Eads Eagles

Text It ..... Tick-Et

2009-11-30T07:46:00.000-08:00

As we all knew it would --- tomorrow, December 1st, 2009, becomes the day that a new Texting and Driving Law comes into the Colorado Statutes.

For all of us ... NO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING ... or you can get stopped by law enforcement. The first offense is a $50 fine ... the second offense doubles to $100 ... if you are a habitual law breaker you could go to prison ....

And .... there is another detail for our students to be aware of ... Drivers 18 and under can not TALK ON A CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING.

Evidently, studies have been done that indicate we lose our focus on the road and driving when we are talking on the phone.

So, as we often say here at Eads High School...ignorance is not a defense...be warned, starting tomorrow you could easily find yourself on the side of the road texting the good news that indeed your limited texting option has just been limited......you just got a ticket for a text.

Our Cups Runneth Over

2009-11-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

In his book, UNSTOPPABLE!, Craig Conrad says in Lesson 5:

We all have a CUP. Your cup is your genetic makeup. It is all the things about you that you can't change...your sex, your height, and your skin color. Obviously some of us are blessed and have big cups to fill --- take our football team, for instance.

The Eads football team has many players who are tremendously athletic....big, strong, and fast. Many are experienced, many have tradition and the love of the game behind them. It is easy to say Eads is a BIG CUP team! No doubt.

And knowing this week's opponent our cup is bigger than theirs. So....who will win? Well, as our players know...it will be the team that fills their cup to the top...to their highest achievable level.

So...here is a challenge to the Eads football team ... fill your cups to overflowing because if you don't ... the opponent, whose cup is smaller.... can still beat you simply by putting more "liquid" in their cup.

It is up to you! Fill those cups Boys!

Bringing Them Back

2009-09-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

The other day I had an interesting conversation, via Facebook, with a former student, now an EHS Alumni. I like how this person thinks because the issues presented are valid and have to be addressed. Here is a little from our conversation:

"However, the community seems stuck in the thought that young people don't have the "experience" to improve the situation. From an outsider's perspective, it doesn't look good. We need to be making opportunities out there. My goal is to eventually make it back there, but when I hear things are on a downward spin, it's troubling to think about coming back. There have been many days when I'm done living in the city that I look at what I could do back there but there doesn't seem to be much. In the end, we need to be communicating what is available out there for young people to invest in. We need a strong school, strong community, and strong entertainment sector (whether that is a brew house or a theater, the list could go on). "

I would like us all to think about this former student, the concerns expressed, and truly start communicating some ideas on how to get our interested alumni ... and their many new skills and new knowledge .... back into this community.

Common Sense H1N1

2009-09-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

The most common sense thing to do when dealing with a flu outbreak is to keep sick people away from healthy people...as much as possible. Therefore, it is very important that sick people stay home until they are well.

While the H1N1 virus is running rampant throughout the country please continue to practice these three procedures each day with your self and with your students:

1. Wash hands with soap and hot water often

2. If you or your child has a fever.....keep/take them home. The school will call you and request you take your child home when this occurs.

3. If your child has sore throat, cough, runny nose, body aches, voiting, or diarrhea...depending on the severity...keep them home. These are called flu-like symptoms and you should report to the school if your child has any of these symptoms...and a fever.

If your child does have flu-like symptoms keep them home for 24 hours after the fever is gone. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are still considered the best medications for lowering a fever.

There is no need to panic if your child is sick and the state is recommending that you call the doctor only when you would usually see a health care professional. There are other flu types floating around and at this point H1N1 is being treated just like all the others.

There does seem to be more of an issue to young children and those with asthma when warding off the effects of H1N1 so parents of those children should be more aware of their child's symptoms and seek professional assistance early.

All in all, the H1N1 virus seems to be yet another virus that our bodies normally fight off. Keeping our hands clean and keeping sick people away from healthy ones....common sense ideas...are the best defenses against getting the flu this year.

Advice to America's Students

2009-09-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

I just watched the live broadcast from my office here at school and it seemed to me that the speech was a pretty generic contribution to how we as parents and educators want our kids to be. He said all the right things. I decided to write my favorites here because these are quotes that I have found myself saying to students in my office ... over and over again ...

"Find something you are good at. It is your responsibility to find out what that is."

"There is no excuse for not trying." --- (this is my favorite)

""You write your own destiny."

"Take responsiblity for your goals -- set them, and then go out and get them."

"Being successful is hard."

"Some of the most successful people in the world have the most failures."

"Let your failures teach you ... not define you."

"Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness ... its a sign of strength."

If anyone is interested in watching the speech I'm sure it will be on youtube.com or here are a couple of links listed from the original government email I received on Thursday:

Downloadable video of the speech will be made available on the White House Web site as well as on http://www.ed.gov/ / www.whitehouse.gov/mediaresources/

Obama's Speech to America's Students

2009-09-06T15:45:00.001-07:00

On Thursday I opened up an email from VIP Consulting informing us that there will be a historic speech given by President Obama on Tuesday, Sept. 8th, during the school day, and suggested we have all our student's watch the 20 minute broadcast.

There are a number of issues with the request including the expectation that we can just drop what we are doing, change our schedules at such short notice, and expect everyone to want to hear what President Obama has to say. In addition, the school would not have time to inform parents and board members. The assumption that schools could manage to do this is...well...you know what assume(ing) does.

Finally, I would never want to hinder anyone's free speech rights, including a student's right to watch the speech or their right to choose. Therefore, I decided that I will post a link to the speech on our web site so that students, parents, or staff can watch it if they so choose.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/

Oh, and another bit of information on this speech...the US Dept. of Education is inviting all students age 13 and older to make a 2-minute video called "I Am What I Learn". There is prize money involved for the winning videos so if you are interested in making your own video and submit it to the White House go to:
www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn

I, for one, am interested in just what kind of message President Obama wants to convey to our country's youth...however, I would feel better if they (and their parents) could choose whether to watch his "historic" speech....or not.

Sign of the Times

2009-08-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

The past week was filled of an array of media coverage concerning Kit Carson not fielding a football team ... a tradition that found themselves in the playoffs 21 out of the past 25 years.

I was very happy how our school welcomed the young men from Kit Carson onto our team and find that this situation can be very positive for all involved...but, particularly, for the kids... both Wildcat and Eagle.

Here is the latest installment in the media coverage with the main message being that small towns out here on the plains are slowly losing their kids

I urge you to join the Eads Eagles football team in welcoming five Wildcats who want to play football like their peers, brothers, and fathers before them. It could just as easily been us in this situation and I would hope our kids would have options such as those we have offered the Wildcats.

I am very proud of our football players....both "mammals" and "birds"

Power to the Tweeters

2009-08-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Now that we have established the netiquette expected when using twitter.com at school...I thought I would try to illustrate the power of Twitter...what it can do for all of us.

It's like this: You think of things you are interested in...anything...and Twitter helps you keep on top of those interesting topics. If you're a sports freak...there's a Twitter for you...or a music guru...all kinds of tweeting going on!

I picked out some Twitter sites that you might consider following...once you follow these you will figure out there are hundreds of interesting, and powerful, twitter topics to stay on top of.

EadsEagles - keep updated on our school

kennychesney - most famous people are on twitter

FBLA - follow the national FBLA news

rockiesblog - most sports franchises twitter info hourly

BarackObama - find out what he's doing each day

CSUPueblo - example of colleges you can stay on top of

iTunes Trailers - stay updated on everything new

nationalffa - keep in touch with FFA news

They say "Information is Power" and that, in my mind, is what Twitter can offer you. You can access information you want, but you can, if you are high-thinking, can offer information others are interested in as well.

Whatever you decide, remember, what you tweet will represent who you are!

Tweet Me Right

2009-08-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

According to the blog-o-sphere...Twitter is 40% pointless babble. I would have to agree at this point. It is my hope by keeping Twitter off the filter list here at school that students and staff will not become one of those 40% that post useless updates and wastes cyberspace air...sort of speaking.

People are not interested in ridiculous posts that say nothing. If students and staff decide to use twitter at school it is expected they will use it responsibly and for a PURPOSE besides making off-color remarks about teachers or other people....you can save that stuff for myspace.

Consider the language you use on twitter...would you use that language to talk to adults, community members, college interviewers, your bosses, your parents? Hopefully, the answer is "NO!" and that you will use language that is respectful and appropriate.

Use twitter instead to write updates that are meaningful, that are insightful, and show how intelligent you can be. Know that everyone in the school and many of the parents read our tweets and that what we tweet says a lot about what kind of people we are.

Tweet Me Right guys...or the little blue bird will fly away!

How Do We Rank?

2009-02-22T19:58:00.002-08:00

MILE HIGH SPORTS MAGAZINE's February edition is on newsstands around Colorado now and includes the sixth annual "High School Rankings." As you may recall, just a year ago Eads High School ranked second in the state as we performed very high in CHSAA activities. Each school in the state is given a score based on how many state championships, runner-ups, showings, and all-staters the school earns in a year.

Eads High School is still up there pretty high in the rankings...this year we dropped five places to 7th state-wide...still pretty darn good. But, you know me, I don't like to lose anytime when we're keeping score so I wanted to know if it was one of those big schools that beat us ... you know, like Cherry Creek. But, well, the school that turned up No. 1 overall might surprise you. It was little, tiny Hi-Plains...just up the road from here. They tore up all the competition with just 47 students in their high school!

But, as I read about Hi-Plains in the article provided a very interesting stat stood out ... every one of those 47 students go out for activities .. at least one activity per year. Hmmm...so I ask myself, (because I have been complaining about the lack of involvement and the isolation I am seeing from our students this year) .... Do all 67 of our students get involved in at least one activity?

The answer is a resounding NO! We actually have 12 students at Eads High School that are not involved with anything. Despite the fact that all the studies show that students who are involved are the most successful in their academics as well as in their activities.

What do you think? I think Hi-Plains has it figured out. There is surely SOMETHING that each and everyone of our students can do to get involved and become a better person...and at the same time help make this school the best it can be.

iPod iSolation

2009-02-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a question I would like some serious feedback on: Is there an appropriate place for the iPod in the school setting – or should it be outlawed altogether?

I have been hashing over the issues we are seeing at school with iPods/MP3 devices whereby students are isolating themselves from the classroom and their classmates and also bringing in inappropriate content into the classroom (in some instances)....there's always those few that ruin it for everyone else.

What is the appropriate place/time for iPod use?

What is appropriate iPod etiquette?

What are the benefits of having iPods in the classroom?

What are the drawbacks of having iPods in the classroom?

Currently, the staff is debating these very questions....is there a place for them here?....or should they be banned?.... so I would like some mature and thoughtful input from students, staff, and parents.

http://www.synapsense.com/go/index.cfm/about-us/press-media/ipods-in-the-workplace-diligence-or-distraction/

http://www.campusgrotto.com/ipods-in-the-classroom.html

Will You Host an Exchange Student Next Year?

2009-02-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some profiles of exchange students I think would make great additions to our school community for the school year 2009-2010. There are so many reasons why the exchange program can be beneficial for us including the exchange of cultural ideas and information from many countries, additional students for funding in our school, and more students who will get involved in our award-winning extra-curricular activities.

Please look these profiles over and CONTACT me at the school if you are interested in becoming a host family for the school year 2009-2010!

CF001WW
Marc-Antoine - Male - Canada

Birthdate: 1/5/1992

Interests: Snowboarding, paintball, working out, fishing, hunting, skiing, wakeboarding

CZ007WW

Jindra - Female - Czech Republic
Birthdate: 1/14/1992

Interests: Field hockey, squash, listening to music, sports, skiing, photography, hiking, biking

DK001WW
Marc - Male - Denmark

Birthdate: 5/15/1992

Interests: Soccer, skiing, basketball, running, school, listening to music, friends

SF001WW

Oona - Female - Finland

Birthdate: 5/17/1992

Interests: Athletics, Guitar, Swimming, Basketball, Games, Football, Volleyball, Skiing

FR005WW
Pierre-Yves - Male - France

Birthdate: 11/15/1992

Interests: Surfing, Wind Surfing, Guitar, Music, Movies

GI005WW

Freia - Female - Germany

Birthdate: 10/26/1992

Interests: Basketball, Volleyball, Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, Reading, Swimming, Camping, Music, Shopping

GI026WW

Rika - Female - Germany

Birthdate: 12/22/1993

Interests: Youth fire fighters, Theatre, Playing Guitar, Life saving, Swimming, Horseback Riding, Volleyball, Books, Biking

GI019WW

Chris - Male - Germany

Birthdate: 9/28/1993

Interests: Basketball, Biking, Climbing, Acting, Reading, Music, Games, Photography

GI016WW

David - Male - Germany

Birthdate: 9/18/1992

Interests: Guitar, Basketball, Skiing, Meeting Friends, Computers, Jogging, Soccer, Cycling

MO001WW

Mandakh - Male - Mongolia

Birthdate: 5/31/1992

Interests: Basketball, Listening to Music, Swimming, Tennis, Ping-Pong, Cycling, Sledding, Ice Skating

NO005WW

Stine - Female - Norway

Birthdate: 5/29/1992

Interests: Soccer, Music, Singing, Guitar, Snowboarding, Skiing, Animals

PO002WW

Jose - Male - Portugal

Birthdate: 10/16/1991

Interests: Soccer, Rugby, Riding Horses, Video Games, Computers, Dogs, Listening to Music

TH007WW

Phatsaarpha - Female - Thailand

Birthdate: 12/11/1992

Interests: Movies, Basketball, Swimming, Reading, Games, Dancing, Cycling, Playing Violin & Keyboard, Singing

TH001WW

Akkhadet - Male - Thailand

Birthdate: 8/26/1993

Interests: Biking, Tennis, Soccer, Basketball, American Football, Computers, Listening to Music, Skateboarding, Swimming, Badmiton, Thai boxing

Enter 2009 -- New Ideas

2008-12-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

What's new for 2009 here at Eads High School?

We have a new way to communicate...this BLOG. Each of your teachers will have their own pages and they will provide you with assignments, tests, and research that you can access. This way you will always be able to download the documents you need and you will have another way to communicate with your teachers.

All students and parents are now able to access grades and attendance online from your homes. Click on the PARENT CONNECT link off the front page of the eadseagles.com web page and enter the user name/password that the school has provided you. This is a great way to keep track of assignments, points earned, and attendance...let alone your GPA, class rank, and all those other important facts that you will need to enter the real world.

We will be making the next (three-year rotation) laptop proposal for new hardware to the school board in March. If students have input into what type of machine or technology options they would like the school to look at please comment here.