School news
Dress Code Free Days?
By Keely Harris
Every student at Hoosier Academies knows of the dress code: collared shirt, long enough pants, no hoods up, no hats. The dress code is implemented almost every day of the year.
However, there are occasionally days on which students may wear garments out of dress code. For example, there has been “Super-hero Day” in the Middle School and “Colts Blue Day” after the Colts’ win. Sadly, these days a few and far between. Once a year, there is Spirit Week, which lets students come up with creative outfit ideas, such as a 70s outfit for “70s Day.”
What if, once or twice a month, students were allowed to wear an outfit that was out of dress code, yet still school appropriate? These days could be called “Dress Code Free Days” or “No-Dress Code Days.” Many students would love the chance to wear hats and their favorite t-shirts.
The outfits would, of course, still have to be school appropriate. Shorts and skirts would still have to be an minimum of one hand-length above the knee. Shirts would have to have sleeves and be appropriate, i.e, no extremely low necks, no see-through shirts without another shirt under, no curse words or inappropriate words. Hats, too, would not be allowed to have cursing or inappropriate words. They would also have to be non-distracting to other students.
Students would embrace the opportunity to wear what they want on these days. It would alleviate the monotony of a collared shirt, and would allow students to show a little bit more creativity while still being school appropriate. Maybe this idea will not be completely accepted by the school board - maybe they will say no hats, but appropriate shirts that are non-dress code. However, if students band together, maybe we can allow ourselves a little bit freedom on a regular basis.
By Keely Harris
Every student at Hoosier Academies knows of the dress code: collared shirt, long enough pants, no hoods up, no hats. The dress code is implemented almost every day of the year.
However, there are occasionally days on which students may wear garments out of dress code. For example, there has been “Super-hero Day” in the Middle School and “Colts Blue Day” after the Colts’ win. Sadly, these days a few and far between. Once a year, there is Spirit Week, which lets students come up with creative outfit ideas, such as a 70s outfit for “70s Day.”
What if, once or twice a month, students were allowed to wear an outfit that was out of dress code, yet still school appropriate? These days could be called “Dress Code Free Days” or “No-Dress Code Days.” Many students would love the chance to wear hats and their favorite t-shirts.
The outfits would, of course, still have to be school appropriate. Shorts and skirts would still have to be an minimum of one hand-length above the knee. Shirts would have to have sleeves and be appropriate, i.e, no extremely low necks, no see-through shirts without another shirt under, no curse words or inappropriate words. Hats, too, would not be allowed to have cursing or inappropriate words. They would also have to be non-distracting to other students.
Students would embrace the opportunity to wear what they want on these days. It would alleviate the monotony of a collared shirt, and would allow students to show a little bit more creativity while still being school appropriate. Maybe this idea will not be completely accepted by the school board - maybe they will say no hats, but appropriate shirts that are non-dress code. However, if students band together, maybe we can allow ourselves a little bit freedom on a regular basis.
Hoosier Academies: Back Pain for All
By Hanah Oblak
Since the beginning of Hoosier, students have had to carry their books around all day long. Why is this so? Unlike most other schools, Hoosier Academy does not have lockers. For each class, save electives, there is at least one textbook and (most of the time) a workbook. These books are heavy and put strain on the backs of the students. There even used to be a rule that rolling backpacks weren’t allowed to be used, which meant that there was no choice but for your back to ache all day. Just recently students were allowed to start using their computers so they could read the online books instead of carrying them all back and forth.
Last year our coat room was in the decent sized annex to the lunch room, and students brought their extra belongings there. There was less foot traffic so your property was less likely to be tampered with, but this year that space was turned into the staff storage area. The current coat room is large enough that lockers could line the walls, and students could bring their own locks if they needed to use a locker. Lockers would be beneficial especially to the middle school students, who are not allowed to use the online books instead of the hardcopies in class.
There is of course the argument that we have to bring things back and forth from our homes since we are not at the school building for the majority of the week. To this I say that that is specifically why we need lockers. Students come to class without having what they need because they would rather be unprepared then have to carry all of their materials around with them all day long. If students had a locker that they could leave extra paper, writing utensils, and project supplies in then they would always have those things when they were needed, without having to carry them around just in case.
By Hanah Oblak
Since the beginning of Hoosier, students have had to carry their books around all day long. Why is this so? Unlike most other schools, Hoosier Academy does not have lockers. For each class, save electives, there is at least one textbook and (most of the time) a workbook. These books are heavy and put strain on the backs of the students. There even used to be a rule that rolling backpacks weren’t allowed to be used, which meant that there was no choice but for your back to ache all day. Just recently students were allowed to start using their computers so they could read the online books instead of carrying them all back and forth.
Last year our coat room was in the decent sized annex to the lunch room, and students brought their extra belongings there. There was less foot traffic so your property was less likely to be tampered with, but this year that space was turned into the staff storage area. The current coat room is large enough that lockers could line the walls, and students could bring their own locks if they needed to use a locker. Lockers would be beneficial especially to the middle school students, who are not allowed to use the online books instead of the hardcopies in class.
There is of course the argument that we have to bring things back and forth from our homes since we are not at the school building for the majority of the week. To this I say that that is specifically why we need lockers. Students come to class without having what they need because they would rather be unprepared then have to carry all of their materials around with them all day long. If students had a locker that they could leave extra paper, writing utensils, and project supplies in then they would always have those things when they were needed, without having to carry them around just in case.
Reaching a hand out in friendship
By Emily Gould
No-one deserves to be alone. Whether it is anything in life, no-one should go through it alone. In schools, there are always those who sit in the corner alone, but has anyone thought to talk to them? Have you ever thought that maybe something was going on?
There can be many reasons to want to go through school alone. Many serious and non-serious reasons. For example, depression is a big reason for a kid to stray from the social world. Depression can be a big deal. It can be fatal too. There are also kids who feel insecure and out-of-place, so they decide to create their own bubble and stay there. Well, if some of us decided to pop their bubble, they could open up and make some friends. In school, everyone needs a friend.
One of the biggest reasons, though, for going quiet, is being bullied. It is proven that people bully because it makes them feel better about themselves, but some should think of the consequences that come with bullying. The point is, if you spot someone who never talks or hang out with anyone, you should pop their bubble and talk to them. You never know, you could change their life.
By Emily Gould
No-one deserves to be alone. Whether it is anything in life, no-one should go through it alone. In schools, there are always those who sit in the corner alone, but has anyone thought to talk to them? Have you ever thought that maybe something was going on?
There can be many reasons to want to go through school alone. Many serious and non-serious reasons. For example, depression is a big reason for a kid to stray from the social world. Depression can be a big deal. It can be fatal too. There are also kids who feel insecure and out-of-place, so they decide to create their own bubble and stay there. Well, if some of us decided to pop their bubble, they could open up and make some friends. In school, everyone needs a friend.
One of the biggest reasons, though, for going quiet, is being bullied. It is proven that people bully because it makes them feel better about themselves, but some should think of the consequences that come with bullying. The point is, if you spot someone who never talks or hang out with anyone, you should pop their bubble and talk to them. You never know, you could change their life.
Student Government: Do we all really have an equal chance?
By Hannah Oblak
At the beginning of this school year people joined student government. There are two representatives for each grade level excluding 7th and 8th grade. 8th grade has only one representative and 7th grade doesn't have one at all. In the middle school, we have no impact on student government. At the beginning of the year we were promised a fall dance. Fall has come and gone, and there hasn't been a any word of a dance. If you ask a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior about student government, they will be able answer your question, or direct you to someone who can. Most middle school students aren't even aware that we even have a student government. According to several freshman, there was not even an election. In their words,"whoever wanted to be in (student government) got a spot." Shouldn't government represent the people? How can we trust that the current 'representatives' will truly represent us?
By Hannah Oblak
At the beginning of this school year people joined student government. There are two representatives for each grade level excluding 7th and 8th grade. 8th grade has only one representative and 7th grade doesn't have one at all. In the middle school, we have no impact on student government. At the beginning of the year we were promised a fall dance. Fall has come and gone, and there hasn't been a any word of a dance. If you ask a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior about student government, they will be able answer your question, or direct you to someone who can. Most middle school students aren't even aware that we even have a student government. According to several freshman, there was not even an election. In their words,"whoever wanted to be in (student government) got a spot." Shouldn't government represent the people? How can we trust that the current 'representatives' will truly represent us?
An Interview with Dr. Ernest
Hannah Cochard
A few weeks ago I got the chance to interview our head of schools, Dr. Ernest. We asked him questions about Hoosier Academies, his personal life, and family.
Interviewer: What is your family like; do you have a wife and kids?
Dr. Ernest: I have a wife and a kid. I have a wife whose name is Hope and a son whose name is Heath. Heath is in the 8th grade and my wife is an engineer.
Interviewer: What is your favorite food?
Dr. Ernest: My favorite food is steak. Not just any steak, rib-eye steak.
Interviewer: What are your favorite TV shows and/or movies?
Dr. Ernest: I am a huge Rambo fan. The second one is my favorite of the series. For TV shows, my favorite right now would have to be NCIS.
Interviewer: What was your favorite subject when you were in school?
Dr. Ernest: I loved school. My favorite subjects were science and I really loved speech and drama.
Interviewer: What extra-curricular activities did you do in high school?
Dr. Ernest: I played football, wrestled, I was in FFA and I did the school drama production.
Interviewer: What was your high school behavior like?
Dr. Ernest: I was not a bad kid. I was a fun kid! I’m not going to say I did everything perfectly and didn’t do things that I should have gotten in trouble for. I graduated 4th in my class and there were 464 students in my graduating class. I was very fortunate that if I paid attention in class I was okay. But I had a lot of fun.
Interviewer: Do you have any hobbies?
Dr. Ernest: This might sound funny but my son, kind of, is the hobby. Since he plays basketball, football, baseball and does track, a lot of our time is spent going to his games. Hobby though...I do live on a farm and my son raises and shows dairy cows. Right now we have four newborn calves, so I bottle feed four calves every morning. So, I guess you could call that my hobby.
Interviewer: What made you want to become an educator?
Dr. Ernest: My sophomore year of college, I was going to Purdue for Animal Science and was planning to go back home to the family farm or maybe work in the industry somewhere. My sophomore year my academic adviser brought me in and asked if I had ever considered being a teacher. And I said, "absolutely not, no, not interested."
He said back, "I just thought you would be good at that; might want to consider it."
I said, "It's spring of my sophomore year. In two years I’m done. I’m not going back for more."
Then he said, "Well, if I can guarantee you that you could have your Ag education degree and your Animal Science degree and still get out on time, would you do it?"
So I went ahead and did it and ended up really enjoying my student teaching experience. The big defining point for me was that I had this professor at Purdue who made a commitment to me that I would still finish on time and wouldn’t have to go any extra. So, with that, there were things that he would make sure that we could do and I think that had a big influence on me. For even things here at Hoosier, when somebody says, "well gosh we can’t do that," my attitude always is, well, how could we? So I think I had a good person to role model that for me. And when you make a commitment, you need to stick with it.
Interviewer: Were you a teacher before you went into administration?
Dr. Ernest: Yes, I taught for 26 years; Agriculture Science.
Interviewer: Where did you teach?
Dr. Ernest: My very first year was at South Western Shelby. Then I went to Clinton Central for 19. Then I went to Lebanon and started an ag program there. And that’s where I was before I went into administration.
Interviewer: What made you choose Hoosier Academies?
Dr. Ernest: Having been a principal at a struggling school, (I got to) take over the school and then taking them off the F list. Then, knowing the struggles and the challenges Hoosier was having, I wanted to have the chance to work with those here because I wanted to get that straightened around, so to speak. Plus, I really liked the concept of...going toward having hybrids or a blended school like we have here, or fully virtual. So, being a part of the cutting edge of that, since it’s so new, was inviting to me.
Interviewer: What’s your specific role here at Hoosier Academies?
Dr. Ernest: My specific role here is much like a superintendent, just in a charter school, it is called a head of schools. I oversee and lead the entire organization, whether that be our virtual school or hybrid school. So I work with our academic administrators, which would be like principals, to make sure they have the resources that they need. So, I take care of the budget for the school. And again, I am just making sure that they have the things necessary to serve you all.
Interviewer: What are the pros and cons of Hoosier Academies?
Dr. Ernest: The pros are the flexibility of either being able to be on a hybrid schedule or being able to be fully virtual. Being able to be in a situation that-for the student-it could be whichever way is best for you. If you want to be in the social environment of being at the school, you can. And if you want to be fully virtual, you can do that as well. For the students that we serve who have either been bullied or have health issues or are athletes and can’t work with a normal schedule. I’ve even seen students whose parents, frankly, just don’t want their kids walking to school because it’s an unsafe environment. So I think the big pro is that we are able to serve a really wide population in a lot of different ways.
Now having said that, that also almost becomes the con as well. Indiana is a state that embraces school choice and you could go pretty much to any school in Indiana that you want to go. Now realizing that it's kind of tough-you couldn’t just go anywhere because of transportation. Because truly we’re the only real choice that students have. If distance keeps me from going somewhere or I can’t get to another school I want to go to, this is one from a virtual standpoint that you could do. So while that sounds like an advantage and it is, it’s also a disadvantage because then we become a choice for some that it’s maybe not the right choice or a good fit for. And that makes it tough to service and serve all of those students from that standpoint; those who aren’t in a situation where, like in the hybrid case, where the three days that you’re to work on your own that if they're not such that they’re going to do that, or get support at home, that becomes a challenge. Not one we are going to shy away from but it is a challenge we are going to have to recognize.
Hannah Cochard
A few weeks ago I got the chance to interview our head of schools, Dr. Ernest. We asked him questions about Hoosier Academies, his personal life, and family.
Interviewer: What is your family like; do you have a wife and kids?
Dr. Ernest: I have a wife and a kid. I have a wife whose name is Hope and a son whose name is Heath. Heath is in the 8th grade and my wife is an engineer.
Interviewer: What is your favorite food?
Dr. Ernest: My favorite food is steak. Not just any steak, rib-eye steak.
Interviewer: What are your favorite TV shows and/or movies?
Dr. Ernest: I am a huge Rambo fan. The second one is my favorite of the series. For TV shows, my favorite right now would have to be NCIS.
Interviewer: What was your favorite subject when you were in school?
Dr. Ernest: I loved school. My favorite subjects were science and I really loved speech and drama.
Interviewer: What extra-curricular activities did you do in high school?
Dr. Ernest: I played football, wrestled, I was in FFA and I did the school drama production.
Interviewer: What was your high school behavior like?
Dr. Ernest: I was not a bad kid. I was a fun kid! I’m not going to say I did everything perfectly and didn’t do things that I should have gotten in trouble for. I graduated 4th in my class and there were 464 students in my graduating class. I was very fortunate that if I paid attention in class I was okay. But I had a lot of fun.
Interviewer: Do you have any hobbies?
Dr. Ernest: This might sound funny but my son, kind of, is the hobby. Since he plays basketball, football, baseball and does track, a lot of our time is spent going to his games. Hobby though...I do live on a farm and my son raises and shows dairy cows. Right now we have four newborn calves, so I bottle feed four calves every morning. So, I guess you could call that my hobby.
Interviewer: What made you want to become an educator?
Dr. Ernest: My sophomore year of college, I was going to Purdue for Animal Science and was planning to go back home to the family farm or maybe work in the industry somewhere. My sophomore year my academic adviser brought me in and asked if I had ever considered being a teacher. And I said, "absolutely not, no, not interested."
He said back, "I just thought you would be good at that; might want to consider it."
I said, "It's spring of my sophomore year. In two years I’m done. I’m not going back for more."
Then he said, "Well, if I can guarantee you that you could have your Ag education degree and your Animal Science degree and still get out on time, would you do it?"
So I went ahead and did it and ended up really enjoying my student teaching experience. The big defining point for me was that I had this professor at Purdue who made a commitment to me that I would still finish on time and wouldn’t have to go any extra. So, with that, there were things that he would make sure that we could do and I think that had a big influence on me. For even things here at Hoosier, when somebody says, "well gosh we can’t do that," my attitude always is, well, how could we? So I think I had a good person to role model that for me. And when you make a commitment, you need to stick with it.
Interviewer: Were you a teacher before you went into administration?
Dr. Ernest: Yes, I taught for 26 years; Agriculture Science.
Interviewer: Where did you teach?
Dr. Ernest: My very first year was at South Western Shelby. Then I went to Clinton Central for 19. Then I went to Lebanon and started an ag program there. And that’s where I was before I went into administration.
Interviewer: What made you choose Hoosier Academies?
Dr. Ernest: Having been a principal at a struggling school, (I got to) take over the school and then taking them off the F list. Then, knowing the struggles and the challenges Hoosier was having, I wanted to have the chance to work with those here because I wanted to get that straightened around, so to speak. Plus, I really liked the concept of...going toward having hybrids or a blended school like we have here, or fully virtual. So, being a part of the cutting edge of that, since it’s so new, was inviting to me.
Interviewer: What’s your specific role here at Hoosier Academies?
Dr. Ernest: My specific role here is much like a superintendent, just in a charter school, it is called a head of schools. I oversee and lead the entire organization, whether that be our virtual school or hybrid school. So I work with our academic administrators, which would be like principals, to make sure they have the resources that they need. So, I take care of the budget for the school. And again, I am just making sure that they have the things necessary to serve you all.
Interviewer: What are the pros and cons of Hoosier Academies?
Dr. Ernest: The pros are the flexibility of either being able to be on a hybrid schedule or being able to be fully virtual. Being able to be in a situation that-for the student-it could be whichever way is best for you. If you want to be in the social environment of being at the school, you can. And if you want to be fully virtual, you can do that as well. For the students that we serve who have either been bullied or have health issues or are athletes and can’t work with a normal schedule. I’ve even seen students whose parents, frankly, just don’t want their kids walking to school because it’s an unsafe environment. So I think the big pro is that we are able to serve a really wide population in a lot of different ways.
Now having said that, that also almost becomes the con as well. Indiana is a state that embraces school choice and you could go pretty much to any school in Indiana that you want to go. Now realizing that it's kind of tough-you couldn’t just go anywhere because of transportation. Because truly we’re the only real choice that students have. If distance keeps me from going somewhere or I can’t get to another school I want to go to, this is one from a virtual standpoint that you could do. So while that sounds like an advantage and it is, it’s also a disadvantage because then we become a choice for some that it’s maybe not the right choice or a good fit for. And that makes it tough to service and serve all of those students from that standpoint; those who aren’t in a situation where, like in the hybrid case, where the three days that you’re to work on your own that if they're not such that they’re going to do that, or get support at home, that becomes a challenge. Not one we are going to shy away from but it is a challenge we are going to have to recognize.