CHS Newsletter
News You Can Use -- March 2018
Clinton High School
Email: thduszynski@clintonwis.com
Website: clinton.k12.wi.us.
Location: 112 Milwaukee Street, Clinton, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 676-2223
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clintoncommunityschooldistrict
Twitter: @clintonwischool
Important Dates!
Summer School Registration is open NOW through April 20th
March 15-17: CHS play "The Odd Couple" on CMS Stage 7:00 p.m.
March 20: Make up day for ACT+Writing
March 21: Make up day for ACT WorkKeys
March 23: Term 3 ends
March 26-30: Spring Break
April 9-13: ACT Aspire & Forward Testing - 10th grade
April 16-20: ACT Aspire Testing - 9th grade
April 23-May 4: Star 360 Testing
April 21: Prom 8:00 p.m.
May 5: Evening with the Arts
Principal's Shoutout!
School Safety
The safety of students, staff and community members are of primary importance to all staff at Clinton High School. There have been too many situations where school violence has occurred and learning occurs for schools and law enforcement every time. Clinton Community School District re-evaluates emergency management processes and procedures and looks at ways to help students and staff be prepared in cases of emergency every time as well.
One of the ways we believe that we can help students and staff is by holding lockdown drills. At some point this week we will be holding a school lockdown drill. The drill will cover what to do when the building goes into a lockdown situation. After practicing the lockdown procedures in the classrooms, teachers will be having conversations about what some options would be if we would be faced with a true lockdown situation. The upcoming drill has been discussed at length with staff and students have been told it is coming. We are also working with the Clinton Police Department during the drill to ensure that our procedures are evaluated by law enforcement as well.
As a reminder, our emergency plans and procedures can be found on pages 12-14 in our student handbook that can be accessed on our school website or feel free to follow this link: Emergency Plan Information. Please take this opportunity to talk with your student regarding these procedures and as always, feel free to reach out to discuss ideas and/or concerns with me.
State Testing for 9th & 10th Graders is right around the corner
As partners in your child's education, it is important to ensure that they are prepared for each step of their educational journey. One way to determine student preparedness is through assessment, and therefore we will be administering ACT Aspire and Forward (10th grade ONLY) to your student during the month of April. ACT Aspire and the Forward exam will give us important information that will allow us to determine how your child is progressing at their current grade level, as well as along their overall path toward future college and career readiness.
ACT Aspire and Forward will tell us which important skills, abilities, and knowledge your student has now, and which ones still need to be learned in order to be successful in school in the future. ACT Aspire and Forward will help your child’s teacher understand where your child is succeeding, as well as where extra help or academic focus is needed. The ACT Aspire will also provide specific suggestions for improving skills.
Your student will be taking the ACT Aspire [English, math, reading, science and writing] assessment and Forward (10th grade Social Studies ONLY) between April 10th & April 27th. A more detailed schedule will be shared as the dates get closer. Please be sure that they are well rested and have a good breakfast those days in order to help them do their best.
Please visit the following links to learn more about these assessments follow the below links:
Students & Staff of the Month
Lauren Corral
Anna Baker
Devontae Sisk
Jakob McMillan
Laura Benisch
Cindy Gander
Tom Liebergen
Department & Extracurricular Updates
Ag
Animal Evaluation and Nutrition students have wrapped up their livestock breeds unit after identifying various breeds of beef cattle, swine, sheep, and goats. We are focusing on selecting desired traits for specific production purposes as well as evaluating strengths and weaknesses of breeding stock animals. We are learning about the importance of maintaining accurate records, the added value of Expected Progeny Differences, and crossbreeding programs. We are looking forward to moving into more of our judging classes as we continue to learn the importance of data and livestock records.
Veterinary Science Students are practicing their veterinary medical terminology. They are learning the meaning of different prefixes and suffixes used interchangeably in veterinary medicine and human medicine. Students completed activities to practice location terms such as dorsal/ventral, median plane, and many more. We are the building the foundation to begin learning more about conducting pet physical exams and proper handling and restraint techniques.
Ag Leadership and Communication students are creating a mock-agribusiness as they learn more about business structure, leadership roles, and responsibility. They have been collaborating with one another to improve their business models and gain a different insight into their selected markets. They will be presenting their agribusiness ideas to local alumni members as they finish up the project in the next week.
Art
Painting students are working on their second acrylic painting featuring surrealism techniques. Their color mixing paintings turned out great and they learned a lot about mixing from primary colors and black and white.
Advanced Art 1 students have finished their style study paintings. Advanced Art 2 students have just finished Encaustic projects with wax. 2 academic seminar students are working on a mural outside of the guidance office. Check out their project weekly to see progress. It should be pretty awesome. Finally, several Art Club students went down to the Elementary School to have a PBIS lunch with younger students and all really enjoyed the interaction!
Advanced Art 1 style study paintings
Abi Lesch and Elizabeth Hahn @ CES PBIS lunch
Kayla Michaelson painting the Counseling office mural.
Band
Band students have been busy preparing for 3 major events that will take place over the next 2 weeks. Saturday, March 10th the majority of students will be doing performances at Big Foot high school for our District Solo & Ensemble festival. These performances are a culmination of a significant amount of work by students, some who started preparing at the beginning of the school year. Then we will have a week off before we do our “Trip Preparation” concert on Tuesday, March 20th at 7 pm in the high school gymnasium. At this concert, we will be performing pep tunes that we will perform in Florida. And on Friday, March 23 at 6:30 am, 85 students and chaperones will depart for Orlando, FL where the Clinton High School Band will perform at the Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, and Ron Jon’s Surf shop. We are all extremely excited for this opportunity to perform in front of thousands of spectators and to represent the school and community of Clinton!
Business & Marketing
Five Clinton High School students competed at the State Career and Development Conference on March 5-7 at Grand Geneva. During the three days, students took tests and completed role plays in a variety of different series. Students also attended leadership sessions and accepted awards on behalf of our chapter. We are proud to announce that our Chapter won the Wisconsin DECA SCDC Photo Challenge, you can check it out on the CHS DECA Twitter account. The Clinton DECA Chapter was also recognized for completing 100 hours of community service, Acts of Kindness, General Contributions to Charity, the WI DECA Community Service Project, Polar Plunge, and Golf Outing Contributor. The awards were achieved because of our hardworking officers, active club members, and our great school! At the conference Dustin Bennett competed in Marketing Communication, Kallie Inman competed in Accounting, and Riley Anastasi and Kendyl Bagley competed in Restaurant Management, and Devontae Sisk competed in Quick Serve representing Clinton High School at SCDC. Devontae Sisk received a medal for achieving high on the Hospitality Cluster Exam. Kendyl Bagley placed 7th in Restaurant Management and Food Service, including receiving a medal for achieving high on the Hospitality Cluster Exam as well. This means that Kendyl Bagley has qualified for the International Career Development Conference, hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. Make sure to congratulate all of our competitors when you see them!
Choir
The Choir Department has been very busy with many different activities. Local Solo/Ensemble took place on February 17 and featured choir students from 7th - 12th students. Many students received 1 and *1 scores from the judges. 8 high school students are going to compete at the District Solo/Ensemble contest at Bigfoot High School on March 17. The Honors choir, known as the Blenders, competed at the ICHSA “Pitch Perfect” competition in DeKalb and took 5th at this quarter final competition. Both the Blenders and CYC Out! Competed at the Broadhead Spotlight show and took 6th & 7th. Caleb Gracyalny was awarded Best Male Vocalist. The choirs are beginning their concert music at this time. The concert will be May 29 on the CMS stage.
Pictured above right: Caleb Gracyalny
Counseling-Academic & Career Planning
Drama Club
The Clinton High School play “The Odd Couple” (female version) written by Neil Simon, will be on March 15, 16 & 17 on the CMS stage. Tickets are $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for students.
English
Being able to communicate effectively is a skill that all students will need in their lives after high school, whether they go right to work, attend an apprenticeship program, enter the military, or attend a two or four-year college. The English Department has been teaching students effective ways to communicate their ideas and thoughts with others.
For starters, CHS has had a Forensics team for more than 25 years. In late February, the team competed at Lakeside Lutheran in Lake Mills for the Sub-District Speech Festival. Over 150 students from our area participated in speaking events from a number of topics. Seniors Dustin Bennett and Rachel LeFevre completed in poetry reading and storytelling, respectively. Dustin performed a poem about Beethoven while Rachel memorized four stories based on selected topics. Both students earned among the highest scores at the competition. Sophomore Maddie Rankin created a Four Minute speech educating about social anxiety, and sophomore Jordyn Waite read a humorous short story in the Prose reading category. Both ladies learned from the experience and enjoyed the event. Madi Miethke, a freshman, is the first student at CHS in quite some time to compete in the Radio News Reporting category. Madi had to read multiple news and sports-related articles and present a 5-minute news report. She had to do all of this in under 30 minutes! The next Forensics meet will be the District meet in Stoughton in late March. (pictured at right: front- Maddi Rankins & Jordyn Waite; back row- Madi Miethke, Dustin Bennett & Rachel LeFevre)
In the English 9 General and Applied classes are gearing up to present their speeches using the text Saving the Baghdad Zoo by Kelly Milner Halls and Major William Sumner. This nonfiction text teaches students about how the United States Armed Forces helped to rebuild Baghdad after the bombings there in 2003. The English 9 Honors class will be creating a speech about the graphic novel Persepolis, a historical autobiography set in Iran in the 1970s and 80s during the cultural revolution.
Students in English 10 have been working on productive discussion skills that stem from evidence-based opinions. Not only have they been learning to facilitate discussion within their own small groups, but their next unit will include listening to and creating a podcast. Students will need to utilize their communication skills to organize, develop, and produce a story that demonstrates their understanding of evidence-based opinions through research and development of an argument.
American Lit students will be reading a book of their choice near the end of the year and then give persuasive speeches about whether or not other students should read the book. This speaking opportunity allows students to work on their rhetorical skills and their ability to “sell” the book to their classmates (or not sell it if it wasn’t a good book). It also gives students options for books to read before the end of the year, so they can keep their brains engaged all summer.
English 12 students are preparing for real-world debates using current controversial issues. They will provide solid constructive speeches and rebuttals using a Lincoln-Douglas, a Cross-examination or a Traditional debate format. Students will choose which debate format, as well as which topic, they are interested in completing. Students will also utilize the elements of rhetoric while speaking, as well as produce solid delivery through proper eye contact, gestures/body language and paralanguage.
Family & Consumer Science
For March, Food 2 students are preparing and serving breakfast to the Reality Check volunteers on Monday, March 12, 2018. Hopefully, they will show up at 6 a.m. Monday morning to help with set up. Breakfast will be breakfast burritos, oatmeal and toppings, and yogurt with fruit.
FFA
Library
Teen Book Club members will be meeting on April 5th during 8th period to discuss Richard Cox’s novel, The Boys of Summer. We’ll have snacks and discuss this science fiction title that was a recommended read for those who loved watching Stranger Things.
Math
AP Calculus students have been differentiating and integrating logarithmic, exponential, and other transcendental functions. The students are anticipating learning about how to recognize limits that produce indeterminate forms along with learning about L’Hopital’s Rule. In the near future, they will be working with slope fields.
PreCalculus students will review quadratic and cubic functions and then extend familiar polynomial identities to both complex numbers and to general polynomial functions. Students will use polynomial identities to find square roots of complex numbers. The binomial theorem and its relationship to Pascal’s triangle are explored using roots of unity. Students will conclude with the use of Cavalieri’s principle to derive formulas for the volume of the sphere and other geometric solids.
Algebra 2 students will be comparing and contrasting exponential and logarithmic functions. They will then be using exponential and logarithmic models to simulate real-world situations.
Geometry students will be discovering the trigonometric ratios in right triangles: Sine, Cosine and Tangent. Soon the world will be a better place.
Algebra 1 students will be working on transformations on absolute value functions. They will also be working with Newton’s Law of Cooling and comparing linear and exponential models.
Pictured above left: The Math Team competed at the RVC Math Meet on March 6th. The students had a great time competing and gaining skills in teamwork.
Pictured below: Gracey Rainey and Jordyn Waite earned certificates for their scores on the various math tests during the competition.
Phy Ed / Health
Detective Eric Schoonover from the City of Beloit presented on Heroin: The Drug & Addiction. Eric’s 8 years in the force and connection with our community has created a special bond with educating our youth on the facts and reality of drugs. The focus of the presentation was to bring knowledge and awareness of the national epidemic with how it affects everyone in society. Detective Schoonover covered multiple facets of the drug; how it is tied to other drugs that are used and abused, peer use, and overdose.
In a recent survey given to high school students in 2016, in the Rock County schools, 90% of students believe that heroin is not acceptable in any way shape or form. Our hopes and efforts are trying to reach the other 10%! Detective Schoonover shared videos of teenage stories and pictures of addicted users in his presentation. The drug knows no gender, race or age!! However, in the recent study 28,000 adolescents aged 12-17 have used heroin! Along with that, heroin and other opiates were reported to be used most frequently by 25-year-olds and younger…. why? Peer pressure and misconceptions about the drug.
Knowledge is power to the key of understanding…. understanding the end result, may save a life!
Pictured below: Assembly with Detective Eric Schoonover
Science
All year, the science department has made “Analyzing and Interpreting Data” a point of emphasis in order to continue preparing our students for the ACT exam during their Junior year. This essential ACT skill correlates directly with our science Target 1:
Target 1 Conducting Investigation: Gather evidence and interpret data.
The class activities, data and graphs the students have considered and interpreted have been interesting and varied. This year's topics in chemistry have included: Stopping distance data, phase change diagrams and development of models to describe the atomic structure.
In Physics, the student’s have explored data representation through scientific articles containing charts and tables on momentum. Students were asked to interpret data and extrapolate further data points. Students were also given passages of conflicting viewpoints on the topic of cell phones and cancer. Students were then asked to answer questions based on viewpoints stated in the passages. Prior to the ACT test, students had the opportunity to take a timed ACT test from previous years. Students were able to practice the strategies we discussed so that they were ready for the real test.
Biology has investigated the data and graphs concerning a broad range of topics, such as the role of enzymes, the effect of mutations, statistics related to the effect of cancer, amongst others. This data interpretation has been used to continue drawing conclusions regarding the concepts being analyzed in class. Biology students have also spent much time working on identifying evidence within the text in order to assist with the correct interpretation of data.
As described, each class has worked on a wide-ranging list of skills to help in the interpretation of data and to develop our students’ scientific literacy, such as discussing and evaluating data sets and modeling the approach to scientific understanding, modeling and practicing annotation of documents, and determining main ideas. With the follow-up analysis, students have shown growth in their abilities to interpret and analyze data.
Social Studies
A select group of young ladies and their teacher were treated to a unique event in February at UW Rock County. A celebration and luncheon of the famous abolitionist and suffragist - Susan B. Anthony was sponsored by the Rock County League of Women Voters.
This was an opportunity to hear various speakers talk about Ms. Anthony’s life and the impact she had on voting and voting rights and the resonance she has had on today’s electorate.
This group was sponsored by Mrs. Cynthia Bagley (a League of Women Voters member) and included their teacher - Frank Crivello and students - Kendyl Bagley, Becca Carratt, Bella Howard, Laura Schultz, and Ana Tiosavljevic our foreign exchange student from Serbia. These young women will put theory into action by assisting this organization with voter registration in March at CHS aimed primarily toward the senior class.
Special Education
This semester we have a student teacher, Zachary Woelfel, from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater joining our special education team at the high school. Mr. Woelfel has jumped right in and is participating in daily activities, lesson planning, collaborating with other teachers, and working with small groups of students. He brings with him an enthusiasm for students with special needs and a strong knowledge of special education procedures and policy. Mr. Woelfel has been a great addition to our staff.
Tech Ed
March is here and even though Spring Break is around the corner, Mr. Thieding’s classes are busy, busy, busy. The Robotics students are learning to program the robots they build. One such program had them creating robot racers where they had to build and program a car to go the fastest and closest to 20 feet. Pictured above right: Winners Karl Anderson and Braden Ammeson.
The Advanced Welding students are busy with 2 different projects. One project is making safety nets for pitchers to use during baseball. They learn valuable lessons about the importance of using squares and working as a team.
Another project is making door security prototypes pictured below. In light of what happened in Florida, Mr. Thieding and his students have decided to do something about school security. This is an ongoing process and our students are excited about being part of the school security solution. We hope to have approval on our designs in the near future.
Work Based Learning
The number of students asking about and obtaining job shadows has greatly increased! We have students completing job shadows in a variety of medical fields, graphic design companies, accounting firms, veterinary clinics, and diesel mechanic shops. Job shadows play an important part in a students’ career goals and helps align a students’ educational plan in high school and beyond. Students should stop by the counseling office if they are interested in learning more about job shadows.
World Languages
Deutsch Nachrichten (German News)
German I, II, and III students have been busy learning the foundation of the language including the introduction of the accusative case to beginning German I students, separable prefix verbs, compound nouns, and the command form to German II students, and the comparison of adjectives and adverbs as well as reflexive verbs to German III students. Very shortly the German II and German III students will be engaged in the German readers Oh Maria! and Einer singt falsch chronicling the entertaining exploits of super sleuth private detective Helmut Müller and his secretary Bea Braun as they look for a resolution to the cases they have taken on.
German IV and V students have also been engaged in German readers to help enhance their reading and comprehension skills. German IV students have been reading Münchhausens Abenteuer, the story of an 18th-century German baron gifted with the talent of embellishing the truth of his adventures and exploits in a very amusing way. The German V students are beginning the story of the Weiße Rose, a W.W. II university student group engaged in passive resistance towards the government of the Third Reich whose bravery and courage resulted with catastrophic consequences for its membership. The efforts of Die Weiße Rose have been recognized and not forgotten in modern day Germany.
We have had some fun too! All German classes learned about the festive time period of Karneval/Fasching (Mardi Gras) leading up to Ash Wednesday. This holiday, celebrated primarily in the Catholic regions of Germany, consists of revelry and parades prior to the more solemn Lenten season. Fasching Dienstag (Shrove Tuesday) saw class parties and the creation of masks, a time practiced tradition believed to ward off the evil spirits of winter. Valentinestag (St. Valentine’s Day) was spent creating cards with German sayings.
Pictured above right l. to r. : Tiffini Elgas, Elyssa Pope, & Olivia McDonald, sophomores in German III.
Pictured below: Five German V students, Rachel Burno, Hana Jacobs, Jessica Jacobson, McKenzie Neisius, and Cole Floberg spent part of their day on a Friday in February visiting the elementary school and participating in a Paw Pride Lunch. These ambassadors of the German language enjoyed a lunch with elementary students and shared some basics of the language with potential future German speakers. A great time was had by all!