February 2012

Laying the foundation

INSIDE PCMS launches

F.I.R.E

PHS joins PSU Ready Program

Laushman honored

Science Fairs

Three years in, PHS tech course exceeding

expectations

PICTURE THIS: Pittsburg High School students model the latestfashion in prom wear during the 2012 Runway Fashion Show, presented

by PHS DECA and hosted by students Amanda Mitchell and Isis Ruiz.

A Look InsideFROM THE COVER

• New after-school program at PCMS

• Laushman named top in the state

• Pics from Lakeside, Nettels Science Fairs

• PHS, PSU team on college credits program

The Foundations of Technology course at Pittsburg High School takes learning

far beyond the classroom.

PHS joins PSU Ready ProgramPartnership offers high school students chance

at college credits during normal school dayThrough a partner-

ship with Pittsburg State University, Pitts-burg High School is now able to offer on-site, college-credit courses taught by PHS faculty.

The Concurrent En-rollment Partnership, offered through the PSU Ready Program, was secured by USD 250 during the fall semester of the 2011-2012 school year. The CEP offers PHS students the oppor-tunity to receive college credits in high school courses that have been approved by PSU as college-level curriculum.

One of the main ben-efits of the PSU Ready courses is that they are taught by members of the high school faculty. This allows for more convenient scheduling and it provides a more comfortable environ-ment for the students. High school instruc-tors in the PSU Ready program must have a master’s degree or have completed at least 24 hours of master’s-level courses in his or her

particular content area.Students enrolled

in PSU Ready courses at PHS receive both high school and college credit. To receive the college credits, however, students must complete

the necessary paper-work, including a PSU

Application for Admis-sion and a PSU Ready Enrollment Form. They must also pay the neces-sary PSU admission fee, but at a rate lower than

what they’d pay on the PSU campus.

“These opportunities will allow our students to be able to earn col-lege credit while they at-tend high school without leaving the building,” Destry Brown, USD 250 superintendent, said. “Many other schools in our area are able to do this through area com-munity colleges. We are fortunate to have a strong relationship with Pittsburg State Univer-sity and are thankful that they are willing to provide this to our students.”

The first PHS course to take advantage of the CEP was Advanced Composition, taught by PHS English teacher Melissa Fite. This se-mester, students en-rolled in the class under the PSU Ready program are receiving college-lev-el English 101 credits.

Fite, who in 2004 taught English 101 as a graduate assistant at PSU, said the CEP offers PHS students a “jump start” on their

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college careers.“This is a great

chance for the stu-dents to get a jump start on college and to take a general educa-tion requirement with a teacher they already know and in an intimate setting,” she said.

Fite, who began teaching at PHS in 2006, said she modeled her Advanced Composition course after PSU’s Eng-lish 101 course.

“Therefore, both courses have certain essay types in common, such as extended defi-nition, remembering, observing, cause and effect and research,” she said. “I also throw in a few elements specific to PHS, such as a com-mencement address, and I include a reading portion where students

read two memoirs. For the most part, however, the classes are quite similar.”

Beginning in the Fall 2012 semester, the PHS Speech class, taught by Julie Laflen, will be part of the PSU Ready pro-gram. Students enrolled in Speech at PHS will be eligible to receive Com-munication 207 credits from PSU.

Karen Kelso, PHS counselor, said the high school is hoping to soon add Social Studies and Math courses to the PSU Ready program. Kelso, who has helped spearhead the PHS effort to secure a CEP agreement with PSU, said the program offers many benefits to the students.

“One of the main ben-efits is the convenience

with scheduling,” she said. “It is our teachers and we fit it into our schedules. Before, if we wanted to offer a college class on the PHS cam-pus, PSU would have to send out one of their own faculty members, which means we have to work even harder to coordinate our sched-ules with theirs. Having a concurrent course agreement with PSU makes it easier on ev-eryone.

“Most importantly, though,” Kelso said, “this provides a great opportunity for our stu-dents to get a head start on their college educa-tion. Plus, by providing this during the course of a normal school day, it opens up more time for those students to participate in athletics

or activities. They don’t have to worry about taking a night class or asking for a period off during the day to visit the PSU campus.”

Dr. Brian Biermann, USD 250 assistant su-perintendent, described the CEP agreement between PHS and PSU as a “win-win for every-one.”

“I believe this is an untapped resource that we are just beginning to explore,” he said. “We have a highly-trained and qualified teaching staff at PHS, many of whom teach for PSU. By combining their talents and certification, we will be able to offer our stu-dents college classes, for a discounted rate, at the high school campus.”

“We are fortunate to have a strong relationship with Pittsburg State University and are thankful that they

are willing to provide this to our students.”-- USD 250 Superintendent Destry Brown

READY: ‘Untapped resource’

PICTURE THIS: Fifth-grade students at Meadowlark Elementary School keep a beat on the drumming set purchased with a grant from

the Muzak Heart and Soul Foundation.

Laushman named state’s top music educatorDuring a surprise ceremony in late January,

Pittsburg High School choir instructor and Encore director Susan Laushman was named the Outstanding Music Educator in the state of Kansas by the Kansas Music Educators As-sociation.

Laushman has taught music for 19 years, including 10 at USD 250.

“This is huge,” Laushman said. “I can’t even find the words to describe how this makes me feel. I’m just very proud to represent southeast Kansas and to be doing this work in Pittsburg. I’m very proud to be a part of Pittsburg High School and USD 250. To now be on the list with so many wonderful music educators from across Kansas who have won this award is a great honor for me.”

Jon Bishop, PHS principal, said there is no one more deserving of the honor than Mrs. Laushman.

“She is simply incredible,” Bishop said. “To say we are fortunate to have her in our school would

be a dramatic understatement. She is, without a doubt, one of the best. We could not be more

happy for her.”The announcement was made

by KMEA President Craig Man-teuffel.

Laushman will receive the ac-tual award at the KMEA annual conference later this month in Wichita. The annual winner of the KMEA’s top award comes from one of the six districts in the state, Manteuffel said. Each district submits nominees for elementary, middle/junior high school and high school. The nominees are submit-ted with letters of recommendation from administrators and col-leagues.

Last fall, Laushman and PCMS vocal music teacher Virginia Darling were hon-ored together as Outstanding Music Educators in KMEA’s Southeast District.

Simply the best

Aimed at increasing student engagement and involvement, Pittsburg Community Middle School in late January launched a new after-school program.

The PCMS F.I.R.E. (Fun, Interactive, Rec-reational, Enriching) program features a variety of educational activities that challenge the students’ minds, and it provides a safe after-school environment for students who wish to become more involved at their school.

The program runs from 3:10 to 5:05 p.m. Monday through Thurs-

day.“We’re always look-

ing for more ways to increase the level of student involvement and engagement in their school,” PCMS Principal Lonnie Moser said. “The new FIRE program not only gives them that chance to be involved, but it does so in a way that is both fun and educational.”

The program begins with homework time in the school cafeteria. For approximately 30 minutes, students have the chance to work on school assignments or catch up on read-

ing. School faculty is on hand to assist when needed. A healthy snack is also provided during this time.

“We see this as a great opportunity for the students to get a nice start on their home-work,” Darlene Mont-gomery, PCMS teacher and FIRE coordinator, said, “and they get to do that while surrounded by teachers who are anxious and excited to help.”

Afterward, the stu-dents are divided into groups and guided through a rotation of various activities. The

stations include rec-reational activities, computer work, math-ematics labs, environ-ment-related modules and robotics activities, which was made pos-sible through a partner-ship with Pitsco.

The entire program is made possible through an $11,000 grant from the Community Foun-dation of Southeast Kansas.

“What makes this program special is that it really is a com-munity effort,” Moser said. “The Community Foundation initially approached us with the

PCMS after-school program features education, recreation

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idea of a fun, safe after-school program for middle school students. What they needed was a physical location to host it. It is their vision and generous financial donation that makes this possible.

“On top of that, we’re partnering with Pitsco and Greenbush to provide the variety of activities that are available to the students,” he said. “We are most grateful to everyone who has pitched in to help make this a fantastic opportunity for our students.”

As of the first week of the program, approxi-mately 60 students were enrolled.

The PCMS after-school program joins those already in progress at the four elementary schools. Kathleen Spencer, who coordinates the After School Care program at the elementary school level, said approximately 180 students attend ASC on a daily basis.

The predominantly self-funded program offers a variety of activities for the students.

“We offer homework help for the students, arts and crafts, games, puzzles and a variety of indoor play options,” Spencer said. “It’s a wonderful time for the students to interact with their peers in an environment that is a bit more relaxed than the normal school day. Plus, it’s a very safe place for students to be after school while they wait for their parents to get off of work.”

An after-school tutoring program has also been offered this school year, but the Rural and Low-Income grant that funded the program ends this month.

After-School: Program provides safe, enriching environment

On one side of the lab, junior Seth Mahnken was working to develop his own mold for creat-ing rubber fishing lures. On the other side, junior Derek Scholes was researching the Golden Gate Bridge in preparation for his semester-long project to create a replica of the famous landmark.

Across the way, a group of stu-dents was analyzing and tinker-ing with the inter-modal trans-portation system constructed out of the Rokenbok materials. Inside a small room filled with laser-technology equipment not often seen inside high school labs, other students were putting the finishing touches on a profession-al-style business card holder.

And that was just within the span of an hour or so.

To say that the Foundations of Technology course at Pittsburg High School has lived up to the expectations set when it was launched three years ago would be a significant understatement. What started with a bold invest-ment and a fervent hope has quickly become one of the most popular and impressive pro-grams at PHS and in southeast Kansas.

“We’re in our third year now,” Technology Education teacher Larry Dunekack said, “and I think we have most definitely shaped this into a program that can meet the needs of all students

at Pittsburg High School. At this point, we’ve implemented all of the classes and we continue to show great gains each year. It’s very exciting to be a part of this.”

The Foundations of Technol-ogy course was created as a way of best preparing students for the 21st century workforce, much of which centers around technologi-cal devices and processes. The technology lab, known as the Center of Applied Learning, was equipped with work stations and resources that could rival profes-sional environments.

The CAL features equipment such as computer-controlled cut-ting lasers, digital cameras and software, wood, metal and plastic

foundation for the future

PHS tech course offers‘real-world experience’

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fabrication equipment, and engineering equip-ment. Along with teach-ing skills, the equipment is also used to enhance the students’ technologi-cal literacy.

“We may have a student who wants to be a doctor,” Dunekack said, “and he or she may not initially be at-tracted to a technology class. In today’s world, however, I’m pretty sure doctors need to know a little something about computers and lasers.

That’s what we mean by technological lit-eracy. It’s important to, at the very least, know the common terms and know how to talk about these things.”

Regardless of what professional students choose, the course also provides lessons on life skills from which all can benefit.

“Whether it’s how to use certain hand or power tools or even being able to navigate certain computer pro-

grams,” Dunekack said, “there is a lot offered through this program that will help the stu-dents as they grow into independent adults.”

That fact is not lost on junior Kevin McNay, who said he has learned many skills that he will take with him long after his days at PHS.

“The hands-on aspect of this class makes it very interesting, but it’s also great because of how many life skills you learn,” he said. “I’ve

already learned a number of things about common fixes around the house. That’s what school is all about, preparing us for the future.”

The Founda-tions of Technolo-gy course is avail-able to students in all grades and is a prerequisite for a variety of

advanced courses. Those include:

• Investigations of Design and Engineering Technology

• Investigation of Power, Energy and Transportation Technol-ogy

• Investigations of Communication and Information Technology

• Investigation of Production and Con-struction Technology

• Applications of Technology 1 and 2

“There are so many things,” Mahnken said, “that we get to do in here that wouldn’t be available if our technol-ogy class was in a nor-mal classroom setting. That we have a lab like this and so many differ-ent courses we can take is amazing. We’re gain-ing real-world experi-ence inside the walls of our high school. That’s a pretty cool thing.”

“The hands-on aspect of this class makes it

very interesting, but it’s also great because of

how many life skills you learn.”

USD 250 Transportation:Safety first,

Safety alwaysThey don’t teach

math. They don’t work with kids on their spell-ing. They don’t operate SmartBoards or iPads. They don’t give out homework.

There are many things throughout the course of a school day that members of USD 250 Transportation Department don’t do. What they do, how-ever, is among the most important aspects of the students’ education and their lives.

“Our number one priority is safety,” Fred Andrew, USD 250 Transportation Direc-tor, said. “Our mission is safety. Our main focus is safety. It is on us to make sure that our students arrive at school and back home safely, and there is nothing that means more to us than that.”

For a department with a size of staff and fleet that is unmatched in southeast Kansas, Andrew knows that its mission cannot be accomplished with-out complete and total teamwork. Providing safe and timely trans-portation takes every-

one.“We all have a cog in

the wheel,” he said. “If even one person doesn’t do his or her part, we can end up in a bind. We have a fantastic team here, and we all adhere to the belief that it takes everybody doing their part to make this a successful operation each and every day.”

Andrew, now in his 18th year as Transpor-tation Director, oversees a staff of 39 employees, which includes 35 certi-fied drivers. The depart-ment’s fleet comprises 54 vehicles, including 27 buses, seven passenger cars, six pickup trucks used by the Mainte-nance Department, five passenger vans and various other service vehicles.

“It’s a large fleet, and each vehicle is main-tained and kept in top shape,” Andrew said. “In all of my time with the department, not one of our vehicles has ever failed an inspection. We take excellent care of our vehicles because we need our vehicles to take care of us.”

On a daily basis, the department trans-

ports more than 1,200 students to and from school, but that’s only the beginning. Along with a schedule of more than 30 regular routes, the department is also responsible for trans-porting students and staff to events such as athletic and academic competitions and field trips.

During the course of one school year, USD 250 drivers transport students a combined 225,000 miles.

“That’s why it takes everybody,” Andrew said. “To transport that many students that many miles takes every-one doing their part. Ev-ery day, we all need to know who’s riding and who’s not, what changes were made, if there are any problems with the vehicles, and so on. It’s important that we’re all on the same page, and I am very proud to say that the staff here takes that to heart and works together very well.”

This time of year, Andrew and his staff take on an even greater responsibility: providing transportation in less-than-ideal conditions.

When winter weather hits, Andrew works closely with Superinten-dent Destry Brown to determine whether or not to proceed with the school day.

“If we get any amount of snow or ice, I’m usually out at around 3 a.m. check-ing the roads,” Andrew said. “We need to de-termine fairly early on if our buses can make it, particularly on the side streets and country roads and anywhere else that could be potentially dangerous.”

Whether it’s a sunny, 70-degree day or a snowy, 20-degree day, the USD 250 Transpor-tation Department is prepared to provide safe transportation for all students and staff.

“All of our drivers go through the neces-sary defensive-driving courses, we conduct and attend several safety meetings each year, we go to conferences and seminars,” Andrew said. “We make sure our entire staff is ready for anything and every-thing.”

In late January, First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. Agri-culture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled new standards for school meals. The new meal requirements raise standards for school meals for the first time in 15 years and are aimed at im-proving the health and wellness of students across the country.

Among the new standards is a renewed and enhanced focus on the students’ daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. Pittsburg Community Schools USD 250 has been ahead of the curve in that area, as it has provided fresh fruits and vegetables to all of its elementary students on a daily basis for the past several years. The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program is funded mostly by a grant and is one of the many facets of USD 250’s Nutrition Services Department.

“We certainly support any effort that leads to more fruits and vegetables for our students,” USD 250 Nutrition Services Di-rector Susanna Thyer said. “We

feel that we’re already doing a good job of providing fruits and vegetables to our students, as that is an area of nutrition that we take very seriously.”

As part of the FFVP, elemen-tary students each Friday are introduced to a fruit or vegetable that may not be commonly found on their daily lunch trays.

“We use Fridays as our nutri-tion education days,” Thyer said. “We provide handouts to stu-dents with information regarding a fruit or a vegetable with which they are probably not too famil-iar. We like to teach them about that particular food item and then give them the chance to try it. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a nice educational opportunity.”

The USD 250 Nutrition Ser-vices Department comprises a director, secretary, six kitchen managers, 23 cooks and two substitute cooks. Each of the six schools has its own kitchen and prepares daily breakfast and lunch meals. Approximately 950 students eat school breakfast on

a daily basis, and nearly 1,915 eat daily school lunch. Approxi-mately 70 percent of the students receive meals for free or at a reduced rate.

Along with the FFVP, the four elementary schools also feature the After School Snack Program, which provides healthy snacks to nearly 500 students in the dis-trict’s After School Program.

During the summer months, the Nutrition Services Depart-ment also provides free breakfast and lunch to children up to the age of 18.

“Overall, as a department and as a school district,” Thyer said, “our mission is always to provide high-quality, nutritious meals to our students. We know that a well-fed, healthy student is more likely to perform well in class, and we take that role in the edu-cational process to heart. It’s not just about their daily meals to us, it’s about the kids’ futures. We’ll never waiver from that belief.”

Health, education focus of Nutrition Services

Mind Games

Students take on annual Problem Solving DayApproximately 30

elementary school students in the Wings gifted education pro-gram gathered in the George Nettels Elemen-tary School gymnasium in January to do battle with a variety of mind-challenging activities.

The annual Problem Solving Day promotes teamwork and leader-ship.

“Our hope is that by

putting the students through a series of chal-lenges that call for team-work and cooperation,” Carole Rink, USD 250 Wings coordinator said, “they’ll understand the importance of working together to accomplish a task. No matter what they do in life, they will need those leadership and teamwork skills to be successful.”

Now in its 13th year,

students worked in teams to complete tasks involving physics, such as making small boats out of tin foil and con-structing towers out of newspaper. They also played chess and took memory quizzes. Gifted students from Pittsburg High School, many of whom participated in Problem Solving Day when they were in ele-mentary school, assisted

the students during the events throughout the morning and afternoon.

“It’s a lot of fun and it’s kind of hard, which makes it even more fun,” George Nettels 5th-grader Machayla Jones said. “Plus, it’s nice to be able to work on the problems with friends.”

Spread your WingsScenes from Problem Solving Day 2012

George Nettels ElementaryScience Fair

Lakeside ElementaryScience Fair

Photo

Finish