[FEB. 13, 2001]  Lincoln Christian College and Seminary continues to take the lead among peer schools. According to statistics, LCC maintains the largest enrollment along with one of the best student-faculty ratios (13:1) of schools in its constituency. In addition, the 2000-2001 LCCS "Factbook" reports that LCC has 25 full-time teaching faculty, compared to the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) average of 20 full-time teaching faculty. LCC also holds the fourth-lowest rate in the state tuition averages for private colleges, costing $1,000 less than the AABC tuition average.

In the past five years, accrediting agencies have spoken highly of the LCCS faculty, students and staff support systems. A nationally known accreditation consultant for Bible colleges, when asked at a recent accreditation workshop if she had ever evaluated a school which had almost no academic problems, replied, "I can think of only one in my 30-plus years: Lincoln Christian College."

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Academic programs in the college and seminary are expanding. LCC’s adult-degree completion program, LincUp, doubled its minimum enrollment goal, and more than 30 new students enrolled in brand-new programs in general ministry, an associate degree in early childhood and the mass communication program, which is in conjunction with UIS. The seminary has created three new certificate programs — in ministry to Muslims, new church leadership and urban missions — all of which can be used to fulfill majors for a master’s degree in ministry.

More than 90 percent of LCCS alumni in the past 10 years are serving in ministry.

[LCCS news release]

[FEB. 10, 2001]  Betty Harberts’ physics classes are dropping garbage from the school balcony. But Ms. Harberts does not allow her students to drop just any garbage; it has to meet specific guidelines.

[click here for pictures]

For the past 10 days, physics students have been building cushioned containers which will protect a raw egg from a 30-foot drop. Students must use five different recycled or used materials — that is, garbage — to create their protective packages. Besides the building materials, there are a few guidelines for developing a container: It must be the student’s original design; bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts are not permitted; its mass may not exceed 500 grams; and it cannot be larger than 10 inches wide, 10 inches long and 10 inches high.

Along with each package, students are required to prepare an oral and written presentation on their design. Students are graded on their originality, the quality of their project, the completion of the two reports and the container, the package’s performance, and their ability to stay under the mass limit. Each student whose egg survives the drop receives a score on the drop. The score is calculated by multiplying the mass of the empty container by the square of the time it takes to fall [(falling time)² × (mass without egg)]. The lower the score is, the better.

First, each container is dropped from the ceiling of the classroom to the floor, which is approximately 10 feet. Survivors receive three of the five performance points. The second drop is about 20 feet, from the second story railing to ground level. Survivors receive all five performance points and qualify to enter the 30-foot competition drop. The final drop is begun at the ceiling of the second story and halts at ground level. All the students receive a grade. The winning student or pair of students gets a small prize and certificate.

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As far as Thursday’s egg drop is concerned, students were pleased and amused with their results. Brett believed the best part of the project was "figuring out a way to keep the egg from breaking." He enjoyed the challenge because it was complicated.

Ms. Harberts asked her class what they would like to change about the project if they were to try it again. Some suggested changing the parameters of the container by making minimum mass and volume sizes instead of maximums, or requiring everyone to use the same materials. Others believed that the object of the drop should be altered by requiring students to protect two eggs in the same package, or competing for the longest fall-time.

This year’s results of the egg drop are as follows: Bree Ann Kelly 92.0, Adam Wessbecher and Michelle Roche 122.8, Kirsten Knutilla and Sarah Priest 204.1, Chris Fuiten 212.9, Matt Aper 213.8, John Davison 222.6, Nick Shaw 390.0 and Adam Freeman 407.

[Click here for pictures]

[FEB. 1, 2001]  Ten local students are preparing to compete regionally, statewide and possibly even nationally in Mathcounts. On Friday, Jan. 19, 40 students at Chester-East Lincoln School took a math test to see if they could be a "mathlete." To qualify as a mathlete in Mathcounts, students had to score at least half of the highest possible number of points.

[Update: Click here for C-EL results from the regional competition]

Ten students made the cut: Alison Kessinger, Daniel Ohmart, Jennifer Ewins, Chris Ramlow, Jared Davison, Wes Reynolds, Aaron Meyrick, Kevin Huelskeotter, Tracy Turner and Ezekiel Payne. Next, Chester-East’s science, math and health teacher, Doug Rader, prepares them for the competition.

[Alison Kessinger, Doug Rader, Kevin Huelskeotter, Tracy Turner, Jennifer Ewins, Daniel Ohmart, Wes Reynolds, Jared Davison, Aaron Meyrick, Chris Ramlow, Ezekiel Payne.]

Mathcounts has been in existence for 18 years, and Doug Rader has been taking his students to the competitions for 12 years. He originally heard about this junior high extracurricular activity while he was a teacher in Springfield. When Rader transferred to Chester-East, he encouraged Lincoln’s students to participate in Mathcounts.

Students in Mathcounts practice challenging math problems in class and after school to prepare for regional, state and national competition. Rader described the problems as "more complicated horizontally, not vertically." The students complete fraction, probability, algebra, geometry and graphing problems, as well as answering questions about numbers and number theory. These are the same topics they study in their normal math classes, but the problems are written in unique and inventive ways that require extra thought, and sometimes teamwork, to solve.

According to the Mathcounts national office, "Each year over 500,000 students are improving their math skills with Mathcounts materials." They expect 35,000 students to compete in regional Mathcounts competitions this year.

This Saturday, Feb. 3, is the regional competition for Doug Rader’s Chester-East students. Chester-East will be competing against six other schools at Millikin University in Decatur. There will be four levels of competition: two different individual tests, a group test and an individual oral test, which is open to the public.

The first competition is an individual sprint round. Students race to complete 30 problems in 40 minutes, without calculators. The second test is also an individual event. Students receive four sets of two problems each. They may use a calculator, but they get only six minutes per set of problems.

The next competition is a team event. Four students are preselected from each school, with one alternate in case of illness. The team must complete 10 problems in 30 minutes, and they may use a calculator. Chester-East’s team is Kessinger, Ohmart, Ewins and Huelskeotter, and Ramlow is the alternate.

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The final competition is a public, oral round. The 10 students with the best scores on the first two individual rounds face off against each other.

The National Society of Professional Engineers sponsors these competitions at the regional and state levels. Participants in the regional competitions are eligible to win trophies and calculators. The best students and teams proceed to the state competition in Springfield. Last year, 500 students gathered for the state competition, but only four students and one teacher proceed to nationals in Washington, D.C.

The four best students in Illinois form a state team, which is then guided by the coach of the highest-scoring team. These new teams and their coaches are flown to D.C. to compete for $10,000 scholarships.

The Chester-East mathletes enjoy preparing for the competitions. They refine their math skills with worksheets and practice competing against each other and even students that are not in Mathcounts.

Reynolds appreciates the challenge of Mathcounts. "I’ve gotten a lot better with math," he says. Ohmart believes it "prepares you for the next level of math." The favorite advantage of being in Mathcounts is that participants do not have to do all the math assignments that the other students do.

On a more serious note, the mathletes did acknowledge how much they plan to use math in their future careers. Turner and Kessinger plan to be teachers. Ewins will work to be a doctor, and Payne wants to be a microbiologist. Huelskeotter aspires to be an architect, and Reynolds plans to study engineering.

Doug Rader expects this year’s team to do "real well." Most of the time his teams place in the top three teams at regionals. In the past 12 years, three of his teams and three individuals from his class have gone on to the state competition. None of his students has made it to nationals, yet.

If you are interested in learning more about Mathcounts, Doug Rader invites you to come and watch the oral round at regionals this Saturday at 11:20 a.m. at Millikin University in Decatur.

[Jean Ann Carnley]

[click here for C-EL results from the regional competition]

[JAN. 20, 2001]  Zonta Club of Lincoln will again sponsor health career scholarships. Residents of Logan County who are enrolled in or accepted into a health care professional curriculum are eligible to apply. Scholarships totaling $4,500 will be awarded. The number of scholarships will be determined by the scholarship committee.

Each award is for one academic year and is contingent upon the student's sustained academic achievement. Former recipients are encouraged to reapply. Application forms are available from county high schools and colleges, several health care facilities and pharmacies in the county, and by request.

We encourage students to make application if they are considering any health career field, including veterinary medicine, sports medicine, physical therapy or pharmacy. Zonta Club of Lincoln has awarded health career scholarships since 1981, assisting 36 students from Logan County with 49 scholarships with a total value of $51,750. Last year Zonta awarded four recipients $1,125 each.

All completed applications, including references, are due to the scholarship committee by March 5. Applications and information are available by contacting Marilyn Weingarz, 1425 1307th St., Lincoln, IL 62656 or by calling (217) 735-1840.

[Zonta news release]

Announcements

[FEB. 13, 2001]  New Holland-Middletown District 88 will be conducting preschool screening on Thursday, Feb. 15, from 2:30 to 7 p.m. The screenings will be at the Primary School in New Holland. This screening is for children ages 3 to 5 who live in the district. To make an appointment, call (217) 445-2444 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

[FEB. 8, 2001]  Parents in the Mount Pulaski-Elkhart area who have a child who will be 5 before Sept. 1, 2001, should call the Mount Pulaski Grade School, (217) 792-7220, or Elkhart Grade School, (217) 947-2451, to register their child for kindergarten. This year the registration will be a phone-in process. After pertinent information has been submitted by telephone, parents will receive a packet of information and registration materials in the mail. Registration began Feb. 7 and continues through March 16. If you have any further questions, call the school where your child will attend.

School menus

• Hartsburg-Emden

• Lincoln Elementary Schools

• Mount Pulaski Grade School

Hartsburg-Emden

February breakfast menus

February lunch menus

Lincoln Elementary Schools

Breakfast menus

Monday, Feb. 12 — Abraham Lincoln's birthday — No school

Tuesday, Feb. 13 — Cereal, bread and jelly sandwich, juice, milk

Wednesday, Feb. 14 — Happy Valentine's Day! — Trix yogurt, rice crispy treat, fruit, milk

Thursday, Feb. 15 — Cereal, graham crackers, juice, milk

Friday, Feb. 16 — Pancake bites with syrup, fruit, milk

Monday, Feb. 19 — Cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, juice, milk

Tuesday, Feb. 20 — Iced pastry, fruit, milk

Wednesday, Feb. 21 —  Cereal, toast with jelly, juice, milk

Thursday, Feb. 22 — English muffin with ham and cheese, fruit, milk

Friday, Feb. 23 — Cereal, cinnamon toast, juice, milk

Lunch menus

(Milk is served with all meals)

Monday, Feb. 12 — Abraham Lincoln's birthday — No school

Tuesday, Feb. 13 — Mini corn dogs, baked beans, carrot sticks, strawberry applesauce

Wednesday, Feb. 14 — Happy Valentine's Day! — Beefy nachos, green beans, pudding, pears

Thursday, Feb. 15 — Hot ham and cheese on bun, french fries, pretzels, peaches

Friday, Feb. 16 — Chicken nuggets with sauce, mashed potatoes, bread and butter, peas

Monday, Feb. 19 — Hamburger on bun with cheese, green beans, goldfish crackers, fruit cocktail

Tuesday, Feb. 20 — Pork patty, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese, bread and butter, pears

Wednesday, Feb. 21 —  Sausage pizza, corn, carrot sticks, applesauce

Thursday, Feb. 22 — Chili with crackers, peanut butter sandwich, dill spear, cheese stick, whipped dessert

Friday, Feb. 23 — Turkey or ham roast, candied sweet potatoes, bread and butter, peaches

Mount Pulaski Grade School

Notes:

• Students in grades three through eight may choose hot dog and bun, or peanut butter and jelly sandwich in place of main entree.

• Students in grades six through eight may choose chef salad in place of main entree.

• Condiments are served with meals.

• Milk is served with all meals.

Monday, Feb. 12 — No school

Tuesday, Feb. 13 — Cheese pizza, green beans, apple jello, monster cookies

Wednesday, Feb. 14 — Chicken legs, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, cherry pie, bread, oleo

Thursday, Feb. 15 — Hot ham and cheese on bun, carrots, mixed vegetables, potato chips, orange, cookie

Friday, Feb. 16 — Lasagna, lettuce, peas, apricots, bread sticks

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Monday, Feb. 19 — Breaded chicken patty, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, pears, bread, oleo

Tuesday, Feb. 20 — Corn dog, tri-tators, corn, applesauce, rice crispy treats

Wednesday, Feb. 21 — Nacho chips, meat, cheese, baked beans, banana, pudding, bread, oleo

Thursday, Feb. 22 — Chicken and noodles, lettuce, peas, apple, jello, peanut butter sandwich

Friday, Feb. 23 — Pepperoni pizza, mixed vegetables, carrots, pineapple, cottage cheese

Monday, Feb. 26 — Chicken noodle soup, cheese, crackers, carrots, celery, apple crisp, ice cream, bread, oleo

Tuesday, Feb. 27 — Hamburger, bun, cheese, pickle, corn, tri-tators, cherry pie

Wednesday, Feb. 28 — Chicken nuggets, carrots, pears, yogurt, bread, oleo

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