NEWS

Student Brings Gun onto IHS Campus: District Says Failure to Communicate Due to Misunderstanding - By Rachel Z.

A student with a holstered gun under his shirt was seen in the IHS parking lot at approximately 3:10 p.m. on Tuesday, September 18. The school called the Ithaca Police Department (IPD), but the suspected student had left campus in a car by the time police arrived. School officials considered, and decided against, a lockdown. The police officers remained on campus through dismissal. IHS cooperated with the IPD’s efforts and also carried out a school-level investigation into the incident. A restraining order was later issued barring the student from campus.

Kearney Case Sparks Protest - By Gabe L.

In the past three weeks, there have been two major protests on IHS grounds concerning the Ithaca City School District (ICSD)’s handling of Amelia Kearney’s racial discrimination lawsuit. First, on Monday, October 1, a rally consisting largely of community members marched in the courtyard outside the ICSD administration building. Then on Wednesday, October 10, following a Board of Education (BoE) meeting the night before, IHS students marched through the halls and rallied throughout the day.

IHS Students' Deciles Miscalculated - By Andrea Y.

In August, the IHS Student Services Department accidentally calculated senior students’ decile rankings using their unweighted grade point averages (GPAs), resulting in incorrect rankings for many students. Deciles are supposed to be calculated using a weighted GPA, which takes into account the level of difficulty of each class taken; for example, an ‘A’ in an Advanced Placement class is given more weight than the same grade in an Honors class.

Subsitute Teachers Form Union - By Sana S.

Substitute teachers play an essential role in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD). While the requirements for a substitute teacher are less rigorous than those of a full-time teacher, substitutes too need qualifications.

News Briefs -

“Countdown to Equality” Forum
Sandra Day O'Connor Visits
Associate Principal Gergory Santoro Marries Gina Monaco
National Merit Semifinalists
New ICSD Website

Math Department Welcomes New Members - By Bryton S.

This fall, two new teachers joined the IHS Math Department: Benjamin Kirk and Bryan Reynolds. Kirk, an Algebra 1 and Honors Precalculus AB teacher, obtained an undergraduate degree in mathematics with a concentration in education, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching, from Cornell University. During his time at Cornell, he student-taught at Lehman Alternative Community School and at TST BOCES. After graduation, Kirk decided to begin his career at IHS. “I’ve heard lots of good things about IHS,” he said. “I also did some observations [here].”

Acronyms Spell Out Tips for Success - By Maddie H. and Marza W.

Motivational posters have long decorated the walls and classrooms of IHS, and this year two new acronyms have been added to the mix: “CHAMP” and “PPPPG,” meant as guidelines for classroom behavior and school success. “CHAMP,” which describes ideal student behaviors, stands for “Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, and Participation”; “PPPPG” stands for “Present, Persistent, Polite, Prepared, and Generous.”

Classes, Not Names, Determine Associate Principal Assignments - By Rayleigh L.

Starting this year, APs are assigned by grade level rather than by students’ last names. A state-mandated review in the spring of 2006, which required the school to examine its special education program and its graduation and dropout rates, had emphasized the need to address the issue; the idea also came up during budget presentations earlier this year.

Link Crew: Yay or Nay? - By Ariana W.

This year’s class of 2011 was the second IHS freshman class to receive the Link Crew introduction to high school. More in depth than the annual one-hour tour of IHS that graduating eighth graders receive, the Link Crew introduction provided a full day of orientation spent touring the entire school, finding lockers, meeting one another, and learning about what it’s like to be in high school.

Cornell-ICSD Liaison Appointed - By Bryton S.

Cal Walker, former associate director of Cornell’s Learning Strategies Center (LCS) and co-founder of the Village at Ithaca, an organization dedicated to helping minority and low-income students in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), has been appointed as the new Cornell Outreach Liaison to the ICSD.