Custodian Shoveling Parking Lots

Yesterday there was a blizzard that cancelled all  after school functions. There were no sport practices or sport events and the faculty left at 3:00 p.m. The school was completely shut down after 3:30. Many students and some teachers felt that we should of had a snow day today but we are here in class still. As of right now the sport events that were cancelled have not been rescheduled and will be made up later in the season.

Recently in the United States, there has been some controversy regarding the Zero Tolerance Policy that most schools uphold.

Some people are saying that its guidelines are too strict. One example pertaining to this would be of a six year old boy who was suspended for 45 days. He had a spork-knife and was eating with it. The spork-knife was given through Cub Scouts. His name was Zachary Christie.

Zachary Christie

While it makes sense to not allow weapons in school, some of the punishments for accidentally bringing in weapons are just way too severe.

Another controversial incident involved an honors student in high school that was suspended for having a knife in his car. The knife was part of a safety kit recommended by the DMC.

There is no substantial evidence regarding the effectiveness of zero tolerance policies, but if they do help, is it worth the unfairness?

Starting Wednesday, October 21st, WKCE sophomore testing begins for all sophomores. Sophomores will be taking standardized tests in five subjects: Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. After taking the tests, results for each subject will be placed into four categories; Minimal, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced, depending on how well the scores are for each test completed. Each day of testing has it’s own subject and amount of time given for each test.

Starting off WKCE tests is the math portion, which begin first hour and will last for 90 minutes. On Thursday, October 22nd, the first session of the reading portion will commence; and it will last for 70 minutes. The second session will take place Tuesday, October 27th and will continue for 40 minutes. Both reading sessions will take place second hour. Then Wednesday, November 4th, science and language arts will begin third hour and will be 80 minutes. Finally, ending the tests, will be the Social Studies portion. It will begin fourth hour on Thursday, November 5th and will also last 80 minutes.

Each Sophomore student will have the chance to exempt specific class finals depending on whether the results are put into Proficient or Advanced. For instance, if you score Proficient in Science, you have the option to exempt out of a Chemistry final. Since you can’t exempt a final twice for any class, if you exempt a final for a class first semester and are in the Proficient or Advanced category for said class, then the exemption acquired from testing will not count.

Last year’s sophomore class broke records in the amount of student who were in the Proficient and Advanced categories, and this year’s sophomore class is bound to do just as good. Remember; get rest, eat breakfast, focus, and read through each question thoroughly. Try hard and good luck!

H1N1 has become an extremely popular subject in the past 6 months or so. The disease grew quite a reputation after it spread massively throughout the US and was found in all 50 states towards the end of May, and the early beginning of June of this year. But what is the deal with H1N1? What is the hype?

H1N1 is a new virus that is a subtype of Influenza A. It was first discovered in the United States in April of this year. It is very much the same as the basic influenza virus, including the symptoms which involve:

- Fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cough
- Sore Throat
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting

The H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu), was responsible for the 2009 Pandemic, which is one of the reasons it was publicized so much throughout our media. It spread very quickly, and like Influenza A, people can be killed if not treated properly. This pandemic was the first since 1968, so naturally people would get a little bent over the subject.

The first person to die as a result of Swine Flu, was pronounced dead on April 13th, 2009. She’d been suffering acute respiratory problems, exacerbated by diabetes and severe diarrhoea, and is believed to have infected scores of people.

Death rate has gone up throughout the past few months. The current death toll is unknown, but it’s not any worse than what Influenza itself has done. The Influenza A virus kills roughly on average 30,000 people a year.

In truth and all reality, it’s not as big of a deal as people have made it out to be. It’s not the apocalypse, it’s not the end of all mankind. But yes, it is a problem; people should take the proper precautions to keep healthy, such as washing their hands and eating well.

Professionals urge people in schools, especially students, to wash their hands a few times a day, blow their nose, and to cover their mouths while coughing or sneezing. So many people attending class in one place for long periods time are dangerous when it comes to spreading disease.