On August 11, the Hillsborough County school board unanimously decided to drop attendance-basedexam exemptions, due to the H1N1 hysteria.The person to recommend the change, was
Mary-Ellen Elia
, superintendent of the school board. At apress conference discussing the issue, she stressed thatthe student’s health should take top priority. Elia alsohighlighted the fact that keeping the exemptions asthey were would only send the wrong message to sick students. “We wish we weren’t facing the H1N1, but weare,” Elia commented. With the imminent spread of theswine virus, rewarding high schoolers for outstandingattendance has become too risky.The goal of taking away exemptions is to ensurethe safety of all students in Hillsborough County, notto punish them. However, this sudden surprise hasaroused much uproar from students and parents alike.Many upper classmen are confused by the chang-es they are facing with exams, especially now that thetests are being administered at later dates. Not to fearthough; member of the school board, Dorothea Edge-comb, assured the public that the decision is tempo-rary, and suggested data be collected to see just how much the adjustment will affect high schoolers. Also,seniors will still be able to exempt second semester if grades and behavior permits.So how will this change be accepted at Bloom-ingdale? “The absence of exam exemptions hasn’t af-fected the school much so far. There’s some discontent with the upperclassmen, but that’s all,” states
Princi-pal Mark West
.The administration says the main objective isthat sick students stay home, so that those who are virus-free can continue participating in class. So far it
is difcult to tell whether or not the lack of attendance
incentive has kept the swine at bay. Student responsesto the exemption deal have been mixed. Some say thatthe virus will spread despite the extra precaution, whileothers think the school will be empty of all disease now that many people aren’t going for perfect attendance.“It also depends on the students class load,” re-marked senior,
Noelle Miller
, “I will probably cometo school even though there are no more exemptions. Ican’t afford to miss my AP classes.”Then there is the issue of what to do if students, who are perfectly healthy, start to stay home too often. Will there be other incentives? Will there be differentrules? As for now, there seems to be no need.“We (the administration) have been told not tohave an attendance incentive persay, because this ishopefully a temporary thing,” answers Mr. West.Regardless of what your view is on the matter, itis a fact that the change was made to protect the stu-dents and teachers by attempting to keep a healthy school environment. Exam exemptions will be missed, but at least some of us still have our health. You know what they say… you can’t have yourcake and eat it too.
crimsontimes
discover. tomorrow. today.
What's Up With Exam Exemptions?
Although the Golf Team here at Bloomingdale isnot recognized as often as other sports are, its membersare working diligently to ensure a great season with a victorious record. Daily practices are just a small por-tion of their efforts towards triumph. Golf players alsospend countless hours at the local driving ranges, takelessons, and play rounds over the weekends.So far, the team has had a somewhat rough start,facing schools with very strong teams, but players are
condent that their hard work is going to pay off, and
they will be very successful in their endeavors.
Brandon Placke
,
a senior on the team, says,“The team is looking pretty good and we’re looking for- ward to what should shape up to be a good season.”Optimism is a key factor in the game, as with any other sport. Players need to believe that they are ca-
pable and will win. Condence, just as well, is another
major aspect of playing a great round. According to sophomore
Cassidy Erickson
,“Believing that you can do it is probably one of the bestthings you can do for your game. Golf is 90% mentaland only 10% physical.”In golf, there are several components that trans-
form a player from good to great, from ne, to fantastic.
The main two, however, seem to be driving and putting.The best way to begin a hole is with an outstandingdrive, heading straight down the fairway. Drives withdirection are essential to playing a low number of shotson any given hole. Furthermore, putting has proven to be even more important than having a perfect drive. As said by senior,
Ryan Smitz
, “Putting is themost important aspect of the game. If you are not hit-ting your driver and irons as well as you should be, youcan always make up for it on the greens.” All in all, the golf players here at Bloomingdaleare ready for an exciting season full of victory, and areready to display their Bull Pride against every schoolthey face.
What Was The Prior Exemption Policy?The exemption policy allowed students to opt out of four exams 1
st
semester and 3exams 2
nd
semester, if theyattended all classes achieving perfect attendance.
Sophomore,
Kathryn Haase
and Junior,
Kelsey Lay
double check their tests before turning them in.
Chipping It In
Senior
Grifn Isabel
putts in a par, while team mate and fellow senior,
Brandon Placke
converses with him over the shot.
By: Sloane Hovan
By: Tracy Mare
Bloomingdale High School1700 E. Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico, FL 33596Volume XXSeptember/October 2009
Faced with the threat of a swine u outbreak, HillsboroughCounty decides to modify the exam exemption policy
Leave a Comment