East Central

It's been a great start regarding quarter-one on so many levels. First, our students and staff have done an outstanding job for 9 weeks now concerning COVID protocols. And, as a result, we continue to be "in-school" at 100% capacity. The only e-learning that's been necessary so far was last week's planned e-learning as a part of the new calendar and proactive efforts to avoid lengthening the school year into June should we face a school-closure at some point this year. Thank you to you all for encouraging your students to stay vigilant regarding masks, symptom monitoring, etc. SDOA also remains a success in many ways despite the challenges we new it would have in this, it's inaugural year.

With the end of the first nine-weeks, grades are being finalized and digital report cards will be shared via Power School. So, stay tuned as a notification will go out coming as soon as 9-week's grades are officially posted. On a very positive note, EC currently has 713 Honor Roll students...417 of them are Exemplary Honor Roll. That's approximately 1/3 of our student population with straight A's and well over half with all A's and B's.

In athletics, Fall sports have found great success. First through diligent efforts, they've experienced no team quarantines, and second, as is typically the case, our teams have found success competitively as well. Volleyball although graduating some talented girls from last year's team have continued to improve week after week wining the Union County Invite this past Saturday. They open sectional play this week. Cross country finished 2nd (boys) and 3rd (girls) in their respective sectionals this past Saturday as well and advance to this weekend's regional. Football wraps up their regular season this Friday currently ranked 4th in the state. They begin their state tournament run at Silver Creek next Friday, 10/23. Lastly, both boys and girls soccer teams have had outstanding seasons. The boys just pulled out a hard fought victory over Shelbyville this past Saturday winning the sectional crown. They advance to regional this coming Saturday at Carmel. Having in-person school has been a positive thing in so many ways as has been the opportunity to compete and support our athletes this fall. In many ways, it's been the normal we were all been missing.

Speaking of normal, The fall play "Young Sherlock" was a great success with two casts and four shows in September. As always, our kids offer fantastic performances and high-level entertainment. A winter show is already in the works. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

Lastly, we will continue to do everything we can to keep children safe and IN SCHOOL this year. Thank you for all of your help and support in that effort.

WE ARE...EC!

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

Tom Black

2020-21 Advanced Placement Exams

Students enrolled in year-long AP courses have until October 2nd to register to take the AP exam. Exam dates can be found on The College Board’s website. Please see this letter explaining the registration process.

ISTEP+ Winter Retest will be given to those seniors that have not yet qualified for graduation either through a Graduation Pathway, ASVAB or ISTEP+ during the week of December 1 - December 4.

Dual Credit Information for Parents and Students

Did you know ECHS has 45 courses that students can earn college credit in. Last year East Central High School students earned over $900,000 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 STGEC checklist right here at ECHS. For fast facts of the STGEC click here or contact your child’s guidance counselor.

Class of 2023 & Beyond Graduation Pathway Requirement

For the first time in years, the class of 2023 and beyond will not have to “pass a test” to earn their high school diploma! Freshmen & Sophomores must complete what is known as “Graduation Pathways” to graduate high school in the state of Indiana. We are very fortunate at ECHS to be able to offer over 20 pathways for students to choose from. For questions, please contact your child’s guidance counselor.

Interested in Ivy Tech – 2021 Seniors, apply NOW to Ivy Tech – Lawrenceburg for FREE. The online application will take between 10-15 minutes to complete and you do not need to complete any essay prompts or submit letters of recommendation. Apply Now: https://link.ivytech.edu/APPLYK

Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP) – Navigating the first year of college can be overwhelming. Ivy Tech in Lawrenceburg has a program in place to help students achieve their goal of a degree in 11 months. ASAP (Associate Accelerated Program) is a student focused program designed to support, encourage, and mentor students throughout their first year of college. This program is great for students who prefer smaller class sizes, who prefer to be on a first name basis with their professors, and who prefer to stay close to home. Ivy Tech is committed to student success by providing top-notch education at a competitive rate. ASAP allows students to gain confidence before transferring to a 4-year institution or entering the workforce. Contact BeWithIvy@ivytech.edu for more information.

Ivy Tech EdOpp Scholarship – Ivy Tech Community College – Lawrenceburg Campus is offering an EdOpp Scholarship to 2021 seniors in our service area, who attend Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg for the 2021 academic year. We are awarding students on a first-come, first-served basis, up to $5,000 per student, per year. We are extremely grateful for the generous funding provided by the City of Lawrenceburg. Scholarship funding will be distributed once a student registers for an academic semester. Contact R11Express@ivytech.edu for more information.

Final Exams

Final Exams will be administered on the following dates:

December 16 - Periods 3 & 6

December 17 - Periods 2 & 5

December 18 - Periods 1, 4, & 7

*Final exams are not administered early for any reason. Please make every effort possible to be in attendance for your semester exams.

The following counselors are assigned the following students:

A-G Mr. Wynn

H-O Mrs. Tupper

P-Z Mrs. Murdock

Trojan Food Pantry

Did you know that ECHS has a Food Pantry? It is available to all families that are in need of food as long as they have a student in Sunman Dearborn Schools. There are no additional requirements. The pantry is available by appointment only: 812-576-4811 ext. 11302, Ask for Brenda Osman or email bosman@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Educationally,

Mrs. Rosfeld

jrosfeld@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

The start of the school year has been a whirlwind of activity for the Guidance Department. We have been working diligently with each grade level and new enrollments to ensure that students are set up for a successful academic year. The ECHS Guidance Department is staffed by three counselors who cover students assigned by the following alphabet:

Mr. Brad Wynn: A-G

Mrs. Lisa Tupper: H-O

Mrs. Murdock: P-Z

Key items per grade:

Seniors: The Senior Parent Meeting on August 26th was recorded and a link was sent out on Twitter, as well as placed on our website for parents to view at their convenience. A recording can be found in the Class of 2021 Google folder, which also houses pertinent information such as test optional colleges, and college application process for seniors for future reference. During the meeting, we introduced the options available to students after high school graduation along with other guidance. Counselors presented the same outlined material to senior English classes and to S-DOA students in a Google Meet.

Seniors were asked to create their Parchment.com accounts, which enables them to electronically send their transcripts to colleges. Many representatives from colleges will be reaching out for virtual meetings with seniors throughout the semester.

Parchment: https://www.parchment.com/

Recorded Parent Meeting link: Senior Meeting 2021 (2020-08-26 at 06:42 GMT-7)

Juniors: The PSAT and ASVAB test will be available to the Juniors on October 14th during the school day. The PSAT is a practice test for the SAT and qualifier for the National Merit Scholarship. The ASVAB test option is a qualifier for students who need to qualify for the Graduation Pathway option for graduation. Counselors will discuss these options with the Juniors.

Juniors should take the SAT and/or ACT this year for admittance into the classic four-year college. Many colleges have decided to go Test Optional due to Covid, but it is still recommended that Juniors test in case testing optional requirements change. Securing a good test score by the end of the junior year will allow the college application process to start smoothly at the beginning of senior year. Upon completion of the PSAT as sophomores, all students reviewed how to prep for the SAT/ACT using Khan Academy. Up to date registration information for the SAT and ACT is available at the following sites:

SAT: College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools

ACT: https://www.act.org/

Sophomore and Freshman: These students should focus on their grades to build a strong transcript which will enable the most opportunities for them. Sophomores will take the PSAT on October 14th.

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.

Thank you,

Rhonda Murdock, MSW, L.S.W

812-576-4811 ext. 11912

**National Honor Society Tutoring in the Library

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).

TRADITIONAL 4-YEAR COLLEGE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!
Over 2 million Hoosier adults need additional skills to compete in the 21st Century Workforce. To help more Hoosiers gain these skills, Indiana has created a new financial aid opportunity for working-age adults: the Workforce Ready Grant.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Workforce Ready Grant pays the tuition and mandatory fees for eligible high-value certificate programs at Ivy Tech Community College, Vincennes University or other approved providers. The grant is available for two (2) years and covers up to the number of credits required by the qualifying program. The grant does not cover courses that do not directly apply to the student’s certificate program. Program-specific fees and equipment are not covered.

QUALIFYING PROGRAMS

The qualifying high-value certificate programs were selected based on employer demand, wages, job placements and program completion rate. These programs are aligned with Indiana’s highest demand sectors:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Building & Construction
• Health Sciences
• IT & Business Services
• Transportation & Logistics

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for the grant, students must:

• Be age 18 years or older
• Be an Indiana resident and U.S. citizen or (eligible non-citizen)
• Have a high school diploma (or equivalent) but less then a college degree
• Enroll in a qualifying program at an eligible training provider
• File the FAFSA**
• Enroll full-time (typically four courses) if you are a Dependent Student**
• Enroll at least half-time (typically two courses) if you are an Independent Student**
• Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress**
• Meet any other minimum criteria established by the Commission

**Credit-Bearing programs only

HOW TO APPLY

• Visit the Next LevelJobs.org to connect with an eligible training provider
• Submit a complete and corrected FAFSA (please allow 5-7 business days for processing).
  • Applicants do no need to meet the April 15th deadline for state financial aid
  • The Workforce Ready Grant is not limited by family income

EC Landscape & Horticulture Students Complete Phase 1 of National FFA Living to Serve Grant

If you visit ECHS from now on, and you enter the building at the Performing Arts Center entrance you will notice some brand new landscaping that was completed by East Central High School Horticultural Science and Landscape Management students as a part of a $3000 National FFA Organization Living to Serve Grant that the chapter received this fall. This portion was phase one of an ongoing project, and was done without any costs to the school. Phase 2 will focus on the east entrance of the high school.

The Landscape Management students began the project by removing old juniper shrubs from the existing planting beds with help from the Sunman-Dearborn maintenance staff. An initial design was drawn up, and plants were ordered from Natorp’s in Mason, Ohio. Plants were delivered on Monday September 21 and planting began the following day. Students also mulched the areas and will provide continual care and maintenance to the plantings throughout the year.

The plants consisted of 55 native, deciduous shrubs, and 66 native perennials. The shrubs were planted by the Landscape Management students, and the perennials were planted by the Horticultural Science students. All of the plants will provide both food and habitat for bird species, pollen and nectar for pollinators, and will give visitors to the high school a chance to see how native plants can be used in the landscape.

This area will also have signage to identify the plants, and will have barriers to keep guests from walking through the beds.

This planting is a welcome addition to the high school, and provided students in the ECHS agriculture program another practical, real world experience.

Welcome to The DropZone...

It has been a fantastic yet challenging start to the school year for the DropZone. Our in-house student tech support team made up of 21 students have been busy learning the ins-and-outs of customer service and tech support while operating a business through the growth of the S-D Online Academy. Making sure every student is taken care of in a timely fashion while also protecting everyone's health has been our number one priority. “We are in such a unique time and with that comes so many important real life learning opportunities. The DropZone students are learning invaluable knowledge through experiences that they will be able to carry with them into the future.” ~Krista Hutzel, DropZone/Computer Science Teacher

Introducing Computer Science 3!

New to East Central this year is the addition of the course, Computer Science 3 - Software Development. This class focuses on Team Management and Collaboration, Project Management, Code Design and Development, and Testing. What’s more fun… we’ve designed this course all around gaming. That’s right, you can learn to make the games you play, know and love right here at EC. After many years of learning programming languages such as Scratch, C, Python, HTML, CSS, Visual Basic, and SQL these students are moving on to coding in C# while developing games in Unity. For most of them this is a dream come true and the reward for years of hard work and dedication. We can’t wait to see what this first year of CS3 will bring. Stay tuned!

During the first full week of October, students and teachers took part in the first ever e-learning week in lieu of the usual fall break. Students were expected to engage in five sessions of classwork that teachers prepared and posted ahead of time which included both interactive lessons and instructional videos. Each grade level took on this new challenge and, as a result, students spent the week exploring a wide variety of topics.

English 9: Freshmen were assigned a very timely unit on how different societies react to pandemics. Mrs. Ketcham worked her usual, tech-savvy magic and made an interactive unit that included Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Masque of the Red Death," a digital escape room, a podcast with questions, a nonfiction article with questions, and a TED talk with questions.

English 10: Sophomores in Mrs. Beckner’s class continued their study of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by delving into Brutus and Antony’s funeral speeches. Students were given templates to use to paraphrase the speeches then expected to analyze each speech for examples of persuasive appeals and specific rhetorical techniques. All of this work was in preparation for composing an essay where they will argue which character had the more persuasive speech and why.

English 11: Juniors spent the week investigating documents relevant to the establishment of the United States. Mrs. Stanley and Mrs. Rose's classes read while listening to three pieces each, learned embedded vocabulary, reflected their findings in writing, and checked for main ideas within the documents. Their teachers employed multiple platforms for students to utilize including Actively Learn, No Red Ink, the Pearson literature book, Quizlet, and Google Forms to accomplish this goal.

Brenda Osman bosman@sunmandearborn.k12.in.us

Child Development

The students in Child Development Class are beginning to experience parenthood by caring for the Real Care Baby Simulators. This allows students to understand the responsibilities and demands of an infant. They have to figure out how to meet the needs of the Real Care Baby by feeding, burping, rocking or changing the diaper. They also need to make sure that the Real Care Baby is not neglected and they must respond within two minutes. Other infant care skills are also reinforced including car seat usage, changing clothes and supporting the head and neck.

Intro to Fashion and Textiles

The Intro to Fashion and Textiles students are finishing up their Pajama pants and making matching masks out of their leftover fabric. They will be holding a virtual fashion show to show off their new skills. Stayed tuned for a link to our virtual fashion show so everyone can see our latest creations!

Education Professions

Members of the Education Professions class have been studying how schools are governed and financed. Through this topic, the students interviewed (through Google Meets) the Sunman Dearborn School Board President, Mike Norman, to learn more about the role of a school board in the operation of a school corporation. We would like to thank Mr. Norman for speaking to our class.

Nutrition and Wellness

Students in Nutrition and Wellness have been exploring the essential nutrients. Students have collaborated in small groups to become experts on one nutrient, then shared their knowledge with their peers. Students were also able to collaborate in kitchen groups for a few different labs. Students were able to make different dishes, including spaghetti squash and vegetable pizza. Their objectives were to demonstrate a simple method of preparing healthy food, demonstrate safe knife skills, and to practice planning and working with other students in a lab setting.

Preparing for College and Careers

Students in Preparing for College and Careers are wrapping up their personal finance unit. They have been learning how to manage finances and make financial goals for their futures, as well as exploring different organizational methods of tracking spending and budgeting. Students have the opportunity to earn an EVERFI Financial Literacy Certification, which they can add to their resumes and can even open the door for scholarships. Their objectives were to practice a variety of financial skills, including budgeting and to explore different aspects of finances, such as FAFSA and credit scores.

Intro to Culinary Arts & Hospitality

Students in Intro to Culinary Arts started off September learning about Kitchen Safety. They created a safety presentation over an assigned Kitchen Safety topic. They then taught their classmates about Kitchen Safety through their presentations. In the next unit students began learning about Measuring in the Kitchen. We spent a lot of time learning about and practicing proper measuring techniques, kitchen equivalents, and kitchen abbreviations. Students showed off their knowledge of proper measuring skills through making Chocolate Chip Cookies in the foods lab. We then moved onto learning about Standardized Recipes. Students have learned and identified the essential parts of a well written recipe. They then made Mini Muffins in the lab to showcase this knowledge. During this unit students have also learned about how and why recipes might need to be modified. Students learned how to change the yield of a recipe. Before we left for fall break students made a Mini Cheesecake recipe where they first had to change the yield of the recipe before participating in the lab. When we get back from fall break students will start learning about Kitchen Equipment!

ProStart 1: Culinary Arts & Hospitality

Students in ProStart 1 & 2 have been very busy. ProStart 1 continued from August into September learning about the Hospitality and Foodservice Industry, really focusing on Hospitality. Students enrolled in this class can earn dual credit with Ivy Tech in “HOSP 114: Intro to Hospitality. Students participated in many foods labs including making Small Bite Appetizers, Catering Appetizers, and various dishes for their “Time period” labs. When we return from Fall Break students will start their ServSafe Certification training. This year we will incorporate real life foods lab experiences into the training.

ProStart 2: Advanced Culinary Arts

Students in ProStart 2 started off the school year learning about Eggs & Dairy Products. They have studied information about Eggs & Dairy Products and participated in many labs incorporating this content. Below is a picture of a ProStart 2 student making a Creme Brulee. Next students began learning about Breakfast Cookery and made various Breakfast Recipes in the foods lab. When we return from Fall Break students will start their ServSafe Certification training. This year we will incorporate real life foods lab experiences into the training.

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

Our lives are made up of little journeys that usually lead us down the same paths every

day. Eventually, we tend not to notice what is around us on these journeys. This

observation was made by prosecuting attorney,Lynn Deddens. She noticed her

surroundings each day as she would travel the courthouse’s halls. Lynn noticed that the

transition from the historic courthouse to the annex was a blank canvas that was filled

with opportunity. Her brilliant idea was to allow art students to be a part of the

community and visualize their interpretations of their surroundings. Ms. Deddens and

her team created a program themed, “Dearborn County - Historic, Current, or Patriotic”.

High school art students within the area were asked to choose historic locations or

buildings in the community that interested them. The students then created pieces of art

reflecting their interpretations of those sites. The criteria was the artwork had to have a

theme that was patriotic, historical, or realistic. Only five pieces were selected and all

five students were from East Central High School. Each of the students received $50, a

color copy of their original artwork, and their artwork is framed and a part of the

collection for the public to view. The following students were Nico Dimeglio, Jenna

Schuman, Evan Stutz, Kamiyrn Knigga, and Bradin Withers.

World Languages - Shun Kurumado

Because of the restrictions we have had, I was thinking if I should offer the Japanese club this year or not. During the first two weeks, several students asked me if and when I would start the club, and they were excited about having the meetings. Their passions made me decide to provide them a place to enjoy and share their same interest.

The new Japanese club officers are Elizabeth Busha, Jayme Pennington, Sydney Leech, Sara Hartley, Kieran Draude, Matt Smith, Emma Hartley andLily Robertson. By their effort, the members have successfully had three meetings. I am glad that these EC students are very positive and moving forward in such a difficult situation!

The club meetings are every other Monday from 3:10 until 4:30. If you are interested in it, stop by!

It is amazing that the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year is already over! We hope everyone had a safe, relaxing and enjoyable Fall Break! The next quarter will be over before we know it and we’ll be into the holidays!

First of all, we’d like to give a shout out to our Mathematics SDOA with Mr. Moorman and Mr. McDaniel! The on-line academy is off and running smoothly. They are using a pretty rigorous software program called Edmentum along with Success Coaches Cindy Morton and Susan Timberlake. We also have Google Meets with our support team Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Erwin.

Secondly, I’d like to introduce our newest instructional aide, Courtney Barga. Ms. Barga is an ECHS graduate who continued her education at Purdue University. Ms. Barga splits her day between Mrs. Reinshagen, Mrs. Noeth, and Ms. Jansing. She has a great rapport with our students and is doing a great job supporting them. East Central Math Department is very glad to have Ms. Barga! Welcome to our team!

Lastly, ECHS has just completed PSAT and ASVAB testing on our early dismissal date, October 14th. Testing went smoothly and we wish our students the best of luck. Just to let the community know about some of the mathematical topics covered on the ASVAB, they are: fractions, percentages, exponents, logarithms, factorials, statistics, algebra, and geometry.

Stay tuned for next month...TURKEY DAY is coming!!

Congratulations to the Drama Club on their outstanding performances of Young Sherlock Holmes. The play was double cast so all the students were able to have spoken roles. The drama club has never put a production on in such a short amount of time. We are so proud of all their hard work and dedication. Bravo!

Chorus News

The choir department will present their Fall concert on Sunday, October 18th. The Women’s choir, Concert Choir and Tonal Eclipse will perform at 2:00p. The Show Choir will perform at 4:00p. The choir will be using a ticket system with limited seats available. Everyone must have a ticket to enter and tickets can only be acquired from a choir student.

Mr. Sipe’s Advanced Physical Education/Weightlifting classes are getting back to work after fall break with their Quarter 2 weight lifting programs. Quarter 1 ended with max attempts on core lifts where students saw some significant gains. These weightlifting classes lift Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesdays, the classes focus on speed, agility, core, and cardiovascular exercises to better promote total body fitness.

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

The science department is busy helping Biology 1 students understand the structures of a cell.

Students in Mr. Medlock's Bio 1 classes were able to model and identify the organelles of a plant and animal cell.

In Mrs. Hoffman’s Chemistry 1 classes over Fall Break the E-learning process had students applying in class topics by having them find ionic and molecular compounds in their home. Students made flipgrid presentations for other students to view and learn about additional items found in other peer’s homes.

Students also applied chemistry to their everyday lives by picking a topic they were interested in, making a poster over the chemistry of that topic, and then presenting that to their classmates using flipgrid.

In Mrs. Burkhard’s AP Biology they will be starting the fruit fly lab. In this lab the students will be doing genetic crosses on fruit flies that have contrasting traits to determine which traits are dominant and recessive. They will collect data from the F1 and F2 generations and analyze the results of a dihybrid or sex-linked cross. This lab will run for several weeks.

Mr. Owen's European History and American History classes are beginning work on Semester Projects. In both classes, students will be working in teams to collect and analyze various primary source documents. These sources will be the framework for projects designed to illustrate important themes present in the respective courses. Projects will be due in December.

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/

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