{"id":4552,"date":"2020-05-14T14:56:18","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T18:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=4552"},"modified":"2020-05-14T14:56:18","modified_gmt":"2020-05-14T18:56:18","slug":"standing-room-only","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=4552","title":{"rendered":"Standing Room Only"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4553\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-269x300.jpg?resize=269%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=269%2C300&amp;ssl=1 269w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=919%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 919w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C855&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=1379%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1379w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=1839%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1839w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=1140%2C1270&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?resize=552%2C615&amp;ssl=1 552w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-6-scaled.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-4554\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-269x300.jpg?resize=269%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=269%2C300&amp;ssl=1 269w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=919%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 919w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C855&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=1379%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1379w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=1839%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1839w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=1140%2C1270&amp;ssl=1 1140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?resize=552%2C615&amp;ssl=1 552w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/issue1_2019-7-scaled.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>By Kata Rothhorn<\/strong><br \/>\nPortrait<br \/>\nEast Lansing HS<br \/>\n1st Place Division 3, News Writing<br \/>\nInformative Feature<\/p>\n<p><b>JUDGING CRITERIA<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leads capture attention, arouses curiosity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Topic relevant to interests and\/or welfare of school or students<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thorough investigation through research and interviews<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combines basics of good news and feature writing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organized with smooth transitions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uses proper diction and grammar<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balanced and fair presentation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Allison Densico asked her students in first hour AP Statistics if they wanted to switch out of her class on the first day of school. When she said it, her words felt like a joke, or a way to loosen up the atmosphere. But by the second or third time she suggested having a free first hour, the students started to realize that she wasn\u2019t just laughing along with them. After they spent three days stumbling over backpacks stuffed in the cramped aisle space between 38 desks, it became apparent that the class could not stay that size for the rest of the year. Some people were going to have to leave. Devon Johnson (12) was one of those people. \u201cI knew the class was going to be very rowdy,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI knew that I\u2019d have a better experience learning&#8230;in second hour [statistics].\u201d Now at 34 students in week seven, Denisco\u2019s first hour statistics class is one of 61 classes at the high school this year with over 31 students, the highest numbers in 20 years according to Associate Principal Nick Hamilton. At the beginning of the school year, English teacher and East Lansing Education Association President Timothy Akers had three AP Language classes that totaled nearly 100 students. He has been working with the administration on how to handle class sizes since they first realized sections were overflowing. \u201cI don\u2019t want to blame them for poor planning,\u201d Akers said. \u201cI think they just got caught off guard with the influx of kids, because usually you don\u2019t see that big of an increase in enrollment all in one year.\u201d This is one of the main reasons the administration has been teaming up with teachers to lower and more evenly distribute class sizes throughout the school. \u201cAdministration has met with each of the department chairs to troubleshoot with the departments,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cWhat the class sizes looked like, what we want to do with it moving forward&#8230;We\u2019ve explored all options. We\u2019re still kind of exploring options.\u201d What\u2019s the impact? Every day, when sixth hour rolls around, English Department Chair Sheri Seyka has to borrow a stool from the neighboring classroom in order to fit all of her students within her creative writing class. Seating 35 kids in her classroom isn\u2019t a huge obstacle in itself, but it does alter the pace of her teaching a bit. \u201cWe\u2019re still getting through the same curriculum,\u201d Seyka said. \u201cBut we\u2019re squished in a lot. We\u2019re working a lot closer than we usually do.\u201d Having these larger classes means teachers have less one-on-one time with their students. \u201cIn the past, I was able to have more small group discussions with students because I only had 19 kids in the class,\u201d Denisco said. \u201cAnd so when there\u2019s 34, it\u2019s just harder to get around to see if everybody is understanding as much as they were before&#8230;it just changes the dynamic a little bit.\u201d This change doesn\u2019t always work for students who are taking challenging classes. Ji Hye Min (12) wasn\u2019t able to take statistics this year due to crowded classes. She needed to take a senior math class but AP Calculus definitely was not her first option. \u201cI\u2019m doing really bad on my tests and homework, so I kind of want to drop [AP Calculus AB],\u201d Min said. \u201cI asked my calculus teacher, [Mark] Foster, and he told me he would help me during excel&#8230;but right now, every time I go to excel class, there are so many people, that I can\u2019t really ask for questions that I want to ask.\u201d Other problems arose for students when the crowded classroom has only so many materials to go around. Jewelry and metalworking is taught during only one class period, which causes backups when students are all trying to use the same tools. \u201cYou work with saws, and drill presses and buffing wheels and so when it\u2019s too crowded, it\u2019s hard to get things done,\u201d Freya Dufner (12) said. \u201cAnd then since there\u2019s one teacher, everyone has to ask her questions at the same time. It\u2019s a lot of waiting for the teacher to be available because she has to sign off on everything you do, since you\u2019re using heavy machinery.\u201d This lack of quality teaching time has led some students to look into Michigan Virtual Online Classes. At the beginning of the school year, Katelyn Smith, the online school mentor, had 38 students enrolled in online classes. By the end of the sixth week of school, that number had more than doubled to 78 kids. But online school isn\u2019t a great alternative for everyone. \u201cI could have taken online classes,\u201d Min said. \u201cBut if there\u2019s no teacher, I really can\u2019t study by myself. I actually need a teacher and [be able to] ask questions.\u201d Perhaps hiring a few new teachers would be a simple solution to this problem but in reality, it isn\u2019t all that simple. Not only would the introduction of new sections completely alter everyone\u2019s schedules, but it\u2019s impossible to hire one or two teachers who would be able to balance out overcrowding throughout the school. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to hire someone this late anyways,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cBut it\u2019s even more difficult to say we\u2019re just gonna hire one person to solve all our class sizes. That\u2019s just not realistic, it\u2019s probably not even realistic to say we would hire three people and have them cover the areas which need to be covered.\u201d The simple truth is, there is no perfect solution to crowded classes &#8211; at least this year. Looking into the future, it\u2019s obvious this is not going to be a one time issue. The middle school numbers have increased by 39 students from last year and is predicted to keep growing. However, with better planning and perhaps the hiring of a new teacher or two, the high school can become better prepared for a larger population of students. \u201cWe know that our student body is growing,\u201d Student counselor Nicole Coss said. \u201cAnd because our student body is growing moving forward, as we go into scheduling for next year we\u2019re going to take that into account.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[60,4],"tags":[175,22],"class_list":["post-4552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","category-informativefeature","category-nw","tag-2019-20","tag-division3","post_format-post-format-gallery","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Joel Beeker","author_link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?author=9"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6K0n6-1bq","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4552\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}