Information compiled by Brandon Klugman | health editor

Mark DaytontMark Dayton

wednesday, october 20, 2010 | volume 8 | issue 03st. louis park high school | 6425 w. 33rd street, st. louis park, mn 55426www.slpecho.com

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The old saying, don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill, seems more relevant than ever at Park.

Since the start of the school year, multiple confrontations have occurred. Sept. 21, several students in world drum-ming locked a substitute teacher in the band closet. Oct. 5, a physical confrontation between two students outside the school occurred. Oct. 6, three students engaged in a verbal confrontation in a sophomore English class.

Despite the gossip about fi ghts running throughout the student body, assistant principal Clarence Pollock said the number of fi ghts and assaults is actually lower than last year, and no connection exists between fi ghts.

“These fi ghts are occurring among less than 2 percent of the student body,” Police Liaison Troy Peek said. “The reason [for the fi ghts] is usually a personal issue between stu-dents, but it is rarely anything more serious.”

Freshman Naris Uzzell said he thinks the fi ghts are fairly isolated.

“The fi ghts are mostly over stupid things,” he said. “Some are as stupid as someone push-ing someone else accidentally.”

Additionally, the number of cases of In School Suspen-sion from Sept. 1 to Oct. 13 have dropped from 194 cases in 2008 to 170 this school year. However, some students like sophomore Greg Jacobs attest to a feeling of hot blood run-

ning through the student body.“There is defi nitely a different feeling

this year,” he said. While Jacobs may be referring to the

student environment where 25 more sus-pensions occurred than last year, Peek said he can’t contribute any of the hap-penings to any single cause.

Despite rumors, according to the ad-ministration violence is average this year.

Josh Crandell | opinions editor

School violence proves to be blown out of proportionDespite rumors of more fi ghts, statistics do not support claims

From a closed school to postings of cut classes, the impact of budget

cuts on students is clear. But the solution is yet to be found.

Superintendents, school board members, teachers and parents from various metro-area schools presented to Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party gubernato-rial candidate Mark Dayton about the im-pact of recent budget cuts on education Oct. 6 in C350.

Dayton also presented his education plan and received feedback from local school leaders.

Dayton’s policies for high schools include increasing funds to lower class sizes, reduc-ing activity fees, offer a greater variety and number of elective courses, give students experience with technology and increase the number of students who attend college.

“We have to be concerned about the

recent loss of opportunities for students,” Dayton said.

One of Dayton’s plans is to reform the current standardized testing model to one that measures student improvement from the beginning to end of the school year.

Though Dayton didn’t hear any students’

views on education reform at the campaign event, their responses to his plan are mixed.

Junior Sahaam Abdi said she feels taking the tests twice each year is not the solution and takes too narrow of an approach to judging student learning.

“The tests are not really an effective way of measuring how we’re doing because you can eas-ily have an off day or get tired be-cause the tests are so long,” Abdi said. “It would be better if they

measured based on what we are ac-tually learning in our classes.”

Minnesota House Speaker Mar-garet Anderson Kelliher said she feels the current administration has put too much emphasis on standardized testing.

“It’s become the Department of Testing, not the Department of Education,” Kelliher said. “Standardized testing isn’t education.”

Dayton presents agendaCandidate responds to Park’s educational leaders

Giving the Pitch: Gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton addresses issues involving school funding, specifi cally for special education, during a campaign event in C350 Oct. 6.

Photo I Alex Kersten

Kelsey Reid | editor-in-chief

Dayton | 02

General education policies: Increase state investment in public education to

address problems such as class sizes and increase spending on education

every year he is governor.

“We need to ensure we offer a menu of different educational opportunities to our students,” Dayton said.

Plans that could affect Park:

1 Reduce high-stakes tests and focus on constructive diagnostic tests.

2 Emphasize science, technology, engineering and math.

Tom EmmerRepublicanDemocrat-Farmer-Labor

Tom HornerIndependent

General education policies: Give certain schools exemptions from

local and state mandates and issue spending freeze on education.

Plans that could affect Park:

General education policies: Reduce rigidity in the education system, such

as rules regarding teacher seniority.

“We need a little bit of fl exibility from everybody at the table,” press secretary Matt Lewis said.

Plans that could affect Park:1 The advocation of more charters schools, such as Quest Academy in Park.

1 Giving students from underperforming schools the opportunity to attend higher performing ones.

2 The support of “alternative teacher licensure,” which would allow experts in certain fi elds to become teachers without as much acedemic training.

Take a bite into breakfast

Boys’ soccer kicks into sections

page 03

page 09

Budget cuts cause educators to urge help from state government

The fi ghts are occuring among less than 2 percent of the student body

Troy Peek| Police Liaison

“We’re looking at ways to work with and better the schools that aren’t performing at the levels we need them to be,” communications director Carl Kuhl said.

2 Investment in technology as a complement to face-to-face interaction with teachers.

sources | www.horner.com, markdayton.org, www.emmerforgovernor.com, www.minnpost.com, www.startribune.com, www.mncharterschools.org, minnesota.publicradio.org