My Return to 1st Grade

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to read to a group of 1st graders. Mrs. Roemer was kind enough to ask if I would read to her class during Dr. Seuss Week. Of course, I accepted the offer. I would never pass up an opportunity to mingle with the students at C.E.S. My daughter is in second grade and I have coached basketball, softball and soccer teams for the past three years that many of these students have played on. My favorite part about walking the halls of C.E.S. is hearing someone say "Hi, Coach Curry." It is nice to know that you have had a small part in the development, whether it be academically, athletically, or socially, of many students at that level. Anyway, back to the story of Thursday. My day was as hectic as ever. I was scheduled to read at 1:30pm. I was kept busy by a few visitors - until 1:15pm. As I hurried to my vehicle, I couldn't find my keys??? I realized, when I tried to get into the vehicle, exactly where they were......locked inside. With little time to spare, I ran back into the building, found Coach Jay Heriford, got his keys and drove his truck to Cantrall. I arrived right at 1:30pm. Mrs. Roemer, the quick-thinker she is, had used the time for bathroom breaks. As the kids began coming back in the classroom, I realized that this group included my neighbor, Rachel, and several other kids I had coached over the past three years. I took my seat in the chair on the reading rug. The students all gathered around and asked 8 million questions about 8 million different topics! :) After answering all the questions posed, I introduced my favorite beginning reader book - I Will Teach My Dog 100 Words. This has been my favorite ever since I first read it to my children. If you have never read it and have a reason to read this level of book, I highly recommend it. I also read Go Dog Go!. Both of these books are from the same genre as Dr. Seuss. The kids were very attentive, considering I was taking up part of their recess time:) They were great active listeners during the 1st book. For Go Dog Go!, they would finish each page for me (in unison) - they must have all read that one before. After each book, I answered a few questions. When I finished the second book, I received numerous high-fives and hugs and then they all ran off to line-up for recess. They thanked me as they bounced around in line waiting for Mrs. Roemer to OK their departure for recess. In the end, it was a great ending to the day. I want to thank Mrs, Roemer for the opportunity. I should also thank Coach Heriford for the keys to his truck! Of course, because I was already in the building, I did take the opportunity to poke my head into the computer class to say "hi" to my favorite Cantrall Elementary Student - Emma Curry.

Access To Technology

It is not a secret that not all students have equal access to technology use at home. The reasons for this are many. Cost, location, and individual family beliefs are just a few. I have found that each of these restraints there are possible remedies that are affordable (which I understand is a term that is relative to each instance) and practical.

Allow me to address the cost issue. There are still many without a computer at home or with an out of date machine at home. Even many those who have a computer do not pay the extra money for Microsoft Office. A low-cost option for purchasing a computer would be a netbook. Check out http://www.netbooks.com/ for information on netbooks. Netbooks are smaller machines without optical drives (CD/DVD). These netbooks have little actual “onboard” memory when compared to laptops. The need for the memory can be alleviated by using thumb/flash drives or online storage areas. Netbooks run from $250-$400 dollars and are extremely portable and usually have excellent battery life. In addition, often these netbooks come with video cameras built in.

The lack of Microsoft Office can be solved in a few ways. The school uses Office 2007. If a student does not have the newest the version of Office, they can save work from school as a 1997-2003 Word/PowerPoint document. This will allow their machines, with older version of Office, at home to open projects and assignments from school. This function is accessible via the File-Save As function. If a student does not have access to Office at home then two free Office Suites are available for download that can then be loaded on to your personal machine and provide compatibility with MS office. These are fully functional Office Suites that can replace MSOffice. They are OpenOffice @ www.openoffice.org and Lotus Symphony @ http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.nsf/home . Both of these are installed on the computer and will take up memory – like MSOffice would. Other options, if the Internet is reliable, are Google Docs @ www.google.com and ZOHO at www.zoho.com . These programs are absolutely free. They are very compatible with MSOffice and almost all other file types. These two allow you to create, edit, and store your documents/presentations on the web – no memory needed. This makes them great tools for a netbook. These also allow for real-time collaboration or in simple terms: two or three or more kids can work on the same project at the same time in totally different locations. All of your documents can be reached via the Internet or downloaded as an MSOffice file (or any other) if needed. Google Docs and ZOHO offer several other services for free as well. Take a few minutes to visit these sites to see what each of them can do. They do require “joining” or signing-up. I have used Google Docs for 3 years and ZOHO for a few months and they are excellent tools. ZOHO is more compatible with MSOffice 2007 at the moment. Also, they both offer free email services.

Location can be a problem when it comes to accessing the internet. I live in an area where our only real choice is satellite. Others have dial-up. Others have no internet. The cure for no internet is to go to where the internet is: The Athens Public Library, the school, a WiFi hotspot, or a friend’s house. If you have a netbook – you can easily carry it with you. If not, use a library, school computer, or a friends and save your work to Google Docs or ZOHO.com and it will be accessible the next time you are on ANY computer.

Of course, cell phones are now almost as powerful and useful for personal computing as a laptop or netbook. I can easily create a document on my cell phone, email it and access it later from my computer. Cellular Internet is common today as well.

Lastly, I have no answer for the student whose family does not think that they are ready for the internet or does not want the in-home distractions of today’s technologies (and they can be real distraction). This is an issue that individual families must tackle.

I hope this blog has provided some useful technology information. Of course, if you are reading this – you have access to the internet. If you have friends or student has friends who struggle with any of these issues – please share this info with them. Also, I invite you to have your student take the survey on my Principal’s Page regarding home technology use. The information will provide clues to how to better serve our students’ technology needs.

Have a great week!

Mike

30 YEARS IN THE MAKING

WARNING: THIS HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH LIFE AT AHS & MORE ABOUT LIFE IN THE CURRY HOUSE EVERY 4 YEARS:)
It is Sunday night and I have just finished watching the United States vs. Canada Olympic Men’s Hockey game. What an game - what an event! The USA won 5-3. Now, I am an on-again, off-again NHL fan, but the Olympics are a must for me. As I watched the game with my son, I realized it was 30 years ago that the United States defeated the Mighty Russian Team at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics. I was 10 years old at the time and playing hockey myself in Champaign. I understood the athletic accomplishment of that great game and some of the the political shockwaves that accompanied it. I can still see Jim Craig draped in the US Flag skating around the ice. The team went on to win the Gold Medal in their next game. Tonight, on the edge of my seat (literally:) - my wife thinks I am crazy), I watched the game with my 10 year old son and tried to explain the significance of defeating Canada at “their’ game in “their” house. I explained that 8 years ago the Canadians defeated the US in “our” house – Salt Lake City. As the commentators talked about the 1980 Miracle on Ice, I tried to explain the impact of that victory. I found myself talking and thinking about terms we do not often use anymore: “Iron Curtain,” CCCP, The Soviet Union, Cold War, and communism. If you are under 30, you may have not used those words ever. I also tossed out names of athletes that my son had never heard of: Mike Eruzione, Mark Christian, Ken Morrow, Jim Craig, Herb Brooks, Vladislav Tretiak, Fetisov, Markarov, and Viktor Tikhonov. Oh! How we get older each day:( If you watched the 1980 game you know that Al Michaels had a great call at the end of that game: He and Ken Dryden started a countdown and then Al screamed out......“Do you believe in miracles?” Tonight’s victory may not have a been a miracle, but it was an exciting and unpredicted upset of the team from the country that “invented the sport of hockey.” I guess the reason I am rambling about tonight’s game is that even as things change (and they have since 1980) some things stay the same – like the pride and excitement of watching “our” team pull an incredible upset of another country’s team in front of the whole world. I hope that this 2010 US team can make run at the Gold Medal, and I hope that 28 years from now I can watch another great US victory over Canada or Russia with my grandchildren! Of course, they will have no idea what I am talking about either:) If you have not watched any of the 2010 Winter Olympics – you are missing a great event! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
HERE IS A GREAT LINK TO PHOTOS FROM SUNDAY'S UPSET WIN:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/photos/galleryid=435776.html#day+united+states+canada
AND IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT - GO TO:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_on_Ice

"Take a Hike"

On Thursday January 28th I went hiking with the Biology Club and Mr. Trueblood to Starved Rock State Park near Oglesby, IL. It has been a while since I have taken a two-hour bus ride with 40 freshmen and sophomores. The weather was cold – the wind burn on my face for 12 hours would have proven that. Along the way, Mr. Trueblood spotted bald eagles on several occasions. The students were able to see frozen waterfalls and water ways. They climbed up and down steep stairways leading into deep trenches and onto cliffs. They were great during the entire trip. I had a great time walking and chatting with different groups of students at different times. I have wanted to take this trip for the past two years and finally was able to do so. Several students struggled on a few of the slippery trails. In the end, I did not fall – not even once – there were many slips and close calls – but no actual falls. I can’t say the same for all of the students. We were even joined on the hike by Mark Oller, the bus driver. I think this is a trip I will make again next year.

Happenings at AHS this Month

It has been a few weeks since my last post – I apologize. I wanted to talk about what our students have been up to lately. The students at AHS have become involved in many charitable endeavors over the past few weeks. Two senior girls have spearheaded a Relay For Life movement at the HS. They have spread information, organized a Purple-Themed Week, and began the process of signing up teams for the Relay that will be held at the Athens High School Sports Complex in the summer. The Girls Basketball Team had a Breast Cancer Awareness Night. They sold t-shirts and encouraged everyone to wear pink. Also, they made a donation to the American Cancer Society. To top off the event, the girls wore pink AHS uniforms in the game on the Breast Cancer Awareness Night. Coach Heriford and the girls should be commended for their efforts. Our Leadership Committee used the recent Mega-Basketball Day to raise money for the Haitian Earthquake Relief Effort. The group raised $300.00 for the cause. “Thank you” to all who donated or participated in the Rainbow Shot on Saturday. Student Council took an opportunity to turn the mega-Basketball Night into a week-long event. They sponsored a Spirit Week. Activities included: Class-Colors day, Predator or Prey day, favorite Sports Team day, and Green and White day. They also had a Pep Assembly on Friday. Mega-Basketball Night was a success on all fronts except the score board. The evening featured four games. The JV girls started the evening at 3:00pm. The girls lost a close one to MWC. The JV boys played at 4:30 and narrowly escaped with a 3-point win over MWC. The varsity girls were next. Unfortunately, things did not go their way. The night ended with an exciting boys varsity match that came down to two free-throws with .8 seconds left. MWC was able to sink both and escape with a two-point victory. The Poms Squad performed two dances as well. The crowd was large and enjoyed a fine evening of basketball. Mr. Jamerson should be commended for yet another successful home athletic event. As you can see, our students continue to be active in academics, athletics and other great activities.

Top : Girls' Pink Uniforms

Middle: Fan Support for the effort

Bottom: Relay for Life "Purple Day" participants

The Long Lay-off is Over!

It has been a long time since I last posted a blog. Life is busy for everyone and my life is no exception. Since the NHS Induction Ceremony, I talked about in October...October, I know, I know...There have been many happenings at Athens High School:

Academically, all grades have received either the PLAN or a Practice ACT test. First Quarter Honor Roll was announced. Second Quarter will be coming soon. Final Exams went smoothly.

Athletically, The Volleyball team advanced to the Regional Finals before falling to AC Central. AHS hosted the Warrior Classic Boys Basketball Tournament at Thanksgiving. The Girls participated in the Riverton Holiday Tournament and the Boys had a nice run to the Consolation Finals in storied Waverly Holiday Tournament.

Musically, several students auditioned for and made All-district and All-state teams. The JH/HS Music Concert was a success as was the "cookie-walk."

Clubs and organizations, TMD worked with the youth at CIS. We have a group currently working for the Relay for Life foundation. Leadership Committee has worked for the food pantry.

We have celebrated the accomplishments of several Students of the Month and Spotlight Students. Both groups can be found on our website. The Leadership Committee has recognized two teachers as an Employee of the Month.

I know that I have missed many things...... I plan to try and set aside some time weekly and continue to blog about the great things that happen here every day.

Copied from October

National Honor Society Induction 2009-2010
Last night the Athens Chapter of the National Honor Society inducted 14 new members: 12 juniors and 2 seniors. The event was wonderful. The ceremony, minus a few candles that would not light, was fantastic. The best part was the socializing after the ceremony. Parents, students, and staff stood around and talked about the students and all the positives things that they are doing. It was time for pictures and laughter. It is a great opportunity that I have - to be involved in the lives of so many kids on a daily basis. Events like last night give me an opportunity to visit with the parents and share stories about their kids and learn a little about the families as well. Mrs. Swaney put on a great show. Thank you to Mrs. Anderson for her assistance with the music.