GLHS Renaissance Rally Teacher Flash Mob

               

          The first quarter renaissance rally was a blast with games and competitions pertaining to the theme of “I Know What You Did Last Quarter.” Suddenly, during the middle of the celebration, teachers broke out into a flash-mob, surprising the entire student body.

 “I thought the flash-mob was pretty cool, my friends and I had fun watching it and I think it really got a lot of people’s attention. I really thought it added to the spirit in the rally!”

 -Abby Mauger, Freshman

“I was very surprised by the flash-mob and thought it was hilarious! It definitely made the rally more interesting and I was very surprised by some of the teachers.”

-Emily Kingsley, Sophomore

 “My first reaction to it was speechless and I was asking myself, where and when were they able to practice all of these transitions and dance moves? I really think people will remember them dancing and make the rally memorable”

-Nicko Poulias, Junior

 “My first reaction was, oh this is gonna be interesting, the teachers are gonna do a dance! As more and more teachers came out I realized what was going on. I though the high participation of the staff showed a lot of school spirit, you could tell they put a lot of work into this dance. Students will be more observant at the next rally, waiting for some sort of surprise.”

                                                                                                -Evan Moreland, Senior

View the Teacher Flash Mob video here!

- Article compiled by Morissa Cohen, reporter

Thanksgiving Traditions

     

     Thanksgiving marks the time each year when leaves begin to fall, the air becomes brisk, and an endless supply of food is paramount.  GLHS students talk about their various Thanksgiving traditions for their families.

            “Every year on Thanksgiving my mom gives us a gift. It's always festive Christmas socks to get us ready for the holiday season. I don't know why, but I love getting them every year!” junior Tara Smith said.

            “Half way through our meal, once everyone has quieted down, we go around the table and share what we’re thankful for during the past year.  Usually it’s a very funny and tearful experience,” junior Sana Selemon said.

            “Every Thanksgiving, my brother and I dust off the old NES and play Mario.  Our gaming session is followed by a nice James Bond movie marathon,” junior Stephanie McCann said.

            “My grandparents always come over and together we all watch the Thanksgiving parade.  Then we stuff our faces with delicious food and fall asleep watching the end of the dog show,” sophomore Stephen George said.

Article compiled by Ali McCathern, reporter

Favorite English Books

To some students at GLHS, receiving a mandatory English reading assignment simply means “Spark-noting” and skimming the pages of the entire novel, rather than actually reading the book.  However, to other students at the school, reading high school-required novels is not as boring as you might think.  Whether you are a senior, junior, sophomore or freshman, chances are that you have – or you will – come across a required reading book that is on a subject you can relate to.

“I was assigned to read Fast Food Nation over the summer for AP Language and Composition.  I really liked it because it opened my eyes to a side of fast food that is really disturbing, but no one really sees.  I really learned a lot from this book.” –Alex Howell, Senior

“My all time favorite book was during sophomore year when we read Me and Orson Welles. I found it more relatable than most high school books, and it was just an interesting story.  Plus, I’m a huge theatre and band nerd, and, in the novel, so is the main character, which is awesome!” -Justin Jordan, Junior

“I really liked The House on Mango Street which we read during freshman year.  It was, in my opinion, a lot different than the other books we have read.  It was based on a true story and I liked that the book was made of different memories throughout the [main character’s] life,” said Alex Hack, Sophomore

“My favorite book to read this year was Julius Caesar because it was both interesting and astonishing.  I loved how it was based off of history and how the story had such a strong meaning.” –Estifanos Yohannes, Sophomore

“So far this year, I have really enjoyed reading The Crucible.  The main reason it held my interest was the fact that it had some historical significance to it.  Knowing that these events actually happened in real life made it seem like the story was more important.” –Stephanie McCann, Junior

“One of my favorite books was Marley and Me because it was different from the usual books we were assigned to read. It was for journalism class so it had a different style of writing. It was humorous and was about an adorable puppy, so I liked it!” –Lara Wurster, Senior

-Article compiled by Emily Jadwin, reporter

Catching Plagiarism in the 21st Century

Today’s educators and administrators struggle to promote the honest, thoughtful, and legal use of information by students, in a world of ever-changing technology.  With access to billions of Internet source documents, students can “cut-and-paste” entire written passages in seconds.  This, combined with a growing emphasis on performance and assessment, has led to pervasive use of unoriginal content in student essays and research papers.  In 1996, a group of University of California-Berkeley professors recognized the problem this posed to the academic world and developed a program we know today as“Turnitin.com”.

 Currently used by over 10,000 educational institutions spanning 126 countries, “Turnitin.com” has over 150 million student papers, 100,000publications, and 14 billion web pages of information compiled in their database.  An increasing number of classes at GLHS require the site to be used for research papers and essays.  Most of these classes will have you make a login and then periodically use the account throughout the year to "turn in" papers. The site compares the writing that is turned in to all of the items it has amassed electronically and at speeds exponentially greater than any previous methods.  The goal of the site is to make students create work with more original content and learn appropriate ways to use and cite source material, all by discouraging plagiarism.  They want students to know it's okay to use information from other sources, but to know how to give credit to those sources.  But does it work?

             Well, a statistical analysis of 7 years of data from high school and college submissions to Turnitin.com, found that after two years, instances of unoriginal content and plagiarism in student writing decreased by 20 percent or more. After four years, educational institutions experienced improvements of 35 - 70 percent.  Other independent research studies show that “Turnitin.com” is substantially more effective than manual plagiarism detection methods.  Teachers no longer have to spend hour after hour using online search engines to identify plagiarism.  A recent survey of educators showed that “Turnitin.com” not only reduced plagiarism, but also helped improve student writing skills, reduced instructor workloads and increased the productivity of both students and teachers. 

Benefits like these help to maximize the educational impact that schools like GLHS can have.  However, I still think there can be ways to improve the system.  Sometimes when I'm writing a research paper that is to be sent to "Turnitin.com", I'll find myself focusing more on rewriting the information to minimize any chance of unintentional plagiarism, rather than write what I think sounds best.  Perhaps my fear of unintentional plagiarism is irrational, but I wish there was a free alternative to "Turnitin.com" that could give me instantaneous input on my writing before I sent it to "Turnitin.com".  I think a good policy for GLHS would be for teachers to explain and demonstrate how the site works at the beginning of the year, so students can clearly understand what risks there are with unintentional plagiarism.  In spite of this, I believe that the use of “Turnitin.com” greatly benefits students and teachers by deterring academic misconduct in an age of technological dominance.

By Evan Thorn, editor

Staffulty Spotlight: Mrs. Shelton

Mrs. Shelton is the administrative assistant to GLHS principal, Mr. Carter. Mrs. Shelton has contributed so much to GLHS in her career that we decided to highlight some of favorite memories!

                                                                Mrs. Cindy Shelton

McCloud: Tell me about yourself.
Shelton:  I grew up in Tipp City, Ohio and graduated from Tippecanoe High School. I have an Associate's degree in Medical Lab Technology from Columbus State Community College. I am also a 25 year Longaberger Consultant. I have been married to my husband Jon for 32 years and I have two grown sons. My sons are Jason and Kevin and they both graduated from GLHS. I also have a daughter-in-law Katie. We have a rescue schnauzer named Nickles. I have served on various church committees and the PTO. I am currently an Administrative Assistant to the principal, Mr. Carter and I serve on the Lions Advisory Board at GLHS.

 

McCloud: What are your hobbies and what do you like to do for fun?
Shelton:  I enjoy walking, golfing, and other various sports. I also like to read, shop, eat out, travel and spend time with family and friends.

 

McCloud:  How long have you been working at GLHS?
Shelton: I have worked at GLHS for 14 years and prior to that I worked at High Point Elementary.

McCloud: What do you like best about working at GLHS?
Shelton: My favorite part about working at GLHS are the students and staff.

 

McCloud: What are some fond memories from working at GLHS?
Shelton: I have had the opportunity to work with three dedicated principals in my years here. I also love to watch as the students excel in academics and extracurricular activities. The excitement and enthusiasm at GLHS is there on a daily basis and I also have made many friendships with students, staff, and parents.

Blog article compiled by: Anna McCloud; Photo credit: Abby Leppert

Staffulty Spotlight: Ms. Amber Stevens

Ms. Stevens is the freshmen attendance secretary. Staffulty, like Ms. Stevens, contribute so much to GLHS that we thought they deserve a feature. Here we ask about a few of her hobbies and interests.

Tackach: Tell me about yourself.

Stevens: I enjoy reading, I journal, and I am obsessed with the ID channel.

Takach: What is your favorite book?
Stevens: Redemption of Love by Francie Rivers.

Tackach: How long have you been working at GLHS?

Stevens: Four years.

Tackach: What do you like best about working at GLHS?

Stevens: My relationships with the students.
 

Tackach: Do you have any fond memories of working at GLHS?

Stevens: Last year, when I had my first full year class, those freshmen graduated last year. So to watch them grow from being freshmen to watching them graduate, or to see someone that was struggling at first or might have had behavior issues and it finally click for them.

Tackach: What is your favorite part about the new freshman office?

Stevens: It’s doing the same job, but it seems completely different. Although I’m still doing the same discipline, attendance and telephones, it’s a different vibe. I’m able to focus more on the project things I do like link crew and renaissance, and I don’t have to do as much multitasking because the phones down here are not as busy as up there, so I’m able to provide more support to the principal and our system principals.

Compiled by Malerie Takach

Why do staff love GLHS?

          GLHS offers numerous opportunities for students to pursue any interest or activity imaginable, whether it be a sport, hobby, interest, or academic class.  But what about the teachers, administrators and faculty members who contribute so much to our school’s success?  Besides the bright and shining faces of its students, what do staff members love most about Gahanna Lincoln High School?

“I love the fact that we are a single school for a single community.  It pulls the community together, and gives it a sense of unity.  The diversity of the school gives a good taste of what is to come at college.” – Amy Carter, Attendance

“The Speech and Debate Team and the interactions of the kids, as well as the opportunities the program provides for students, are the best part about GLHS.” –Lyle Linerode, Speech

“GLHS has so much to offer for everyone. There is literally a club for every interest, whether that is Anime Club, Gamers Club, Writing Club, or something else.  Other schools don't offer as many programs as we do.  ” -Kimberly Thomas, Math

"After 31 years of teaching at GLHS, I would say that the most enjoyable part is the support of the families of our students.  [The families] understand the importance of school and classes, in particular, health class.  Health is a topic that is frequently changing.  Twenty years ago, I would have never thought that I would be discussing sensitive issues that affect people's lives." -Linda Shannon. Health

"I most love the school climate, the diversity, and the staff and students.  I also have a sense of comfort at GLHS because I attended school here when I was in high school." -Ann Gleek, Librarian and Media Specialist

"Gahanna Lincoln is unlike any school at which I had previously taught. Its forward-thinking innovations and ideas are modernizing the way students learn information.   But, the best quality about the school is its positive and encouraging climate, which effectively makes GLHS a great place to learn and grow." -Kevin Dengel, Orchestra

- Article compiled by Emily Jadwin

What do students love about GLHS?

              Gahanna Lincoln High School is filled with students, staff, and faculty who come together to form a community. This community provides education and an incredible environment for everyone to have a positive experience in. Receiving feedback from students, we found out why they love GLHS.

            “I love that I get to meet so many new people and make a lot of new friends! I also love the many choices we have of extra curricular activities, clubs, sports, and study sessions.”

                                                                                              - Taylor McIlwain, freshmen

            “Although GLHS is a big school, it allows you to meet so many new people and there are a countless number of opportunities. I also love how so many people can come together and be unified whether it’s the student section at the football games or being there for each other as support to overcome the difficult times.”

                                                                                                  - Mary Alexander, sophomore

            “GLHS has provided such a comfortable environment for me. I enjoy the people and the culture here at Gahanna.  I would never want to go to another high school and am so happy about all of the memories I have made here.”

                                                                                                 - Joy Okeke, junior

            “One thing I like about GLHS is the wide range of opportunities I have as an individual amongst the student body. Opportunities such as sports, clubs, will help further my understanding of what it is to be a true academic scholar.”

                                                                                                  - Dre Johnson, senior

-Blog story compiled by: Jenna Rajczyk

Why I love The Lion's Roar!

Listen to The Lion's Roar reporter Jessica Kincaid talk about why she loves The Lion's Roar!