Windsock

The Mr. B's TSA Program

TSA--the Technology Student Association--is a national organization which exists, according to its website, to “foster personal growth, leadership, and opportunities in technology, innovation, design and engineering.”  TSA participation can involve everything from doing woodworking and engineering projects to giving presentations.  At EMHS, TSA is led by Tech Ed teacher Dennis Brubaker, its high school advisor, and Brian Buchanan, its middle school advisor.

Brubaker has been with EMHS’ branch of the TSA or its predecessor, the IASA, since the 1980’s.  During that time, he’s tried to incorporate various aspects of TSA into Tech Ed classes.  If you’ve been in an EMHS shop class, you probably remember the officer system; that’s based off of the TSA, which also operates on a nationwide hierarchy.

In addition to providing leadership opportunities, Buchanan says that TSA helps to improve life skills, such as “self-discipline, dedication, and attention to detail,” and gives students experience with aerodynamics and other engineering subjects, experimentation, public speaking, computer use, and other things.  It’s often harder for high school to work TSA into their schedules than for middle school students, but people from both age ranges are involved at EMHS.  Contrary to what might be expected, “girls are just as big a presence at the competitions as guys,” according to Buchanan.  Additionally, while some projects require work in the shop after school, many can be done by students at home, according to their own schedules, while checking in occasionally with the advisors for help.

At the regional TSA competition, which was held at Turner Ashby high school on March 15, EMHS’s contingent did very well, sweeping first, second, and third places in the middle school dragster competition and having every dragster entry in both age groups rank within the top five in speed.  Additionally, entries from EMHS students in various competitions took first and second places in flight endurance, first place in technical design, and second place in the debate challenge.  Seven students are planning to travel to the statewide TSA competition in Hampton, Virginia this May.

One of the students who went to the regional competition, seventh grader Alex Clemens, has been in TSA since sixth grade.  He enjoys it, saying it’s “really fun.”  In addition to providing entertainment, he says that TSA has helped him develop skills in areas such as woodworking.

The display case near the front office is currently filled with the spoils of the regional competition.

- Dustin Crummett

A Turning Point in Our School History?

By now, EMHS students are aware, via chapels and neighbor group discussions, that the school is in a time of transition.  The school administration, particularly the Development Office, is working to create plans that will determine the course of the school for years to come.  As part of this effort, a weekend retreat involving faculty and administration members was recently held with the help of Allen Lefever, a local citizen who specializes in helping organizations like EMHS plan for their futures.

Principal Paul Leaman says that one of the main goals of the event was to help determine three long term planning principles:  1)  What is the school passionate about?,  2)  What are the school’s strengths?,  And 3) What makes the school work economically?  One of the main goals of EMHS’s long term planning, according to Leaman, is to help find where those areas overlap and can work together.

One of the main focuses of future development will be expanding academic options valuable to college bound students, such as AP classes.  “We have to be serious about strengthening programs for students going to competitive colleges,” Leaman said, while stressing that the school also wants to preserve and expand opportunities for students who aren’t going to college.  Sarah Schaeffer, the head of EMHS’s Development Office, concurs, saying she thinks it’s a shame that students taking Calculus or a fourth year of Spanish must go to EMU (and pay extra tuition).

How will the new programs be funded?  Leaman says that if the school can increase enrollment, funding shouldn’t be a problem as long as community support keeps up.  EMHS’s current facilities are intended for three hundred sixty students, but only about three hundred twenty now attend.  Because of this discrepancy, Schaeffer says that she hopes to achieve a “greater awareness in the community” of EMHS and what it has to offer.  This, she hopes, will also help the school to be a “mission” in the community.

Might the drive for new students compromise the school’s identity?  Leaman says that he wants to do more to help non-Mennonite students feel welcome, and to focus on the student body’s commonalities rather than its differences.  At the same time, he says that the school’s core values are “non-negotiable” and that they will be preserved even as less critical distinctions are done away with.  Schaeffer agrees, saying that the school can survive getting rid of extraneous rules while preserving its core identity and values, such as its emphasis on service.

Is there a chance that the school might drop the word “Mennonite” from the name at any point in the foreseeable future, as has happened with other, similar institutions in similar situations?  Schaeffer says that she “hears nothing to make me think it will happen in my lifetime.”  While Leaman stresses that a name change isn’t in the works, he adds that “I think it’s kind of oxymoronic that the Mennonite denomination is named after a person when the last job of the denomination is to honor a person, other than Jesus.”  The school’s values, he says, are more important than names or labels.

And what of the perceived stress between those who want to keep the school accessible to as many people as possible and those who want to make it a more exclusive, high-end school?  “We don’t want to be like Woodberry Forest or Episcopal,” Schaeffer says.  “We want to preserve what we do well.”  Leaman agrees, and says that, as long as community support keeps up, tuition (adjusted for inflation) should remain about the same in coming years.

With so much at stake, hopefully the future of the school is in good hands.  “We can’t stay where we are,” says Schaeffer, “and we can’t turn away,” but, she adds, “there’s no need to worry.”

- Dustin Crummett

They Said It!

[Ed. note: Strange, out-of-context quotations have long been a staple of the print edition of the Windsock. Most of us [meaning teachers] wince when see some of these malapropisms in the light of day. Just remember, faithful reader, that there was a context [hopefully] to the following statements...]

“Just kiss me, you fool!”
-Mr. Leonard

“Don’t what if me!”
-Ms. Young

“When I hear the word acute, I think of a hot chick.”
-Mr. Marlin Yoder

“Hoover hands.”
-Mr. Blosser

“Oh no, I think I’ll stick a pencil in my eye.”
-Mr. Blosser

“Have you ever gotten goose pimples?”
-Mr. Leonard

That's 10 seconds we'll never get back! Worse yet, that's 10 seconds I'll never get back...!"
-Ted Swartz

“...And then Abram saw that Sarai was one hot mama.”
-Mr. Steve Yoder

"They need to come up with a sexier name for the meat and cheese wrap...."
-Mr. Hoover

“They must have been thinking about a sexagon.”
-Mr. Marlin Yoder

"Would people be interested by a potato party?"
-Mr. Elwood Yoder

"He's adorable in a sort of ugly baby kind of way..."
-Mrs. Yutzy

- Compiled by Freeman Bendfeldt

A New Open House Model

EMHS held an open house nearly a month ago on February 18 for students and families from the community to observe our educational environment in action and kindle possible interest in attending EMHS.  This open house, unlike those past, occurred during a normal school day.  Families attended classes, chapel, and lunch along with the student body.

The decision to hold the open house during the day came about because of the shortcomings of evening open houses.  In short, says Jean Fisher, Director of Admissions here at EMHS, "The problem [with evening open houses] is that nobody is here.  They don't get any kind of feel for the school."   

But when an open house is held during a normal school day, the school can "show guests the way we really are," says Sarah Schaeffer, Director of Development here at EMHS. 

Both Mrs. Fisher and Mrs. Shaeffer agreed the open house was a productive and worthwhile.  18 families showed up to tour the school, attend classes, and listen in on a super-duper amazing music chapel.  Mrs. Fisher called the event "a great success," and Mrs. Schaeffer noted that the amount of families and students in attendance was nearing maximum capacity for the program that day.

This open house is part of an effort to attract more students to EMHS. Attendance has leveled-off in recent years and the new addition leaves room for at least 30 more students, most in high school, to benefit from an EMHS education. 

Most of the families attending the open house were non-Mennonites, perhaps raising concerns about
a more non-denominational drift at EMHS.  But information about the open house was distributed heavily through Mennonite churches and otherwise among friends of those attending EMHS.  "We want to make sure every Mennonite family who wants to come here can do so," stated Mrs. Fisher.  "And inviting others to join us doesn't necessarily constitute a loss of Anabaptist identity and values," says Mrs. Schaeffer.  "Having others here is not about losing who we are.  It is about reaching out and being efficient."

Look for another open house during the day here next year, as well as one in the evening for parents who can not get off work. "We will definitely do this again," says Mrs. Fisher.

- Nathan Hershberger

The Battle is Won (for most of us)

Over the past few weeks a seasonal flu has affected most of the US.

The flu this season didn’t really become widespread until January, but has “Continued to increase in January and through the week ending February 16,” according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The good news is that the flu should be on its way out.  The CDC says that “influenza activity decreased slightly” during the week of February 23, for the first time since early December.   The number of absent kids at EMHS after February 23 follows this slight decrease, and now in March the number of absentees has fallen to less than 10 for the first time since January. 

While this year’s seasonal flu “Is not a particularly bad strain this year [in terms of symptoms and number of deaths],” said Frank Stellar, local MD, "flu shots have been less effective against fighting it." 

The problem is, this year’s flu shot has only been about 40% effective in preventing the flu, compared to last year's 90% effectiveness.  The reason for this is primarily because many strains of flu virus were not the strains which scientists predicted would be dominant this year.  The vaccine used in flu shots was only closely matched with one of the two types of influenza strains which infected most people this year.

If you’re wondering whether or not you have the flu, remember that a sore throat, headache, runny nose, and a fever are the most common symptoms of the flu.  If you recognize the flu early enough, certain medication can help you get over it in significantly less time than the normal 3-5 days. 

If you think you have the flu it's better to be safe than sorry, check with a doctor and stay away from school.  Influenza goes hand in hand with many bacterial infections, and the number of staphylococcus aureus co-infections has risen significantly in the past few years. 

To make sure that the flu doesn’t kick back up again, the CDC says that washing hands regularly, covering your mouth with tissues when you sneeze or cough, and staying home when you’re sick are the most important actions you can take to prevent the spread of germs. 

February	Number of kids out of school at EMHS
1	22
5	14
6	19
7	22.5
8	24.5
11	28
12	25
13	22.5
14	13
15	25.5
18	27.5
19	23.5
20	26.5
21	15.5
25	21.5
26	20
27	16
28	15.5
March
3	9

- Eric Broderson

Fund Drive Results

Extra fundraising is needed to help cover costs at EMHS.  The necessities such as supplies, electricity bills, and teacher payments are not covered in the student tuition.  Such expenses are  paid off by the Christmas Fund Drive.

In 1955, students at EMHS started the Fund Drive.  Students would donated a selected about of workdays to EMHS.  Now, the Fund Drive is run a little differently.  The Christmas Fund Drive is an annual event which students ask for donations from friends and family to support EMHS.  Students are encouraged to fully participate in the Fund Drive through personal contacts, letter writing, donating work wages, or through phone-a-thon.  Personal contacts are made when a student asks persons to give a donation to EMHS.  A student must make five contacts to fully participate.

Letter writing is another option available to participate in the Fund Drive.  To fully participate, students need to write ten letters to alumni of EMHS asking them to consider a donation.  A popular way to participate for Junior and Seniors is through phone-a-thon.  On selected nights before Christmas break, phones are set up in the library for students to participate in the phone-a-thon.  Each participant is given a list of alumni phone numbers, whom they call and ask for a donation to EMHS.

This year, the EMHS student body surpassed its goal of $130,000, earning $143,265.63.  Since we made our goal, for the first time ever, students at EMHS are aloud to wear shorts.  This new change in dress was made possiblel by the creative thinking of the Christmas Fund Drive.  In addition to wearing shorts, there were several drawings in each grade fro cash prizes for those who participated over the recommended amount.  Mrs. Lynn Leischner, the Annual Fund and Alumni Coordinator at EMHS, said she hopes that students honor the dress code so we will be able to keep shorts at EMHS.

- Rose Jantzi

The Primaries Heat Up

You’ve almost certainly heard plenty of news about the United States presidential race recently.  As the field of candidates narrows and the election in November draws closer, interest in the race is growing among many Americans.  As junior Nels Akerson pointed out, some of EMHS’ social studies classes are beginning to deal with the upcoming election.  Twenty juniors and seniors were recently interviewed in an attempt to discover what EMHS students thought about the primaries.

Many students don’t yet have strong opinions on the race.  “I don’t like politics and I don’t like the candidates,” explained Blake Williamson, a senior.  Hannah Cranston, a junior, said she felt that every candidate was a “hypocrite.”  Interest in the race among students will, of course, grow as the general election nears; Gabriel Martinez, a junior, admitted that he hadn’t paid much attention so far, but that he figured that he will know everything he needs to know by November.

Others are already taking sides in the campaign.  Barack Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, seems to enjoy widespread support among students.  David Jost, a senior, said he believes that if Obama is elected, he will “drastically raise our image around the world.”  Some also voiced support for former North Carolina senator John Edwards, who ran for Vice President in 2004; Nathan Hershberger, a senior, said he supports Edwards, though he would prefer Obama over New York senator and former first lady Hillary Clinton.  Clinton had relatively little support among those interviewed for this article.

Arizona senator and Vietnam war veteran John McCain seems to be the most popular Republican candidate.  Freeman Bendfeldt, a senior, said that he would be willing to vote for either McCain or Obama; he believes McCain is willing to stand on his principles, even when they aren’t politically advantageous.  Some students also said they’d consider Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.

Libertarian Ron Paul, a Republican candidate with little support nationally, elicited strong responses from some students.  “He should be kicked in the face,” said Bendfeldt.
“[Ron Paul] is a crazy racist,” added Nathan Hershberger.

- Dustin Crummett

Why Were Exams Cancelled?

Exams. Just thinking about them is enough to make some people’s blood pressure rise. The stress that goes with that twice yearly event is enough to make men weep. However, this year, EMHS managed to catch a break. A large amount of snow closed the school for two days, the Thursday and Friday of exams. For some, this was news for rejoicing, for others, cursing. One thing about exams; although they can be extremely difficult, they are also very useful for raising one’s grade. Some teachers even curve them to create a greater boost for students who need it. With two of the exam days lost, some are left without this needed boost. However, for the administration, the need to move on into second semester outweighed the need for exams. According to Mr. Martin, the second semester is significantly shorter than the first, which means that the school would try to avoid losing any days. Still, exams are an important part of certain class grades, and if the little extra was needed, some students are feeling abandoned.

Questions or Thoughts? Post a comment. I will endeavor to answer to the best of my ability.

- Joe Phillips

Facebook Controversy

Many teenagers have occasional issues with their educators, but it’s not very often that EMHS’ administration is seriously accused by dozens of students of violating centuries old constitutional rights.  When this happened, it understandably caused quite a stir.

According to students, within the past few months, three groups on the popular social networking site Facebook have been deleted by their creators at the request of school officials who deemed the groups inappropriate.  One of the groups was jokingly dedicated to destroying the Peace Pole in front of the school, one was for people who “hated” a certain teacher, and the third was called simply, “EMHS Sucks.”  In response to the deletions, another group, “Guess what EMHS? we have opinons- stop making us delete groups…” was made to protest what the creator perceived as students being forced “to delete a group they made because it goes against EMHS.”

The group sparked intense debate, with students divided over whether the school was justified in asking the groups’ creators to delete them.  “As long as our school continues to spy on us and tell us what to do, we have the right to complain about it and have an strong opinion about it,” one student, a supporter of the protest group, wrote.  Another supporter wrote that she was, “Tired of not being able to speak my mind at emhs cause everyone will give me crap about it and try to explain to me that my standards are WRONG.”

Other students were more ambivalent.  One wrote that, “Emhs has no right to tell us what to do outside of school,” but agreed that, “some of the groups were hurtful.”  Though she had initially joined the anti-teacher group, she said she had since had a change of heart.  “The groups were quite inappropriate,” she wrote, “and shouldnt have been created in the first place.”

Still other students wholeheartedly agreed with the school’s actions.  “The creators of these groups,” a student wrote, “as members of the EMHS community, have every right to express their opinion, so long as they do so in a civil manner, and so long as the opinion itself is deemed valid by the community, i.e. not what we call hate speech. (so far, I would argue that the three groups I know of fall into those two categories) Once more, we all signed onto this when we wrote our name on the on the handbook card, we all sign on to this whenever we join a community or institution. This is not unique to EMHS. It is a part of living together in any community.”

The controversy even attracted external attention, as several former students and at least one person who, as far as the author can tell, has no direct connection to the school, joined the Facebook debate.  These posters were also divided in their positions regarding the school’s actions.

Principal Paul Leaman says he was only personally made aware of one of the groups, the one for people who hated a certain teacher.  He was informed by Dean of Students Sherman Eberly; Mr. Eberly heard of the group from a faculty member, who had in turn learned of it from a student.  Because of what Mr. Leaman called the “hurtful nature” of the group, the two agreed to take action.  After Mr. Eberly discussed the matter with the group’s creator, the group was deleted.

Mr. Eberly says he feels that some of the statements made on the group dedicated to hating a teacher were “almost slanderous,” and that some might even be considered “threatening.”  He feels that the group went against the code of conduct by which all EMHS students agree to abide, and that the administration was therefore entirely justified in asking for it to be deleted. 

“People say, well, it wasn’t meant for teachers and parents,” Eberly added, “and yeah, maybe you didn’t intend for them to see it, but still, you posted it in a public forum.”  Mr. Eberly says that it isn’t uncommon for schools and businesses to utilize information found on Facebook and other sites.  For instance, he says that at JMU, if a picture on Facebook shows a student violating the behavior code (e.g., by drug use,) then disciplinary action can be taken just as if the student was caught in the act.

- Dustin Crummett

Touring Choir Auditions

Every year, juniors and seniors with an interest in choir may elect to audition for the school's touring choir.   Smaller than first semester's senior choir, touring choir provides many benefits, including a daily course, Sunday morning church hopping, and a trip, either within the United States or internationally on an alternating basis.   A smaller chamber choir is also selected largely based on sight reading ability. 

            The process is long and intense, including scored tests of sight reading ability, hearing notes in a chord, singing a song for a recorder that is anonymously heard by several judges, and various other tests of vocal musical ability.   The song, performed after Christmas break, is the same for all auditioning, though they sing their own voice part; all the rest of the audition is before break.

            The audition process itself is necessary; out of about sixty interested students, only forty will actually be able to participate.   When asked if he thought the results were reliable, Jay Hartzler, the EMHS choral director, said that he believed they were extremely accurate.  Even if numerous directors were brought in to judge the different parts, the choir composition in the end would still be about the same.  The reason the audition has to be completed after Christmas break is because it is simply too hard for Mr. Hartzler to do the entire process before break.

            Of course, the wait is very stressful.   With so much ambiguity (Mr. Hartzler's stated intention is for no one to really know how they did) it is difficult, even for seniors with considerable bonuses to their scores, to really know how the audition went.   Hopefully, the results will become clear soon after break ends, but until then, a great part of the junior and senior classes will be in suspense.

- David Jost