September 15th: A Successful Kickoff

We have had a unique start this fall to what I believe will prove to be a wonderful school year.  During the first week, high school students returned to a partial facility with a row of portable classrooms on the east side.  They returned to a lunchroom that did not yet have a fully functioning kitchen, although the cafeteria personnel did serve up an excellent salad bar and choice of submarine sandwiches.  They returned to classes wherein 90 minute sections with an alternating day schedule were the new norm rather than 45-minute periods.  And for the second year in a row, high schoolers returned to Norris with a different principal.  In a tribute to the character of our students and the support of the parents and community, students have managed to orient and acclimate to this new environment with a minimal amount of turbulence.  Their adeptness at handling significant change and to maintain good will in the face of these challenges is deeply impressive.  I am so proud to be able to work with the fine students, parents, and teachers of Norris High School.  Let me give you a window on what has been happening recently to allow you, the reader, to understand that in spite of the many changes on campus this fall, the focus at Norris continues to be on providing high quality instruction and attaining excellence in student achievement.

Come with me on a recent day at Norris---out in the portables: In Mr. Jenkins’ class, the students are conducting a reading on plastic mold injection processes.  They learn about slush and dip molding, pressure laminates and foamed plastics.  Mr. Jenkins directs them through a careful reading of these plastic production processes and displays several examples while referring to others.  Down the row of portables, Mr. Koenig works with students reading out of their We the People American history text as they study “Terms To Know,” including aristocrats and civic virtue.  Mr. Koenig gives the students some reminders about possible ways to conduct structured note-taking that would increase their recall of the key terms later, suggesting columned note-taking and colored key words.  Back in Portable 13, Mr. Hardin teaches his students on how to use underlining of key content area vocabulary to remember it later.  He talks to them about positive and negative integers, fielding questions to help them clarify their understanding and referring to his dashed line on the board where he demonstrates problems.   Leaving what some students are now candidly and affectionately referring to as “Titan Trailer Park,” we return to the building, where the South and East wing are in full operation.  Classes are well underway.  The erudite Mrs. Renaud drills her seniors on infinitive phrases and prepositions.  Her students---attentive, responsive, and engaged, know they are acquiring the specifics from her that will help them acquire successful skills in English composition that can be used over a lifetime.  In an English 9 class, Mrs. Boon teaches her freshmen about literary elements.  She describes to them differences between internal and external conflict, offering examples from the story being read.  She then refers to a diagram on the board to provide a visual depiction of the place of rising action following initial conflict in a plot.  In the East wing, Susan Steuer provides her Geometry students with relevant visual examples to support their understanding of coplanar and collinear points.

All of the above is not unusual or exceptional in a traditional high school---except that in this case, the circumstances are in fact very unusual.  Having just been battered by a tornado in late May, the students and teachers of Norris have still maintained a focus on student learning first and foremost.  The teachers described above and all their colleagues are engaging in instruction under what are admittedly less than ideal circumstances.  Teachers have remained positive and proactive.  Administrators and secretaries have supported their efforts to obtain any missing contents.  Our beloved secretaries Jerris Schreiter and Patti Wieskamp have maintained an unflappable sense of humor and wit throughout a zany summer and now in figuring out the intricacies of a complicated new phone system.  The counseling genius of Curt Carlson and Becky O’Connor and the scheduling savvy of Jerris gave us the opportunity to hand completed schedules to students with minimal changes needed on the first day---a fairly amazing accomplishment given that we had highly limited computer access and had changed our schedule midway through the summer to make it a go with limited room space.  As described above, the quality of instruction at Norris is obviously quite high.  Academic rigor is an expectation, not an exception.  Students come prepared to learn and teachers ready to teach, drawing upon a wealth of content knowledge to help those students meet objectives.

 

In the August, 1999 issue of Education Update, Karen Rasmussen points out that Getting Organized, Being Consistent, and Nurturing Relationships are the essence of a great kickoff to the school year.  The quick planning and organization of our school, the consistently excellent teaching of our faculty and the conduct of our students, and the great relationships built with one another will push us past what’s already been a successful kickoff and through a great fantastic fall semester.

 

Thanks for your efforts to support ours, and please don’t hesitate to contact me at skrettaj@norris160.org.