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Show Page 6 OREM TIMES Thursday, January 17, 2008 NEWS AND IDEAS IU1 Melissa Mayntz NOPTHCO'lWV.v.11 When students from another country first atlend a I'tah high school, the new language is not their only challenge the unique culture ot t he United States and Utah students stu-dents can also be intimidating. Terri Martin, Orem High School's English for speakers of other languages teacher, turned that culture shock around last week by organizing an ESI exhibition ex-hibition "Spanish Villa" plaza so students could introduce 1 heir unique cultures 1o Orem High's student population. The plaza included a var iety of fun activities and treats students stu-dents could participate in lor minimal fees, such as bursting pihatas, enjoying Latin American Ameri-can music and trying cultural foods such as empanadas, enchiladas, en-chiladas, salsa, mango drinks and more. Posters, flyers and invitations helped spread the 0 Foothill Elementary introduces parking Melissa Mayntz Any parent knows that the tew minutes after an elementary elemen-tary school lets out are hectic times in the parking lot. but foothill Elementary has introduced intro-duced some new procedures to help ease traffic problems and make those few minutes safer for 1 he school's 550 students. stu-dents. Beginning in early December, De-cember, students have been released from specific school doors according to how they get home. Students who take the bus leave through the south doors closesl to the bus lane, students who ar e picked up by parents exit through , the center doors nearest the pick up lane, and students who bike or walk home leave through the north doors and are asked to follow new, safer routes. Karen Wat hen, the school's principal, hopes t hese c hanges can help create a safer environment envi-ronment for both parents and students during those busy moments after school. Wat hen said she has witnessed several very close calls for injuries and accidents, but everyone J I T ' iT """if m:hx BI ' i . I 1 1 v? vii 1 ' j J . If ZD Ill I . .v. '" "M . ! C-. 1 I 110 Payments for G nonius Limited Time Offeri No Money Down Loans Available! 400 South 2250 West Springville 801-687-2876 FROM CLASSROOMS AND EDUCATORS Hosts 'SpamiDslhi Villa word about the event. "It let the other students in the school see how fun different differ-ent cultures will be," Martin said. "I hope it will be a unifying unify-ing activity." 01 IS is home to more than 70 ESI. students, though Mar-1 Mar-1 in only has 30 in her class to continue working on English language skills. Many different cultures are represented at the school, including the nations of China, Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Peru, Ecuador, India and others. In addition to sharing these different cultures with OHS students, the event also helped the ESL students strengthen their English communication skills as they built the booths and pr epared for the activities. Mail in said she frequently tries to integrate unusual but fun activities into her class that will help students become more proficient in English. Students have filmed one "Slow down, be patient and pull forward. There's nothing else that parents can do until we get more space for them." Karen Wathen Foothill Elem. principal has been fortunate so far. "The biggest problem is safety," she said. Because many students routinely cross driveways in oEder to reach cars or walk home, the new walking routes are designed to minimize any dangers. Having students leave from designated doors has helped with that problem, Wathen said. Not only is safety a concern, but gridlock is another major problem. Wathen estimated that more than 100 students are picked up by parents, which is an abnormally high number for one elementary school. Because Foothill Elementary El-ementary is home to several 7 - ir GO or Z bprfmnms. f hnth. ' carport on a. 19 acre lot 1340 Sauare Feet j lots of storage. 4tsrtfng In the Of! 1 1 another as talk show hosts and guests, written autobiographies autobi-ographies and participated in games to practice basic skills such as verb conjugation, reading read-ing and vocabulary. According to Martin, however, how-ever, mastering the English language lan-guage is only one step toward feeling comfortable as newcomers newcom-ers in the United States. "Of course the language is a challenge, but so is fitting into the culture," she said. Martin routinely includes classroom discussions to introduce intro-duce students to American culture, cul-ture, and during the holidays she had her students conduct Thanksgiving polls to learn about this uniquely American tradition. At the same time, she encourages students to share their own unique cultures and to compare and contrast their heritage with what they discover about other students' traditions and cultures. "1 hope they can become Accelerated Learning Lab units, however, Wathen said that more than the typical number of parents pick their children up from school. No busing is provided to ALL students, stu-dents, and two new units were added to the school this year. "There are more cars than there is space," she said. To help with the traffic congestion, parents are urged to pull all the way forward in the parking lot as cars leave to make room for additional cars. Instead of waiting in one location, students may need to look for cars in the loading area, but that can help keep traffic flowing more smoothly. smooth-ly. According to Wathen, that may take two or three more minutes when picking up a child, but those minutes can be critical. "That two or three minutes may save a child's life," she said. Additional minor parking park-ing lot changes are planned for this spring, but Wathen said she hopes to be able to completely re engineer the parking lot, pick up zones and bus lanes over the summer. Changes would include where the crosswalk is located. v - V tflh CftUnty's Real Estate - j iGGSHGlM- Pheasant TOWK HOMES AT 806 South 1840 fe-r : ' :Vm. ; J :( 0Q33 ) J ' - - , ' ' " - " ' 4 i f I . f- , j j-" ( I ? , 5 T H j : 1 1 TORWowi 801-598-8183 DA if 801-598-1510 DOUG www.BuildingDynamics.com bicultural as well as bilingual someday," Martin said. Sharing their culture during the ESL Plaza was one way Martin has had her students reciprocate the generosity of the OHS community for being so welcoming and supportive to ESL students. Because this is Martin's first year at OHS, she admits the project is ambitious but the students responded well to the challenge. Several parents also participated by helping with food and decorations decora-tions for the event. At the same time, t he event was also beneficial for the ESL students not only in terms of English language practice, but aJso by letting them immerse im-merse themselves in their own cultures and be the "experts" while sharing that culture with others. ' "It gives them a taste of home and a sense of belonging to contribute to the school," Martin said. lot changes which right now is too close to a sharp curve to be used safely. Wathen said many parents par-ents opt to pick their children up because the crosswalk is not in the best location. The biggest problem with the current changes is that they are only a temporary solution, and both parents and children will need continual reminders to keep the parking lot as safe as possible. "It'll be a constant training, training and retraining process." pro-cess." Wathen said. New signs in the parking lots, maps in monthly newsletters news-letters and special letters home have helped spread the word about the changes, but Wathen said parents need to take extra care when driving through such a crowded area, including following the 5 miles per hour speed limit in the park ing lot. '"Slow down, be patient and pull forward," she said. "There's nothing else that par-ems par-ems can do until we get more space for them." With care and cooperation, Foothill's students will continue con-tinue to be safe whether they take the bus, are picked up or walk home after school. home, D barm J I bam. beau- kitchen wsta'mless stes! ap- i piiances. Large ramily room next " to kitchen, gas fireplace, spa cious master suite wgrand master mas-ter oath & huge walk-in closet, full finished Easement includes another large family room, fully landscaped yard wauto sprin-tiers. sprin-tiers. 3-car garage. TORNOWS & ASSOCIATES. INC Meadow Sill VY JtTDCE West, Orem j' All schools No school There will be no school Monday in observance obser-vance of Martin Luther King Day. Orem High School Blood drive There will be a blood drive Friday in the new student lounge. All community members are welcome to donate. Students under the age of 18 must have their parents' permission to donate. Preference The FCCLA is sponsoring the Preference Dance Saturday from 8-11 p.m. Pictures will be available before the dance from 6-8 p.m. Mr. Orem Pageant Mr. Orem Week is Jan. 22-25 with daily activities. The Mr. Orem Pageant is Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. in the auditorium. Canyon View Junior High School Winter Dance The ninth-grade ninth-grade Winter Dance is Friday from 5-7 p.m. Call 227-8748 for details. Community Council to meet The school Community Council will meet Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in room 109. tigsr Briana Reyes "Are they on or are they off?" is the question that I've both been asked and been the asker. I'm not talking about light switches here, I'm talking talk-ing about the dating habits of many high school teenagers. It is amazing how many different dif-ferent kinds of relationships there are. There are weekly flings, and also seriously yearly relationships. But the question is are any of these so called "love affairs" actually worth the drama and stress that they usually tend to bring? As soon as a girl gets asked out by the boy she has been crushing on, everyone must be told. Friends, classmates, teachers, parents, and coworkers co-workers are all informed of the "oh so wonderful boyfriend boy-friend she now has." It seems one can never get the infate-ated infate-ated girl or guy to talk about anything else. It's also funny to see how much a girl will talk about the qu Aumr 'jcfZT,:jm m evehy budget INVEST YOUR TAX REFUND Into o beautiful NEW KITCHEN & moke your wife happy tool lJ uijijT-frrn M Sole Through theetid of January KIWTTY ALDIft ' -;kj : KNOTTY MAPLE or even miomr enmnr This Deluxe Kitchen INSTALUD! Any of these 3 woods ot just one low price! JUST $0,000.00 -TAppllmoas Not tncludwi Professional Designers Tor New Homes, Remodeling and Commercial 323 tl Cneva H4, XWMiMBnE 111) New medicatrara peatmentt are currently being studied for He following conditions: Irritable bowel syndrome High blood pressure Osteoarthritis of hip or knee Children with allergies Asthma Low back pain Sun Damaged Skin Volunteers who qualify and participate rm a 'clinical research trial receive study-related medication, Ha'b work, and exams, as well as financial compensation for cime ana m&M n "St-nu!tn;i m.t ttintk Cascade Elementary Orchestra practice Orchestra Or-chestra practices resume Tuesday. Call 227-8707 for details. Foothill Elementary Emergency information Parents are asked to update emergency contact information informa-tion if there have been and changes to phone numbers, addresses or medical inf orma-tioa orma-tioa Call 227-2465 or contact Shelly Smith for details. Hillcrest Elementary Pre-school and after-school programs to resume Hill-crest Hill-crest Elementary's preschool and 4-H programs will begin Tuesday. Call 227-8717 for details. Noah Webster Academy Open house Noah Webster Web-ster Academy is hosting an open house today from 5-8 p.m. Everyone is welcome. guy who is completely in love with her, though the feelings arent returned, at least not immediately. I've seen and experienced all kinds of different relationships. relation-ships. I recall a close friend of mine being walked to every class by a boy she barely even knew. I was close friends with this boy as well, however. He would talk to me about her all the time and how much he liked her. She would talk to me about what a nice kid he was but she couldnt ever see herself liking him like that. His persistence persis-tence finally paid off though, and they dated for a steady year. For the past couple of months, though, I can never keep up with their status. They act like a couple but technically arent together. I dont think any high school relationship will ever be just fun and games. There will problems, mainly insecurity insecu-rity causing jealously. Half the time, though, I really wonder why we as teenagers bother doing it. In a year or two we probably prob-ably wont have any contact with past crushes and exes. It is fun while it lasts though, I suppose. DIRECT Ur.ion 7C5.7774 travel. f |