East Central

We're off to a great start in 2023!

In academics, 1st semester Honor Rolls have been released. Students continue their record of success with 53% of our kids earning Honor Roll status and just over 30% of our student population with straight A's!

In the arts, ISSMA competitors this past weekend earned high marks with 41 Golds and 11 Silvers; 32 events overall will be moving on to state. Rehearsals for Footloose are well under way with performances scheduled for March 10th, 11th, and 12th. We're looking forward to another great show in March.

In athletics, boys and girls swimming, wrestling, and girls basketball all won EIAC championships this winter. Wrestling won their 5th straight sectional crown this past Saturday, and girls basketball and girls swimming start sectional action this week. And, EC Dance opens their competitive season this weekend here at ECHS with over 500 dancers from across the tri-state scheduled to compete.

Finally, Student Council continues their philanthropic efforts with an on-going "For The Kids" drive including recent Chuck-a-Duck and Super Volleyball raising over $2000 thus far for St. Jude's well on their way to their $10000 goal by the end of May. The giving spirit form students and staff alike continues to be something in which we can take great pride.

IMPORTANT DATES

Early Release - February 15

President's Day (In-School) - February 20

ASVAB Testing - February 21

SAT School Day - March 1

WE ARE...EC!

“No leader is worth his salt who won’t set up the chairs.” Peter Drucker

Respectfully,

Tom Black

Scam Alert

Parents, please be aware that teens are being targeted in multiple online scams. We have been made aware of a variety of scams that our students have experienced. Please reference this article (11 Common Scams Targeting Children and Teens) and speak with your teen about online safety.

Grade Reports

Please take time to check your child’s final first semester grades in your Parent Portal account as ECHS does not print and mail home report cards.

3rd Quarter Mid-term - February 3

3rd Quarter Ends - March 10

Selective Service

U.S. federal law requires all men to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of turning 18. To learn more about this requirement, click here.

Dual Credit Information for Parents and Students

Did you know ECHS has over 50 courses that students can earn college credit in. Last year East Central High School students earned over $1,000,000 in college credit from Ivy Tech and Indiana University. Students and families can save the cost of an entire year of college by completing this Indiana College Core checklist right here at ECHS. For fast facts of the Indiana College Core click here or contact your child’s guidance counselor.

Indiana College Core

Check out this NEW short informational video that explains the Indiana College Core and the benefits of it! We are proud to announce that we offer the complete College Core curriculum at East Central! Also, be sure not to miss testimonials from an ECHS parent and student in the Learn More Guide!

Educationally,

Mrs. Rosfeld

jrosfeld@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Mr. Brad Wynn: A-G

Mrs. Lisa Tupper: H-O

Mrs. Murdock: P-Z

The scheduling process for the 2023-24 school year is underway. All students in grades 9-11 have met with their Guidance Counselor.

• May 9th: Target date to release 2022-23 schedules to students. Last day to change schedules for 2022-23 will be May 25th.

Key items per grade:

Seniors: Remember, the FAFSA is now open until the April 15th deadline for Indiana. Students should follow up with counselors with admission issues or concerns and they will assist with contacting colleges with questions particular to the students’ needs.

Students should be receiving information from colleges on admission decisions. If a student is Waitlisted/Deferred please have the student follow up with their counselor. We can assist them with the required process. Counselors do not have access to admissions decisions and have to rely on information from the students. Students should also follow all deadlines for housing and accepting admission with the college of their choice.

Scholarship applications are continuously sent to students in their school email. Please encourage them to read through all information as some applications are only for EC students. The students that are selected for scholarships are invited to attend the Senior Scholarship Awards program on May 10th at 6:30pm in the Performing Arts Center. Again they will receive an invitation at the beginning of May up until the date of the event if they are selected as a winner for a scholarship from a local sponsor.

National Honor Society will hold the recognition night for the Seniors and Juniors on April 12th at 6:30 pm in the Performing Arts Center. Students will receive an invitation if they are expected to attend from the NHS sponsor: Mrs. Ketcham.

Seniors who are undecided about what to study after high school are encouraged to connect with Ivy Tech Community College’s Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP). This program helps high school graduates earn an Associate’s Degree in just 11 months and prepares them to transfer to a four-year college to earn their Bachelor's Degree.

Juniors: SAT School Day: New required test for all juniors in the state of Indiana is the SAT that will be given during the school day on March 1, 2023. This test is free and used by the state for school accountability. The benefit of the test is that students will be able to use this score report for college applications. More information will be provided as the March date approaches.

Sophomores and Freshman: Scheduling will be completed by the end of January for the following year with changes accepted until the end of the year. Students should be focusing on grades and career/college exploration. Once sophomore PSAT scores are received, results will be reviewed in the classroom along with additional supports for SAT/ACT test prep.

As always we are available to meet with students individually to support academic and emotional needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Rhonda Murdock

Director of Guidance
rmurdock@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Ivy Tech College Connection Coach

For students working on achieving the Indiana College Core and needing to pick up courses, Ivy Tech has multiple eight-week sessions throughout the school year. These are online, virtual, in-person, or blended classes; students choose whatever works best. As an East Central High School student, there is potentially a full scholarship for these courses, and books are potentially free.

Contact Wendi Karle for more information. wkarle@sunmandearborn.k12.in.is.

Save Time, Save Money, Get a Degree

The Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP) is an 11-month program, which is student focused and designed to support, encourage, and mentor students throughout their first year of college. This program is great for students who prefer smaller class sizes and who prefer to be on a first name basis with their professors. ASAP works with students to build confidence before transferring to a 4-year university to get their bachelor’s degree or going into the workforce. Applications are now being accepted for the next cohort. If you are interested in applying to ASAP, joining one of our information sessions, or would like a tour of Ivy Tech’s campus, email Heather Gard at hgard3@ivytech.edu.

**National Honor Society Tutoring in Room#114

Every Tuesday and Thursday 3pm-4pm.

**Do you have a study hall? Talk to your counselor about peer-to-peer tutoring during study hall.

**Talk to your teachers. Teachers arrive daily at 7:30am and could possibly help you before or after school.

**KhanAcademy.org Completely free online educational videos in all core classes.

**AskRose.org / (877) ASK-ROSE 24/7 homework help (Ran by the students of Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN).

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT 2 STUDENTS BUILD EASTERN BLUEBIRD HOUSES

Students in Landscape Management 2 have spent some agriculture shop time

constructing Eastern Bluebird houses. This gives students some practical

experience in building a worthwhile project from start to finish. Several bluebird

houses will be installed on campus, and others will be made available to the

public for sale. This project supports the EC Re-Leaf program by establishing

wildlife housing opportunities.

AG POWER STUDENTS WORK WITH SHEET METAL

Students in Agricultural Power, Structures and Technology 1 are currently

receiving instruction in the metalworking unit. As a practical application of sheet

metal work students are making 2 projects; a feed scoop and a metal shop

dustpan. Students have to be able to read a project plan, follow the steps and

execute those steps to build each project. A hands on and practical experience

for the students.

Ms. Posey’s accounting students have been having a lot of fun while also practicing their accounting skills. Instead of a traditional final exam, students in Introduction to Accounting tested their skills while playing Monopoly. Students played the game as a business owner and journalized transactions that occurred while playing the game. At the end of the game, students created financial statements for their sole proprietorship.

There is a new group of students in Engineering Essentials this semester, and they have started off by learning some of the basics such as sketching and measuring. They have also just recently started creating “skimmers”, which are basically paper vehicles that skim across the floor after being launched by a rubber band. They had to follow plans and their knowledge of measurements to create the skimmers. Later in the week we will be collecting data on the

distances traveled and begin discussing statistics.

The Introduction to Engineering and Design classes have been working on a Miniature Toy

Train Project for the majority of the month. The project consisted of the students following a set of dimensioned drawings to recreate 3D on Autodesk Inventor. Then they had to assemble the train and have it placed on a track. The final part of this project allows for the students to be a little more creative as they have to work with a partner to design two train cars that can be hooked to the original train that they created. This project creates great opportunities for the students to learn how to work as a team.

The Civil Engineering class has spent the majority of the last few weeks working on designing

and creating a Habitat for Humanity House on Revit, along with carrying out multiple

calculations, such as water pressure, wastewater, and property drainage. This project is getting close to finishing up and the students are beginning to get everything together for their portfolios, where they can show off all of their hard work.

The Computer-aided-Design classes have been learning how to use Revit since we returned

from winter break. The majority of the time, they have been working to complete a tutorial that walks them through how to design/model a house. Revit is a software that can be a little tricky to get used to because it has so many applications, but so far they are doing a great job.

January 4th was the first day of a new semester, and the EC English teachers are excited to see their students and to begin new topics of study.

ENGLISH 9

English 9 is finishing up Romeo & Juliet in class and preparing for next week's performance by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company in the PAC. Also, Mrs. Tucker’s classes English 9 classes are participating in the #ContextCluesChallenge. The contest, sponsored by Membean, began with a lesson on context clues. From there, students chose a word from a list provided by the folks at Membean and then created their best hashtags to go with their word. They worked in teams to brainstorm and come up with their official entry. The next stage of the process is voting for the best examples. Only eight entries are permitted per teacher. The deadline is February 3. Hopefully, next month’s newsletter will announce our VICTORY!

Here are some examples:

#Sagacious (Membean Word)

#WildlyWise

#SensiblySmart

#WickedlyWitty

#TactfullyTaught

#Impact (Membean Word)

#ThenItHitMe

#CrashCourse

#PotentialEnergy

#BigInfluence

#Infinite (Membean Word)

#easyasPi

#alwaysandforever

#sideways8

#spaceandtime

ENGLISH 10

In Mrs. Trossman’s Honors 10 students are discussing the battle between good and evil as they read the classic novel Lord of the Flies. In Ms. Jackson's Honors 10 classes are finishing up Shakespearean poetry and moving on to drama. They will be exploring themes of honor and betrayal in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar while polishing up their sword fighting skills! In Meiners' English 10 classes, students are studying multiple perspectives of the Holocaust, comparing and contrasting viewpoints through poetry, Elie Wiesel's Night, and Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Students will create a presentation using Google Slides to present their findings. Mrs. Goodpaster started this semester with American Born Chinese before moving to Night by Elie Weisel. In both books, students are analyzing the perspective of the main characters and how the main characters handled difficult situations.

ENGLISH 11

English 11 is reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. They are cruising through the Roaring 20's time period with this exciting and thrilling novel while exploring what the American Dream is and if it is still achievable today.

ENGLISH 12

Mrs. Goodpaster’s and Mrs. Pieczonka’s seniors are finishing reading Macbeth and preparing to start a project that gives them a chance to focus on different parts of the Macbeth story. They can choose options as varied as updating the language of a speech, to creating a modern interview between a reporter and Macbeth. Mrs. Ketcham’s Honors English 12 classes created a satirical PSA after reading Swift’s A Modest Proposal. Currently, they are exploring British Romanticism and the poets that flourished during this literary period.

ADV. ENGLISH 111

Students are in the middle of the argumentation unit, and students demonstrated mastery of logical fallacies by creating videos about a fallacy assigned to their team.

AP LITERATURE

Mrs. Ketcham’s AP Literature students are analyzing The Great Gatsby as well as participating in small literature circles. Each literary circle is reading a different novel set during WWII: Atonement, Code Name Verity, & The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The ECHS English Department wishes everyone a healthy and happy 2023!

Brenda Osman bosman@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Introduction to Fashion and Textiles-The Introduction to Fashion and Textiles students have completed the unit over the elements and principles of design where they had the opportunity to work with a croquis and create their own design and then explain what elements and principles of design they used in their design. They completed the unit with a tie-dye t-shirt design. The students are currently learning about stain removal and the difference between water based and oil based stains. We will finish the laundry unit by learning how to sort, wash and dry laundry.

Advanced Child Development-The students in Advanced Child Development have completed the unit on physical development of infants where students demonstrated how to mix formula, burp a baby, and change diapers. Students also researched infant safe sleep techniques, childhood diseases and infant health and safety. We will be learning about intellectual development of an infant and the importance of brain development.

Advanced Fashion and Textiles-The Advanced Fashion and Textiles Classes have been researching the fashion industry and exploring the fashion cities around the world. They also just completed research projects over the most prominent fashion designers over the years.

ProStart 1-In the month of January the advanced ProStart culinary 1 students continued the ServSafe Certification process. This is a food safety certification from the National Restaurant Association. Students who pass this certification will be among other chefs, culinarians, restaurant owners, kitchen managers, etc. who hold this certification. Students are also using what they have learned about food safety and putting their skills into action in the culinary lab.

ProStart 2-In the month of January the advanced ProStart culinary 2 students started their studies on Nutrition in the foodservice industry. They focused on being able to explain why nutrition is important to the foodservice industry, including learning about the six basic types of nutrients found in food & describing their functions in the body as well as identifying food sources of the nutrients. They also learned about food additives & the role of digestion in nutrition and health.

Both of these groups continue to practice their skills in various catering events throughout the district.

Follow us on Twitter @EC_Culinary to keep up with all of our culinary adventures!

The East Central FCCLA is preparing for the busy Spring Season of FCCLA STAR Events! We started out January hosting the Middle School Girls’ Night where over 50 Middle School Girls experienced an evening of food, fun and learning about building positive relationships and leadership skills. We had over 35 high school girls mentor these middle school girls. We would like to thank East Central FCCLA Alumni, Shelby Lake for speaking to all of the girls about empowerment and working to achieve their goals. This was an outstanding event organized by state officer Jocelyn Inderhees.

Another great event this month was the Ronald McDonald House Bake Sale held at the boys basketball game on January 24th. We raised almost $600 to allow our chapter to prepare dinner for the families at the Ronald McDonald House of Cincinnati in February. Our students are very excited to assist these families in their time of need. Thank you chapter officer Becca Tupper for leading this event.

Elly Weiler, Sophia Merk and Grace Weiler are working on their FCCLA Focus on Children STAR Event where they are teaching all of the first graders throughout our district about dental hygiene. They teach them the proper way to brush their teeth. They also reinforce the importance of eating nutritious foods. The first graders have learned a lot about dental care.

Jadah Ertel and Madison Goodwin taught Mrs. Dole’s second grade class about building friendships and not bullying others through reading a story and positive communication techniques. It was such a great experience for all of the students.

We also have over 45 High School FCCLA members preparing for their FCCLA STAR Events! We appreciate our communities’ support of all of our members. We will continue to share our projects and accomplishments on our East Central High School FCCLA Facebook and Twitter pages.

Melissa Gulasy - mgulasy@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Students were really excited to have the construction of the new digital photography studio completed! The old room used to be the darkroom photography studio and was re-constructed to the new digital photography studio. The walls, flooring, and ceiling were painted black. The art department also received additional lighting equipment, back drops, and cameras for the students to use in the studio.

Oak Heritage Conservancy sponsored their Annual Photography Contest titled Nature’s Magical Moments. All photography needed to be taken in nature within the state of Indiana. Judges selected 10 Best of Show winners out of 400 entries. East Central High School students had taken 6 of the 10 Best of Show awards. Congratulations to:

Hannah McCord

Hailey Mullins

Grace Roark

Josalyn Willwerth

Alyssa Good

Jillian Eppinghoff

Best of Show photographs will be traveling exhibits that will be displayed in venues across southeast Indiana. . These “Best of Show” photographers will receive their mounted photo as a prize. During the exhibits, and via social media we will ask the public to vote for a Grand Prize entry.

On behalf of Prosecutor Deddens, Congratulations to East Central’s talented group of art students. Please see the attached announcing the winners of the 2022 Art Design Contest. They awarded 10 winners this year and all 10 winners are students at East Central High School. Fun facts:

● 21 Art Project submissions in 2022

● Projects were on display in the courthouse foyer Monday, December 12th – Friday December 16th

● Voting was open to all Dearborn County Employees – 58 employees representing 20 departments voted for their favorite projects

● Feedback from visitors and employees provided an overwhelming appreciation for the talent and creativity of this group of students! Everyone felt this was a really fun and engaging time at the courthouse!

mslyon@sunmandearnborn.k12.in.us

Have you ever thought about studying abroad? Have you ever dreamed about living in another country?

Last semester, The Japanese classes had guest speakers from Japan. Those two Japanese guests flew from Niigata, Japan to visit four high schools in the United States, and EC was one of them. The purpose of their visit was to introduce their colleges to American high school students as their prospective students. The schools are under NSG College League, which owns 27 colleges and vocational schools in Niigata, two hours north from Tokyo by bullet train. They talked about some of their schools including manga & anime, culinary arts, and fashion & cosmetic schools.

Last summer during my visit to Japan, I joined a tour to see some of their colleges. I was impressed by their programs and facilities, and thought that I wanted to let my students study there after high school. The college representatives and some high school Japanese teachers in the U.S. including me are planning on offering a summer “camp” to Niigata for next summer. Through the program, high school students will go to Niigata and stay there for one week to ten days to learn about the colleges and the city. So far there are about ten EC students who are interested in the program. I really hope that they can join the trip. If you are interested in the program, please contact me (skurumado@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us). I will give you more information!

https://nsgcollegeleague.org/

This month the Math department would like to highlight our AP Statistics class. AP Statistics’ students work hard all year preparing for the AP test in May. Their score will determine if they receive college credit for the class. These students work hard to learn the material daily and enjoy helping their peers. Many times Mr. Moorman will ask students to come to the board to explain the process of answering a problem. The following is a small glimpse of what the class is currently working on through the eyes of one of our students, Caitlyn Dick.

In AP Stats, we are currently learning about null hypothesis and alternate hypothesis. We have already learned what statistics are, how to look at data and interpret it, and how to calculate probability that have all led to this chapter. In chapter 9, the current chapter, we have learned the basics of significance tests of proportions and about tests of population proportions. The rest of the chapter we will learn how to test difference in proportions.”

Drama Department

Choir News

The choir department presented their Christmas Concert on Sunday, Dec. 18th. The students gave outstanding performances. Students in piano class are working hard to learn the notes on the piano, how to read music, and now to use both hands by using the grand staff.

First semester flew by! Kudos to Mrs. Andres’ first class that had 100% participation for dressing out. Her classes spent a little time learning some dances in preparation for the Snowball. Check out the “Griddy”! In Mrs. Beck’s classes, students have been busy creating and leading other students in workouts. The ingenious performances include a variety of exercises that have students engaged and laughing.

Mr. Sipe’s classes maxed out in December. The students saw big improvements in many areas of strength, as well as, speed. They are working hard to reach new goals this semester. Mrs. Hendricks’ Athletic Training classes welcomed in Mike Slemons from Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine to lecture and demonstrate proper stretching techniques.

Tim Maluvac - tmaluvac@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Students in the science department have been very active in learning a variety of different scientific principles during the month of January, Here are just a few snippets of what is going on at ECHS.

Chemistry I students learned how to write balanced chemical equations as they continued to see the differences between macro, micro, and symbolic representations of physical and chemical changes. Students continued their exploration of chemical changes by identifying five basic types of chemical reactions that occur. They used evidence of observations from lab experiments to help determine the products from each reaction.

Biology I students have been studying genetics and heredity. In this lab, they are working on calculating the possible types of offspring that can result from a mating between two pea plants using Punnett squares.

Biology II students have been studying the organs and organ systems of mammals. Here students are dissecting fetal pigs to gain a better understanding of the structure and location of specific organs in mammals.

Anatomy and Physiology students have been learning about the major muscles of the human body by identifying their structure, locations in the human body, their functions, and microscopic composition.

Chemistry II students are working to identify precipitation reactions through the analysis of chemical reactions, product prediction, and net-ionic equations. Students have also been identifying oxidation numbers and electron exchange reactions through reduction/oxidation reactions.

AP Chemistry students are learning about chemical equilibrium and how reactions do not necessarily go to completion. Students spent lab time this past week evaluating the equilibrium constant of a reaction by using spectroscopy to determine color changes and how this impacts where equilibrium lies.

Steve Lewis - slewis@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

In Mr. Owen's American History course, we are discussing the Post-Civil War period and the Second Industrial Revolution. Students have begun assembling their ideas regarding their Final Project (A Ranking of the American Presidents).

Ask your student about this bridge: Where is it located? Why is it so important? How does it represent the rise of American Industry in the 19th Century? And why isn't it a lot more famous?

In AP European History, we are also studying the Industrial Revolution, but with a slightly different focus. These students have also begun their Semester Final Project, a paper entitled The Western World in 2044.

Ask your student about this bridge - located in Shropshire England, and how it compares to the doors of the Florence Baptistery in Italy.

In Mr. Lewis' ACP Intro to American Politics classes, the students are creating their accounts and getting registered for the class this week. The semester is off to a good start!

Become an Official

The IHSAA is continually looking to for licensed officials. If you or someone you know is interested

please visit: https://www.ihsaa.org/become-official

Wrestling

The EC wrestlers just completed their sectional and brought home East Central’s 23rd sectional title.

There are 11 wrestlers moving onto regionals at Richmond on Saturday, February 4th at 9:00am.

Girls Basketball

The girls’ basketball team just finished up their regular season and will be heading to sectionals Tuesday, January 31st at 7:30pm at Shelbyville High School where they will defend their title and go after a fourth straight championship. They finished their regular season as EIAC Champions. For full sectional tournament information please visit: https://ectrojansathletics.com/2023/01/27/girls-basketball-sectional-information/

Boys Basketball

Boys’ basketball is starting to wrap up their season and have the following games left:

Saturday, February 4th vs. Columbus North @ EC

Thursday, February 9th @ Connersville

Saturday, February 11th @ Batesville

Tuesday, February 14th vs. Union County @ EC

Friday, February 24th vs. Greensburg @ EC

Sectionals will be held at Columbus North and start on February 28th , 2023.

Swimming and Diving

Coed Swimming and Diving just wrapped up their season and will begin training for sectional. Girls’ sectionals will be held at Columbus North on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023 (Swimming Preliminaries). Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 (Diving, Consolations & Finals in Swimming events). Updated information will be posted on the athletics website as it become available.

Boys’ sectionals will be held at East Central Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 (Swimming Preliminaries). Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 (Diving, Consolations & Finals in Swimming events). Updated information will be posted on the athletics website as it become available.

Spring Sports

Spring sports teams have begun their workouts. If you are a student interested in playing girls tennis, boys golf, track & field, softball or baseball please stop in the athletic office or listen to the announcements for more information.

Tryouts are set to start on the following dates:

Track & Field: February 13th

Girls Tennis: March 13th

Softball: March 6th

Baseball: March 13th

Boys Golf: March 13th

For all sports related news, schedules, updates, etc. click on the following link or contact EC Athletics at 812-576-4811 ext 11932

https://ectrojansathletics.com/

For student athletes interested in eligibility-forms, physicals, transfers, etc. click on the following link or contact EC Athletics at 812-576-4811 ext 11932

https://sunmandearborn-in.finalforms.com/

https://twitter.com/tblacksunmande1

https://twitter.com/EastCentralHS

https://www.facebook.com/sunmandearborn.k12.in.us/

https://www.facebook.com/ECHSTROJANS

https://www.instagram.com/eastcentral_connect/

Email: tblack@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us
Website: https://echs.sunmandearborn.k12.in.us/
Location: 1 Trojan Place, Suite A St. Leon, IN 47012
Phone: 8125764811
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sunmandearborn.k12.in.us/
Twitter: @EastCentralHS