VOLUME # 3 ISSUE#2 OCTOBER 2014 THE KNIGHT TIMES ~BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR OUR FUTURE~ THS to Compete for $100,000 Prize Toronto Jr.-Sr. High School will be participating in the Celebrate My Drive campaign to encourage teens to make positive choices as they begin driving and to compete for a total of 3.25 million in grants. Riley Keirsey and Cody King led the traveling pep rally through the halls of Toronto Jr.-Sr. High School. IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER Wednesday, October 1: School Picture Day DeleteOctober text and place Monday, 6: photo here. Powder Puff Game 6:30 p.m. THS Stadium Friday, October 10: Homecoming Game Toronto vs Beallsville Saturday, Oct. 11: Homecoming Dance Monday, October 13: No School ~ Columbus Day Wed. Oct 15- Fri. Oct 24 Celebrate My Drive Contest Friday, October 17: (Game Change) Toronto Football @ Conotton Valley 7:30 p.m. WHY? More teens die from car crashes than any other cause – and the first year is the most dangerous. WHEN? National Teen Driver Safety Week, Oct. 15-24, 2014 WHO? High school students age 14+, along with their schools, communities, friends and families, uniting to take part in local Celebrate My Drive events and make safe driving commitments. The 100 high schools with the most commitments will be awarded a total of $3.25 million* in grants: 2 schools receive a $100,000 grant and a Grand Prize Concert by a chart-topping musical artist 8 schools get a $100,000 grant 90 schools get a $25,000 grant HOW YOU CAN HELP? Log onto celebratemydrive.com each day from Oct. 15-24, click on any button displaying “Make A Commitment”, indicate you want to support Toronto Jr.-Sr. High School, and complete your commitment to drive safely. You can also invite your friends and family to get involved or share on Facebook- facebook.com/CelebrateMyDrive TORONTO JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL Thursday, October 23: Bonfire/Pep Rally 7:30 p.m. Stadium Parking Lot 1305 DENNIS WAY TORONTO, OH 43964 740-537-2442 Friday, Oct. 24: THS vs. Paden City (Senior Night) Thursday, Oct. 30: Toronto Trick or Treat 5:30-7:30 p.m. Carol Murray Guidance Counselor Maureen Taggart Principal Brian Perkins Dean of Students OCTOBER 2014 VOLUME #3 ISSUE #2 Ohio Releases Major Update on High School Graduation Requirements THS Alumni Band Performs The Red Knight Marching Band was joined by over 125 alumni band members on Friday, September 19 for a final performance under the direction of Mr. Kirk George. Kirk and Sally George, music teachers in Toronto for over 30 years, plan to retire at the end of this school year. As a tribute to their hard work and dedication, their children Mike and Jessica George, made arrangements for the alumni band performance. As band director, Mr. George has worked to cultivate excellence in each of his players and to increase the level of entertainment each year. He always wanted his students to be proud of their performances. The band’s style has changed significantly under the direction of Mr. George. In the beginning of his career, the band was a competitive band which successfully competed across the United States. Then in later years, the band became a show band. Both styles seem to have appealed to the audiences who watch the band each week. While state legislators passed Ohio’s new high school graduation law in June, they looked to the State Board of Education and Ohio Department of Education staff to create the many rules needed to guide local implementation. Since then, staff members and the board’s Graduation Requirements Committee have worked urgently to craft and adopt these many rules and policies. We understand that you, too, must feel a sense of urgency to provide details about Ohio’s new diploma requirements to staff, students and families. Thank you very much for your patience as we’ve worked thoughtfully to hammer out rules that can make implementation much easier for you. Now, we can report a major milestone. The State Board this week approved two essential elements of the new requirements: the graduation points system and a list of tests students can take in lieu of Ohio’s tests. Here is a summary of the State Board’s major decisions, the steps still needed to finalize the requirements and some items you can expect to be resolved in the coming months. NEW DECISIONS Graduation points: As one of the three pathways to a diploma, students can accumulate their scores from endof-course exams. The higher a student scores on any endof-course exam, the more graduation points he or she earns: Advanced Level = 5 points, Accelerated Level = 4 points, Proficient Level = 3 points, Basic Level = 2 points, Limited Level = 1 point. If a student reaches 18 graduation points overall, he or she becomes eligible for a diploma. Of these overall points, a student must earn at least four points between the math exams, four points between the English exams, and six points between the science and social studies exams. “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering” ~Augustine OCTOBER 2014 VOLUME #3 ISSUE #2 Bruce Palmer Joins THS Faculty Mr. Bruce Palmer officially joined the faculty of Toronto Jr.Sr. High School on September 22, 2014. Mr. Palmer is the new 7th and 8th grade Social Studies. He has more than 20 years of experience as an educator. Mr. Palmer is a 1979 graduate of Mingo High School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Youngstown State University and his Master’s Degree from Westminster College. Mr. Palmer is a former police officer and most recently taught at the Jefferson County Juvenile Detention Unit. He describes his classroom approach as fair, firm, and friendly. Seniors joining in the singing and playing of the alma mater. Senior Class Pres. Sarah Wayt welcomes Students to the Pep Rally. THS Band performs during 1st pep rally. Junior High students came ready to cheer. OGT SET FOR OCT. 27-31, 2014 The Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT) for Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies will be given the week of October 27th. Sophomores will be taking all sections of the tests while juniors and seniors will only take the test sections for which they have earned a score below proficient (400). The passage of all sections of the OGT is a requirement for graduation for the Classes of 2015, 2016, and 2017. Tests will be administered in the morning. Please make sure your child arrives to school on time and well rested. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up” ~Thomas Alva Edison OCTOBER 2014 THE KNIGHT TIMES VOLUME #3 ISSUE #2 Congratulations to the 2014 Homecoming Court! The 2014 Homecoming Court was announced during a pep rally on Friday, September 19, 2014. The court was selected by a vote of the senior class. This year’s homecoming court is Sarah Wayt, Carli Winstel, Brianna Sokol, Makayla Bauman, and Lexie Berger. The homecoming queen will be selected at half time of the Beallsville game on Friday, Oct. 10th by the pick of the odd colored rose. Congratulations 2014 Homecoming King’s Court! The 2014 King’s Court was selected by a vote of the senior class. This year’s homecoming king’s court is Nate Stewart, Tre Ross, Jesse Beckwith, Tyler Roush, and Alex Anderson. The king will be crowned during half time of the Powder Puff game on Monday, Oct. 6, 2014. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~Theodore Roosevelt