It was fi ve minutes until the end of class, and ju-nior Alex Polach pulled

out her gray BlackBerry Pearl. Everybody in the Spanish VIII class was sit-ting around talking, so she fi gured it was fi ne. She was shocked when her phone was taken away for the weekend.

New policies for the 2010-2011 school year at-tempt to reduce the number of confl icts between stu-dents and teachers over cell phones, hats and electronic devices. They focus on en-forcing rules consistently throughout the school and the student body, instead of allowing teachers to create their own policies.

“What we were doing before wasn’t working very well,” Principal Robert Metz said. “Some teach-

ers were allowing kids to use cell phones, and some weren’t.”

Now, if teachers see or hear a phone, they will take it. Students who comply with the teacher’s request will get it back at the end of the day. A student who argues with a teacher must have a parent or guardian pick up the electronic device from the student offi ce.

“The hope is that if the students know if they give (their phone) up they’re just going to get it back at the end of the day that they’ll be more willing to do that,” Metz said.

In another attempt for consistency, grade level co-ordinators will be stationed in the halls.

They will make rounds in the hallways to ensure all students are in their classes.

In another attempt to reduce the number of con-

fl icts, Oscar Reed will be acting as a confl ict mediator within the high school.

If students have frequent problems with each other or a teacher, Reed will meet with them to get to the root of the problem.

“It’s a way for someone who’s seen diffi culties with a teacher confl ict to be able to sit down with somebody who’s really good at negoti-ating those confl icts,” Metz said, “and try to solve the problem.”

Metz believes that al-though the new policies will present challenges to the administration such as uniform enforcement, it will also reduce the number of confl icts. This will make the school a safer environment for students.

“It’s just general safety. The more orderly and safe the school feels, the better we’ll do,” Metz said.

Sam Vinitsky | staff writer

New policies encourage consistent enforcement

wednesday, september 1, 2010 | volume 82 | issue 01

st. louis park high school | 6425 w. 33rd street, st. louis park, mn 55426www.slpecho.com

Facing tough budget times, the School Board voted last May to reorganize. As

the school year begins, some students are now starting to notice the changes.

These changes included shutting down Cedar Manor and moving sixth graders to the junior high.

Because of the loss of funding, a plan was established to save an estimated $740,000 annually by replacing the former model of two K-3 schools, two 4-6 schools and one

K-6 school, with four K-5 schools.

Assistant prin-cipal Clarence Pollock hopes the reorganization will involve minimal disruption.

“The plan will defi nitely save money and is an easy change for the public and dis-trict,” Pollock said.

The junior high building had to change to adapt to the addition of the sixth graders.

To accommo-date the new grade level, there have

been major renovations, including 12 new classrooms and two new computer labs.

Assistant principal Jason Boll looks for-ward to the sixth graders joining the junior high.

“I think it is an excellent plan, having students here for only two years is challeng-ing. Now having students for three years will enhance their middle school experi-ence,” Boll said.

Although the incoming sixth graders will be at the junior high, administrators will keep them separate from other students.

Although the high school is not directly affected by the reconfi guration, the high school’s start time is set to 8:20 a.m., 30 minutes later than the previous year. Pol-lock believes the extra sleep will be benefi -cial.

“A lot of research indicates high school-ers need more sleep and this is a defi nite advantage for the students,” Pollock said.

However, some sport participants will be affected by the later end time, and many athletes may miss the last hours of school for games and meets.

Another drawback of the budget cuts is the lack of after school busing. Addition-ally, teacher contract hours end at 3:30 p.m., 20 minutes after school ends, so after school help may be harder to arrange.

“Unfortunately some teachers will not be able to help students after school, unless they are willing on their own time,” Metz said.

However, teachers will still be in the school at 7:30 a.m. unless they have a pre-viously scheduled meeting.

Budget plan implementedBoard’s decisions effect faculty, staff, studentsMichael Cork | staff writer

echo th

e

Source |Student

Handbook and assistant

principal Clarence Pollock

Drawing the line

Program to ease district bus reorganiztion

Navigating her way down the crowded bus aisles,

junior Alayna Charpentier is used to seeing the sleepy faces of her fellow schoolmates. But looking down the rows this morning, she noticed a much younger crowd.

Due to altered school start times, the bus routes of Park Spanish Immersion (PSI) and the high school have been combined.

To ease some parents’ apprehension, administrators from PSI and the senior high met with students to organize a plan to ensure safe behavior on the bus. The resulting “Bus Leadership Program” allows for high school students to be bus leaders.

The bus leaders, whom were selected based upon recommendations in addition to

being a PSI alumni or enrolled in upper level Spanish classes, are responsible for monitoring the bus rides and helping PSI students adjust.

“It’s a way of paying it forward to the community, as well as receiving elective credit that will benefi t students,” Pollock said.

Charpentier is anxious about the new arrangement.

“It will be really different,” she said. “I’m curious to see how my younger siblings do [because] the bus gets really packed.”

While buses can often get crowded, bus leaders will ensure that there is separation between the age groups.

To monitor the effectiveness of the arrangement, bus leaders will be in direct connection with both Pollock and Maslowski throughout the year.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to build leadership and to have the high schoolers and elementary kids working together,” PSI principal Corey Maslowski said.

“I think this program allows kids of all ages to see that we’re all in this together, that this is an educational community and we want what’s best for every kid,” Maslowski said.

Abi Tupa | staff writer

High school students to assist PSI riders through bus transition

page 02

Hidden eats

page 04

Quick | info

• The new high school school day runs from 8:20 a.m.-3:10 p.m.

• Sixth graders now attend the junior high, but will be separated from the other students

• Cedar Manor closed and the elementary model changed to four K-5 schools, instead of two K-3 and two 4-6 and one K-6.

Briefi ng the Bus Buddies: Assisstant principal Clarence Pollock and PSI principal Corey Maslowski discuss scheduling informa-tion and bus routes with the soon-to-be bus leaders.

• If the student gives the item without incident, they can pick it up at the end of the school day.

• If the student resists, a parent or guardian may pick up the item after two days.

• Green (unexcused) passes have been eliminated. Instead, GLCs will escort tardy students to their classrom.

• Grade Level Coordinators will have desks and iPads in the hallway to better monitor students.

Hats and phones Hallways GLCs

photo | Alex Kersten

New rules and regulations