to be a lawyer. His answer was, "Take all the math you can get!" Math teaches reasoning more directly than any other discipline and strong reasoning is a primary need for every lawyer.
The students were surprised by his answer as was I. As I have thought about it, however, it makes eminent sense. You don't have to plan on a career in law to profit from good reasoning skills. Regardless of your plans for future, the ability to think through complex situations and arrive at a reasonable conclusion will be to your advantage. (Oh, and
can I plug debate as another arena to hone those skills.)
From the mathematics teachers to all of you: Have a safe, blessed and happy holiday season.
Physical Education Department
The first semester has flown by quickly.
The P.E. Dept. has had a busy semester full of
activities. All of our 9/10 students have been engaged in the activities of eclipse ball, floor hockey, table tennis and basketball. Our department had a fundraiser and Pong Tournament in November, where Jamie Holmes won over Cody Bartlett.
We will probably have another fundraiser in the second semester playing badminton. We just began the unit of basketball this month and we will finish the semester off with indoor soccer.
We continue to measure our students≠ fitness level by a fitness activity each day. The students are still giving a good effort.
The weight classes have been working hard with testing completed in November. The numbers continue to grow in all our weight classes. Mr. Swanson and the other weight teachers do a great job maintaining the students≠ work ethic each day.
Mrs. Cowgill is still doing a phenomenal job in the aerobics classes. Her numbers are large, with many students wanting to get in second semester.
Our new class of sports officiating is going well. Students have gone through the sports of football and volleyball and are currently in basketball. The purpose of the class is to have the students know the rules and signals of these sports. We, hopefully, can put some of these students out in youth sports the second semester.
The Intramural Basketball season is off and running. The 9/10 classes have six teams and the 11/12 classes have nine teams. The season started in November and will finish up in the middle of January. Mr. Stecher and Mrs.
Cowgill do a great job running the 11/12 grades.
Business Department
December is a very busy time for the Business Department as we get to the end of the first semester. As a department, we are in the process of updating our curriculum by looking at each of our classes and rewriting our objectives and outcomes for all classes. We are rewriting our course descriptions and course outcomes as a self-improvement goal for our department. This process has led us to identifying two separate focuses within our department that will better guide students in selecting courses that they will take. In the future, we will be listing all our business classes under two pathways in our course offerings catalog. We will use Instuctional
Technology and Business and Administrative Services as our two pathways. Under Instructional Technology we will have our computer classes that focus on multimedia, publishing, applications, and programming. These classes will include multimedia introduction, multimedia internet, multimedia video, word processing, desktop publishing, applications, C++, and CISCO.
Under Business and Administrative Services we have our traditional business classes such as introduction to business, accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, business law, business technology, work readiness and work place job training.
Our hope with this modification is that we will better serve students as they register for classes in the future. We believe that by having two pathways students will be able to better focus their study of business at the high school
level. Again, we invite students and parents to contact any of our teachers to help with the selection of classes.
As a last reminder for mid-term graduates and parents, if you are interested in ordering a 2007 Senior Class t-shirt you will need to get these ordered and paid for before mid-term graduation to get these delivered. Senior Class
t-shirts will be delivered in May and will cost $15.
Order forms and money should be given to Mr. Grupe in Room 545.
Science Department
Grand Island Senior High will send two teams of five students each to compete at the Nebraska Regional Science Quiz Bowl. The students participating include: Breann Baker, Beau Brower, Paige Giittinger, Stephanie Grupe, Reuben Houser, Kirby Killion, Brenda Perez, Kane Ramsey, Caroline Swift, Quinn Tell, and Taylor Whipple.
The Quiz Bowl competition will be held
February 3 at the University of Nebraska Student Union, Lincoln. Questions during the Quiz Bowl are from the following science areas:
chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, general science, computer science and mathematics.
This year there are approximately 40 teams from across Nebraska competing. The winning team is sent to Washington, D.C. by the National Department of Energy. We wish our students luck!
Communicative Arts Department
The GISH Debate Team is off to a fantastic
start this year! We have 14 returning varsity members and 26 rookies. This makes for a total of 40 excited debaters.
Congratulations to team members who won a ≥clean sweep≈ at the Lincoln Northeast Congress Debate Competition. Wade Burkholder, Maggie Bartlett, and Tyler Pierce won first, second and third place trophies respectively. So far this year we have won over 10 speaker awards.
The Debate Team also competed in the Mock Trial competition sponsored by the Nebraska State Bar Association. We were
recognized for our excellence in competition when we performed at the Hall County Courthouse.
The goal of our Debate Team is to produce a group of students who are effective communicators, accomplished arguers, and successful public speakers. Both debate and the Mock Trial help students acquire speaking skills plus the ability to listen and ask good questions.
According to Josh, "Debate helps me to gain confidence in my abilities as a public speaker."
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