22 - CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, February 3 - February 9, 1995
School & Education
Students tackle community issues at Lewes Middle School
By Kristen Seal
Research and extra credit are
being given a new name under
Lewes Middle School's first annu-
al High Bar project. The High Bar
project allows students to earn
extra points on their final grades
through conducting hands-on,
long term research and producing
knowledge that is intended to
challenge and affect the students
personally.
Seventh grade students working
under English teacher George
Spalaris have been collecting data
from the community on local
issues through surveys. On Fri-
day, Jan. 27, the students present-
ed their findings and will now
begin developing solutions to the
issues addressed.
Each teacher from each grade at
LMS offers a project to the stu-
dents on a volunteer basis, and the
students then choose which High
Bar subject or subjects they would
like to pursue.
Spalaris' High Bar project con-
sists of the students' monitoring of
local newspapers, radio and televi-
sion in order to select a topic rele-
vant to the community and worthy
of research and attention.
Upon identifying a topic, the
student then must survey the com-
munity to retrieve opinion. Third-
ly, the student must present the
findings of the survey, and then
present a solution to the specific
problem or issue. Issues chosen
for research by the seventh graders
are: crime, violence, recycling,
teen suicide, the need for new
lights at Rts. 1 and 24, the rising
number of tourists in the area and
the development of new outlet
malls.
"We are going beyond the realm
of just academics - I didn't want
the kids to just write essays or do
worksheets," said Spalaris. "I
wanted them to write and research
something real and get a response
to their writings. I suggested
ongoing research, local media
coverage and no solution evident
prior to the surveys," said
Spalaris. Upon reaching a pro-
posed solution to the issues sur-
veyed, the students will publicize
their findings through the media in
hopes of receiving public, input
and responses.
"We asked the teachers to put a
challenge out to the kids voluntar-
ily and the goal is for the kids to
take up the challenge, not neces-
sarily to improve their GPAs.
This program is made to go
beyond extra credit," said LMS
Principal Gary Wray.
On the topic of crime and vio-
lence, students John Collins, Zac
Palmer, Amanda Messick, Cole
Pavlick and Lakia Marshall dis-
covered an overwhelming desire
for the implementation of a Neigh-
borhood Watch program to pre-
vent local crime. The surveys
reflected the community's need
for people to work together, and
those surveyed were most con-
cerned with handguns. The idea
of adult censorship of violent tele-
vision shows was suggested as
well.
Meredith Marshall, Julie Bisca-
yart, Jen Forte and Jen Gauntt
addressed recycling and found that
a majority of those surveyed were
opposed to being responsible for
paying for recycling pick up. A
school recycling center where stu-
dents collect items to be recycled
and use the money to better the
school was suggested by a local
resident.
Danielle Guerin distributed 27
surveys on the safety of the inter-
section at Rts. I and 24. Out of
those questioned, 21 believed the
intersection was safe and six were
opposed to the arrangement of the
traffic lights there.
The belief that the traffic lights
at the intersection change too
quickly was addressed due to the
recent school bus accident at the
intersection where a car illegally
sped through the light several
weeks ago.
Public response concerning the
construction of new outlets malls
in the area revealed that the major-
Krtsten Seal photo
The High Bar Project is well underway at Lewes Middle
SchooL Seventh graders Jen Gauntt and Jen Forte (1 to r) are
participating in English teacher George Spalaris' Community
Challenge, surveying community residents on local news top-
itS.
ity of those surveyed believe that
the outlets are acceptable if they
are erected on commercial land as
opposed to agricultural land. Kay-
la Ulrich found that issues of the
possibility of undercutting local
businesses, traffic increases and
the killing of wildlife were promi-
nent.
The seventh graders are now
entering the final stage of their
high bar community surveying.
The students are now responsible
for developing solutions to the
local issues they have chosen in
light of the community response to
the distributed surveys.
The proposed solutions will be
publicized through the local media
and community participation is
essential to the growth of the stu-
dents' projects.
READaTHON kicks
off in Cape schools
The time has come to sign up for
the 1995 READaTHON Reading
Program. The 1995 REA-
DaTHON, conducted by the
Delaware Chapter of the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society, is
underway with assemblies taking
place in more than 60 Delaware
schools. READaTHON kits, or
registration materials, are also
available at public libraries
throughout the state.
A child registered in the REA-
DaTHON enlists sponsors who
pledge money for each book or
newspaper the child reads during a
one month period. The funds
raised through the READaTHON
support vital research programs
into the cause and cure of MS and
provide medical equipment, sup-
port groups, nursing assistance
and other services to nearly 900
Delawareans who have multiple
sclerosis and to their families.
All READaTHON completers
will receive coupons for Delaware
attractions and food establish-
ments; those raising $30 or more
will receive prizes. The grand
prize for the top fund raiser is a
trip to Disney World made possi-
ble through donations from Conti-
nental Airline, WJBR-FM and
Walt Disney World. The national
Cape District 5lenus
Krien Seal photo
Miss Delaware, Tish Pusey, spoke to Lewes Middle School
third graders and afternoon kindergarten students on
Wednesday, Jan. 25 about the benefits of joining the 1995
READaTHON sponsored by the Delaware Chapter of the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Pusey herself was diag-
nosed with MS several years ago and spoke to the students
about not only bettering themselves but helping others by
entering in the reading pregram-
sponsor of the READaTHON is
Tiger Electronics and 2-XL, the
talking robot. Mellon Bank of
Delaware continues as the present-
ing sponsor of Delaware's REA-
DaTHON.
Children raising $500 or more
will appear on the cover of next
year's READaTHON kit with a
player from the Philadelphia 76ers
- the READaTHON's "Super
Team". Those raising $1,000 or
more will have the opportunity to
ride to a 76ers game in a limousine
and make a presentation to the
team on the floor of the Spectrum
before the game. Children raising
$1,500 or more will be pho-
tographed with Rocky Bluewinkle
for the cover of the 1996 REA-
DaTHON kit, and will throw out
the first ball at READaTHON
Night at the Blue Rocks, June 27.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks have
joined the 1995 READaTHON as
it's Diamond Team.
Stutzman receives agriculture scholarship
Jason Stutzman, a student at Delaware Tech Southern Campus,
Georgetown, is the recipient of the 1994 BASF Growth Is a Promise
Scholarship" in the amount of $1,000. The award was presented to
Stutzman, of Denton, Md., by Allison Derickson, human resource repre-
sentative of Townsends, Inc., Millsboro, in conjunction with BASF Cor-
poration of Parsippany, N.J. Townsends purchases poultry vitamins and
feed preservatives from BASF and works jointly with the company in
providing this scholarship to outstanding students who major in agricul-
ture and are recognized for outstanding achievement and commitment to
the growth and development of animals or poultry.
Cape Henlopen School Dis-
trict menus for the week of Feb.
6-10 include:
Elementary and Middle
Schools
Monday, Feb. 6 - Breakfast:
cereal and toast; lunch: chicken
nuggets, potato surprise, broccoli,
peaches, juice.
Tuesday, Feb, 7 - Breakfast:
waffles or cereal and toast, fresh
fruit or juice; lunch: taco with
meat and cheese, lettuce and
tomato, corn, chilled fruit or juice.
Wednesday, Feb. 8 - Breakfast:
omelette with toast, cereal and
toast; lunch: breaded chicken,
steamed rice, green veggie, chilled
peaches or juice.
Thursday, Feb. 9 - Breakfast:
pancakes or cereal and toast;
lunch: pizza, fruit salad, green
beans, diced pears or juice.
Friday, Feb. 10 - Breakfast:
cereal and toast; lunch: melted
cheese sandwich, cup of tomato
soup, celery and carrot sticks,
fresh or canned fruit, chips.
Cape Henlopen High School
Breakfast menu posted daily
Monday, Feb. 6 - Chicken
nuggets, sliced bread, potato sur-
prise, broccoli, sliced peaches or
juice.
Tuesday, Feb. 7 - meat taco
with tomato, lettuce and cheese,
corn, chilled fruit or juice.
Wednesday, Feb. 8 - cheeses-
teak, sliced tomato and lettuce,
veggie, chilled canned or fresh
fruit.
Thursday, Feb. 9 - cheese or
pepperoni pizza, carrot and celery
sticks, green beans, pear half.
Friday, Feb. 10 - toasted cheese
sandwich, tomato soup, chilled
fruit cup, fresh fruit or juice, chips.
