Volume 1, Issue 3

January, 2015

FOX C-6 SCHOOLS

Setting Academic Goals with our Kids

Seckman High School

Log in as a “guest” to Missouri Connec-tions for Career In-formation

National School of Character

www.seckman.net

https://portal.fox.k12.mo.us

Don Grimshaw—Principal

grimshaw@fox.k12.mo.us

Ext.503

Curt Sykes—9th Grade

Assistant Principal

sykes@fox.k12.mo.us

Ext. 522

Dave Black—10th Grade

Assistant Principal

Blackd@fox.k12.mo.us

Ext.523

Jennifer Fritz—11th Grade

Assistant Principal

Fritzj@fox.k12.mo.us

Ext. 520

Jeff Krutzsch—12th Grade

Assistant Principal

krutzschj@fox.k12.mo.us

Ext.504

Brad Duncan

Athletic Director

duncanb@fox.k12.mo.us

Ext. 511

If you are like me, you have probably had an argument or two with one of your children about studying, improving grades, or keep-ing up with homework. Fortunately for me, my children have been very self-motivated academically… most of the time. When they needed prodding I was there to give them a poke. It sometimes resulted in an argument. I wanted them to understand, “hey, this is for you!” We all want our kids to accomplish their dreams and to be successful in every-thing that they do.

After multiple arguments about doing aca-demically challenging work and studying with one of my daughters, I decided to try a different approach. It was a more positive approach. I sat down with my daughter and asked her to tell me where she wanted to be in 5 years. We wrote that down at the bot-tom of a piece of paper. In five years she wanted to graduate from Mizzou. I told her I thought that was a great goal. Most im-portantly, we could change the goal at any time if she changed her mind. We then backtracked year by year and recorded the steps on the piece of paper working our way up the page. At the top of the paper we got to the step “where do you want to be at the end of this semester?” She had made an academic plan that carried her through a college graduation. It had included things about extracurriculars, work, career aspira-tions and completing high school. I took the paper and stuck it on the refrigerator with all the photographs and artwork. I wanted her to know that this paper was important. Best of all, she was vested in it.

After that day, anytime she needed to be

prodded I pointed to the paper on the re-frigerator and re-minded her that she had estab-lished steps to accomplish her goal. I would ask her if we needed change the 5 year goal. It really changed the way we discussed things and virtually ended the arguments about school work. In the end, she was accept-ed to Mizzou and although she chose to

attend a different university, she graduat-ed on time with honors. She followed her plan and that was the key. It was her plan. I held her accountable to her goal and there was no longer a debate about studying. She knew it was something that had to be done to get what she wanted out of high school.

Casey Grimshaw’s College Graduation

Career Information

P A G E 2 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

Scheduling

YOUR

Sophomore

Classes

Course Request Forms are due by

JANUARY 27th (Signed by a parent)

You will meet in the library

with your counselor February

9-13 to schedule classes for

next year

1. Believing your freshman year doesn't really count and you can improve your grades later.

If you slack off in your first year, it will be really hard to catch up later. Don’t forget: Your freshman year grades count toward your overall grade point average as much as your grades in later years, and you want that GPA to be high to better qualify you for college admissions.

2. Sacrificing your grades for your social life.

You should definitely try to have a rich social life in high school, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get good grades too. Good grades are your ticket to getting into great colleges and universities, which in turn gives you more career choice and opportunities. Remember that while high school may seem like forever, it’s only four years, but the college you choose and your subsequent career affects the rest of your life.

3. Skipping classes and missing homework.

Teachers share important information during class, and listen-ing to their lectures helps you to better understand the subject. You never know what subjects will end up becoming your fa-vorite – or even your college major! Don't miss homework ei-ther: Homework assignments help you learn the subject matter better, which is not only important for your GPA, it can also help you when you take standardized tests like the SAT or ACT.

4. Failing to make up missed assignments.

Some teachers are very reasonable in negotiating extra time for you to complete your homework, so just because it’s late doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. It might cost you a few points, but that's better than a missed assignment on your rec-ord. There is a huge benefit in doing assignments, even if you’re turning them in late: You are more likely to retain the material.

5. Assuming you’re not doing well because the teacher “just doesn’t like you.”

Your future is your responsibility, and you shouldn’t let person-al feelings interfere in your path to get the degree or career you want. You won’t get along with everyone in life, but that’s not an excuse to slack off or give up. If you’re struggling with a subject, ask your teacher for help, get tutoring or talk to your counselor. Schools want you to succeed if you are willing to do the work.

Which Direction Are You Heading In?

Follow the Jaguar PATH

PRIDE ACHIEVMENT TEAMWORK HEART

Part 1

http://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips

Upcoming Events

Glow Fest January 23

After Girls Varsity B-ball game

“You Bring the Talent”

TALENT SHOW Auditions - January 14 & 15

February 19

When talking with soph-

omore Zoe Tyler, you

can’t help but come away

in a better mood. Her

upbeat, positive personal-

ity is high infectious. Be-

sides being a successful

student in the classroom,

Zoe has also enjoyed

many successes out of it. One of her more

recent successes came in Debate. Zoe

competes in both Prose and Humorous

Interpretation. In Prose she has 8 minutes

to read from printed text. The objective in

Prose is to bring the text to life. Her second

event, Humorous Interpretation, is a 10

minute comedic performance in which she

plays several characters. At this competi-

tion Zoe took 1st place in Humorous Inter-

pretation and 2nd place in Prose. SHS did

well as a shool, receiving 3rd place overall.

Zoe is also an accomplished singer, per-

forming in our concert and chamber

choirs, and she was selected to the all-

district choir. Her career goals lie in the

fields of math and science. At this point

she does not have a specific job in mind,

but she is very interested in chemistry and

will most likely pursue a career in that field.

Congrats Zoe, and best of luck!

P A G E 3

FEAtURE SOPH

Wil.i.am, frontman for the pop-

ular pop group, Black Eyed Peas,

has long been a supporter of ed-

ucation through his partnerships

with leaders in industry in the

areas of Math, Science, engi-

neering, and technology. In

2011, he partnered with Segway

founder Dean Kamen to produce

a television special called

“i.am.FIRST—Science is Rock and Roll”. This special

followed the 20th annual FIRST Championship, a ro-

botics competition for students in kindergarten

through 12th grade. In 2012, in conjunction with his

i.am.Angel foundation, he announced a groundbreak-

ing Sience, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathe-

matics initiative called i.am.STEAM. The program is

designed to inspire and cultivate the next generation

of STEAM leaders. The mission of this initiative is to

bring opportunities to underserved communities to

enable students from all walks of live to compete for

the jobs of the future.

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

CELEBRITIES MAKING A

DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION

The

Seckman Hockey team is

fighting its’ way through a

500 season, but according

to team captain Brian Schu-

macher, ―a lot of player

have really stepped up and

played well this year‖. The

playoffs will begin in early

February. Coached by former St. Louis Blue

Reed Low, the team will play again this Satur-

day vs. Marquette at 8:30 at the Hardee’s rec

plex. Good luck to the Hockey Jags!

UPCOMING EVENTS

1/17—Seckman Hockey vs. Marquette

1/19—MLK Day, no school

1/20—Professional Development day,

no

school.

1/20—Boys Basketball vs. Lafayette

(away)

*See the Athletics and Activities tab on

the website for Fall sports information

SECKMAN HOCKEY CLUB

Seckman High School was one of fourteen schools

chosen to participate in the Student Summit on Race.

The summit took place on January 15th. We had

eight students participate in this exciting event. This

event allowed students to have a voice in how to

strengthen community relations and create an action

plan. Students participated in team builders, race dia-

logue with students from other schools, and students

created presentations to share. Seckman High School

students will be working with students from Hazel-

wood East High School. The students are excited to

promote positive change.

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/first-its-kind-race-summit-students-

build-bridges

P A G E V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

Student Summit on Race

2015

#Gateway2Change

Junior Feature

Meet Jill Tarwater…

Jill Tarwater is an amazing young lady! Jill recently went to dinner with her uncle and his friends. One of his friends began to choke. Jill performed the Heimlich Maneuver on him and saved him from chok-ing. Jill learned this through CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) at the Rock Community fire department. She trains others on CERT, CPR, Safe Sitting (Babysitting), She is also a firefighter explorer. She trains twice and week and after she passes the truck test she will be able to assist on calls. She plans to be a paramedic/firefighter for Rock Community.

The library has just added almost 100 new titles to

their collection, in addition to the growing number of

e-books available! Looking for an interesting read for a

cold evening or snow day? Check out some of the lat-

est additions:

Black Ice (by Andrew Lane) For fans of mystery and

intrigue, this novel follows a teenage Sherlock Holmes

through the beginnings of his genius crime solving

techniques.

Prince of Venice Beach (by Blake Nelson) A homeless

teen in California makes a pretty sweet life for himself,

until someone comes around looking for a missing girl.

Love is the Drug (by Alaya Dawn Johnson) Bird has

everything, the perfect hair, perfect boyfriend, and a

perfect Ivy League future. But what happens when she

wakes up one day to find the world is – literally – fall-

ing apart and she has no memory?

Through the Woods (by Emily Carroll) A collection of

five haunting stories that take place in The Woods, told

in bold, graphic pictures.

Templar (by Mechner, Pham, and Puvilland) An illus-

trated tale of Templar knight Simon and his adventures

as he escapes a plan concocted by the Pope and the

King of France.

Ms. Thompson, the media specialist, is always happy to

provide book recommendations and help students find

just the right reading materials.

Senior Spotlight

Claire Kinkead sure can go for cold-er weather, and it is one of the reasons she’s chosen to be a Golden Gopher next fall. The Golden Gopher is the official mas-cot the University of Minnesota, and that is the college Claire will attend. Although the frigid winter is one influential factor, Claire spent a great deal of time researching what university would be the right fit for her.

“I like that the University of Minnesota is a big school in a big city,” said Kinkead. “After visiting the school in October, I knew it was the right fit for me.”

University of Minnesota is located in Minneapolis and it has a student population of nearly 50-thousand students. Many freshman students would be intimidated by a school of that size located in a major metropolitan city, but not Claire. She is looking forward to the challenge.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I didn’t know anyone,” said Kinkead. “Even though Seckman is a big school, it’s like a small community; I’ve attended Seckman schools the whole time, so I’m looking for a fresh start.”

Claire has been preparing for this decision since she began her career at Seckman. She has pursued the honor’s core; and as a result, she enters the University of Minnesota with enough credits to be considered a sophomore. As a matter of fact, Claire’s transcript was so impressive it even garnered consideration by an Ivy League school: the University of Pennsylvania.

Applying to schools like Minnesota and Penn can be an arduous task. If writing college es-says and paying for application fees upfront isn’t rough enough, the hard-est part might be the patience and stress that comes from waiting on uni-versity admissions.

“The whole process is like hur-ry-up and wait,” said Kinkead.

Claire credits much of her pre-

paredness to the teachers at Seck-

man. She believes she can handle

the academic rigors of freshman year.

Claire is pursuing a degree in anthro-

pology; and because she has plenty of college credits in the bank, she

may add a double major or begin her master’s degree immediately fol-

lowing graduation.

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

January 27, 2015 at 7pm

Understanding the Basic Principals of Behavior

This presentation will focus

on understanding the basic principles

of Applied Behavior Analysis such as

the functions of behavior and the use

of positive reinforcement.

The seminars are open to the

public and are held at the Roy Wilde

Conference Center at 849 Jeffco Blvd.

in Arnold. Reservations are required.

Please contact Charity Schluter at the

following email address:

schluterc@fox.k12.mo.us

Congratulations to the Arnold

Rotary Students of the Month for

November and December.

Students are recognized by mem-

bers of the Arnold Rotary Club for

their achievement at Seckman

High School. Students selected

attend the bimonthly luncheon

of the Arnold Rotary Club. As

guests, the students network and

visit with prominent business and

community leaders in our area.

December’s Rotary Honorees:

Senior , Dalton Erger

Senior, Natalie Rose

January’s Rotary Honorees:

Senior , Chelsea Canania

Senior, Aldin Vrebac

Arnold Rotary

Student of the Month

Claire Kinkead reviews notes with her

lab partner

P A G E 6 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

www.shsjaguars .com G o t o t h e a t h l e t i c w e b s i t e

- N E W S A R T I C L E S

- E V E N T S C H E D U L E S

- P H O T O S

- d o w n l o a d t h e V N N a p p a n d g e t y o u r

s c o r e s , n e w s , a l e r t s o n g a m e c h a n g e s o n y o u r s m a r t p h o n e

SPRING SPORTS

TRYOUT INFO

Mar 2 is the first day of tryouts for the

spring sports season. Athletes must have

a tryout card in order to tryout. You can get

your tryout card in the Athletic Office by

showing proof on insurance, parent permis-

sion, and an up to date physical. Give your

tryout card to your coach. Missouri State

High School Athletic Association mandates

that everyone has this information before

practicing. Baseball, Boys Volleyball, Girls

Soccer, Boys Golf and Boys /Girls Track

will practice right after school. *MUST

HAVE TRYOUT CARD

NIKE SALE- Mar 19th—21st

Boys Track will once again have their Nike

Sale on the spring Parent Teacher Confer-

ences. The sale opens on Thursday Night

and will end on Saturday. Get all of your Car-

dinals and Mizzou gear, as well as your favor-

ite Nike sponsored college and pro teams.

LUKE WEILAND STARTS HOT!

Luke Weiland was get-

ting prepared for the sea-

son the moment he left

the Mizzou Arena during

the State Tourney last

year. Weiland is a 3 x

state qualifier, placing 4th as a Freshman and Jun-

ior year and 6th as a Sophomore. Luke has start-

ed this year 18-0 with 6 of those wins being pins.

Mid Dec the Jaguars travelled to the Kansas City

Invitational (6th ranked tourney in the nation)

and Luke won the 152 lb weight class by taking

down the 13th and 19th ranked wrestlers in the

nation. Luke Weiland says, ―Everyone is working

their butts off and is excited for the state tourna-

ment and believes that they are ready. As a lead-

er, Weiland leads by example, ―I try to step up and

show how hard you have to work to place at

state. The team is working that hard.‖ Luke

Weiland has committed to wrestle at West Point

CROWN TROPHY ATHLETE OF THE

MONTH OF DECEMBER

Aldin Vrebac is having a standout bas-

ketball season in his senior year. He is

leading the team and averaging a double

double in scoring (13 PPG) and rebound-

ing (11 RPG). In the last game, Aldin

led the team with a career high 34 point

night to help the team beat Windsor by

one point in overtime to win the consola-

tion championship in the 18th Annual Seckman Holi-

day Tournament. He also made the all-tounrmanet

team for both the Seckman Holiday Tournament and

Hillsboro tournament earlier in December. Aldin leads

the team through example by showing what it means

to be a student athlete on a daily basis

CROWN TROPHY ATHLETE OF THE

MONTH OF DECEMBER

Mackenzie Lamb-Coach Linda Ehlmann says ,

“I have had the pleasure of working with Mackenzie

for 4 years now and she never ceases to amaze me.

She is an outstanding athlete and student. She will

help anyone with anything, always goes above and

beyond, and has a heart of gold. She stands up for

people that are the underdogs. Mackenzie never hesitates to give up her

time for her team, her teammates, or for the program. I cannot say

enough good things about Mackenzie. I have entrusted her with certain

responsibilities that go beyond a student-athlete, but I know that she will

take the job and make sure that it is done the right way and on time.

Mackenzie also is great with her teammates. She always puts them first

and makes sure they are good before anything else. Mackenzie is a very

well rounded student- athlete; it’s been a privilege being her coach for

the past 4 years. Mackenzie is a bright, fun, responsible young lady, and I

have seen her work hard and put others needs in front of her own. She

will be greatly missed in our program next year.”

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 3

This week (January 12-16) the current 9th, 10th, and 11

th graders received course request forms

for the 2015-16 school year. These forms will need to be reviewed and signed by parents prior to being returned to their LANGUAGE ARTS teachers by the following dates:

Current 11th

graders January 23

Current 10th

graders January 26

Current 9th

graders January 27

If these forms are not signed and returned by the above dates, the guidance counselors will choose the student’s schedule.

Parents, please be aware of the graduation re-quirements listed below.

The Graduation Requirements for Seckman High School are as follows:

4 credits Language Arts

3 credits Math**

3 credits Science

3 credits social studies

Counselor’s Corner

1 credit Fine Art

1 credit Practical Art

1 credit Physical Education

7.5 credits Electives**

0.5 credit Health

0.5 credit Personal Finance

**While SHS only requires 3 credits of math it is highly recommended that the students take a fourth year for college admissions. Two years of a consecutive foreign language is also strongly encouraged.

If clarification for courses is needed, the course descriptions can be found at www.seckman.net under the guidance tab. Please be advised that college admissions requirements vary.

Questions regarding placement in any subject should be directed to the student’s current teacher. (ie. honors, college prep, AP, dual cred-it, Etc.)

Students Pick Classes

for the 2015-2016 School Year

#TBT — Throw Back Thursday Photo’s Mr. Griffin at a morning

Renaissance mtg. 1999

2014-2015 Postmark Deadline Late Period

September 13, 2014 August 8, 2014 August 9–22, 2014

October 25, 2014 September 19, 2014 Sept 20–Oct 3, 2014

December 13, 2014 November 7, 2014 November 8–21, 2014

February 7, 2015* January 9, 2015 January 10–16, 2015

April 18, 2015 March 13, 2015 March 14–27, 2015

June 13, 2015 May 8, 2015 May 9–22, 2015

February 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

8th grade Connect Night

Play @ Rickman

6

Play @Rickman

7

Play @ Rickman

8

Play @ Rickman

9 10 11 12 13

STUCO Officer Elections

14

15 16

No School

President’s Day

17

18 19

Talent Show @ Rickman

20 21

22 23 24 25

Sr. COMPASS Testing

26 27

DECA Zombie Run

28