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[MAY 3, 2002]  The future holds many changes for District 27’s venerable Central School. The most obvious is the new building going up behind the old one, but another important change is coming too. Lenny Janet, who has been principal for 21 years, is stepping down, and Christa Healy, currently a special education teacher at Central, will take over the job as principal of both Central and Adams schools.

[Click here for Part 1]

Although he believes in giving plenty of TLC, Principal Lenny Janet also has high expectations for the youngsters at Central School. He doesn’t think children who have problems or children who need extra help shouldn’t be expected to be responsible or to accomplish things.

"I have high expectations for students and staff as well as for myself. When a kid has a problem, it’s an opportunity for teachers and principals to help that kid deal with that problem.

"When kids don’t get along, we sit down and talk about it in a caring way — not a lecture but rules for life. We really work on conflict resolution.

"When a kid comes to the principal’s office with a problem, it’s not the kid as an individual I don’t like, it’s what the kid did I don’t like. I don’t revisit the problem. I may discipline a kid at 8 a.m. and give the same kid a high five at 10 o’clock.

"I just really like kids. I don’t have negative feelings about even kids I have had problems with."

"One of the keys to success is parents. Parents need to know they can come in and talk to the teacher and be welcome. We can have a difference of opinion and that’s all right."

[Photos by Joan Crabb]

Janet doesn’t spend a lot of time in his office, even though it’s a friendly place, with the monkeys, the golf memorabilia, a radio tuned to a classical music station, and pictures of Central School, including a photo of a 1921 eighth-grade graduating class a former student found in the garbage and gave to him.

"It’s more important to interact with kids than to sit at the computer," he says. "The action is where the kids are. In a school this size, your impact on the kids is pretty important."

Even before he knew who would replace him, Janet was working on ways to make the transition as smooth as possible. Last September he began a task suggested by District 27 Superintendent Robert Kidd — keeping a journal to hand over to his successor. It starts:

"Congratulations! You are given the responsibility to inspire, guide, counsel and direct 400 students, 40 employees, and more than a thousand parents and grandparents. I know you are qualified and eager . . . "

In this journal he gives practical information to guide his replacement through the first year, such as reviewing physical checkups and immunization forms and monitoring student attendance, but he also provides insights and philosophy that have guided him through his teaching career.

He suggests the new principal be sure to understand the population he or she is serving. "Each school is unique. Central has a diverse population; it has the largest percent of special education students in the district."

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Another suggestion, later on: "A wise person once reminded me that one cannot understand and learn without being a good listener."

This quality, those who know Janet say, is one of his strongest assets. Says Joe Hackett, Central teacher and lifelong friend, "His big thing is being such a good listener. You can have a heated debate with him and he won’t hold it against you. He listens and then he makes decisions. They may not be favorable to your side, but you know he listens."

Janet also has advice about the way a principal should interact with his students and staff. "It is important to develop a psychological approach to teachers, parents and students that is positive and thoughtful," his journal says.

"He is very supportive of his staff," Hackett reports. "If he has any criticism, it will be said in private; he will not embarrass anyone in front of others. He has a sensitivity you don’t find in all principals. Children are number one with him. He wants to be sure we are developing good citizens."

Although Janet wasn’t sure last September that Healy would be the new principal who would be reading his journal, he’s very sure she can carry on the Central tradition.

The only downside of her appointment, he says, is the loss of an excellent special education teacher. "The Tri-County Special Education Co-op rates her right at the top as far as being an effective teacher is concerned," he said.

Although she will miss the classroom, Healy says, "I will still be in the school and have an opportunity to work with the kids. "I’ll have an opportunity to touch a lot more kids."

She intends to follow in Janet’s footsteps by not spending a lot of time in her office. She plans to keep on greeting kids at the door, go to classrooms to say hello every morning, and in general spend a lot of time with the students instead of staying in the office to do paperwork. She laughs and says, "I’ll be doing my paperwork at night."

She’s excited and a little nervous about her new responsibilities, but she also sees it as the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I’ll start in a school I’ve been comfortable in; then in January I’ll be going into a brand-new school. I’ll take with me what I’ve learned from Mr. Janet and use those skills as I develop myself as a principal."

"The parents love her, the teachers respect her, and the kids like her," Janet says. "I’m leaving Central School in good hands."

[Joan Crabb]

[MAY 2, 2002]  The future holds many changes for District 27’s venerable Central School. The most obvious is the new building going up behind the old one, but another important change is coming too. Lenny Janet, who has been principal for 21 years, is stepping down, and Christa Healy, currently a special education teacher at Central, will take over the job as principal of both Central and Adams schools.

[Photos by Joan Crabb]
[Principal Lenny Janet and
incoming principal Christa Healy]

Even though the top administrator will change and in a few short years the old building will be taken down, Janet and Healy both believe the essential character of Central School will remain the same.

"Central has traditionally been a strong school because we’ve had excellent teachers. Only the building is going down. The tradition of the school will go on. The quality will continue," Janet says.

"I really feel comfortable with Christa’s judgment and ability to maintain the high expectations we have at Central. I hired her and acted as her mentor through the years. I think she has the same type of nurturing approach I use with students and staff."

Healy, who will complete her degree in educational administration and foundation at Illinois State University this summer, has been a special education teacher at Central for the past eight years.

"I was hired the day before I graduated from college. It’s been such a great working environment I’ve never wanted to leave," she says.

She shares Janet’s educational philosophy. "We are both very nurturing and caring, but our goal is for kids to learn to be responsible and respectful so they can start establishing their own goals. We have high expectations for the children and hope they will in turn develop those expectations for themselves. Mr. Janet set the tone. I hope to carry it on."

One of the clues to Janet’s philosophy, and the atmosphere at Central School, is the collection of monkey figures in his office. Some of them are playing golf, one is an astronaut, and his coffee cup has a monkey face.

"The monkeys remind us not to get too serious about ourselves," he says. "Laughter is a very important quality to help us see things in the light of what they are. We need to be able to joke and laugh.

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"School is a serious thing, but kids enjoy a place where laughter is going on.

"Kids need laughter. Kids need to relax. Kids need to know the principal of their school is taking an interest in them."

So every morning Janet stands at the top of the stairway and greets the kids as they come in. After that he makes a tour of the building, going into every classroom, including the four special education classrooms, and saying hello. The youngsters return his greeting.

He usually has another word or two for them, asking if they’ve had a good weekend or how their class work is going. Most days, he makes a trip to Adams School and says hello to the children there, as well.

Janet grew up in Lincoln and went to Washington-Monroe and Central schools himself. He then got his associate degree at Lincoln College and both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education and curriculum instruction at Illinois State.

His family valued education, and many are or were teachers. His brother, George, who is retiring next year as regional superintendent of schools, started as a teacher in Logan County schools. He has uncles, cousins and nieces in the profession, and his younger daughter, Amy, plans to be an elementary teacher.

Janet himself has been in education in Lincoln for 34 years, but he started out disliking school.

"When I was growing up I didn’t particularly like school, because I felt many of the teachers were a little bit tough on kids. They didn’t have a real good sense of humor — everything was business. I needed a little more TLC.

"I was a very sickly kid. I had a lot of ear infections and couldn’t hear well, and I had bad asthma. I missed a lot of school. I weighed about 80 pounds when I was a freshman in high school

"I’ve had a lifelong fight against asthma, but I wanted to be active, so I worked out to build myself up. I ran and played baseball unless I was so sick I couldn’t. I didn’t want to be one of those people who feel sorry for themselves and give up. I had a lot of grit, and I was determined not to let illness prevent me from doing things.

"I think I probably understand kids who have problems and have more empathy with them because of my background."

(To be continued)

[Joan Crabb]

[Click here for Part 2]

[MAY 2, 2002]  NORMAL — Heartland has received notification from the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation that the pass rates of its 2001 nursing program graduates for both the LPN and PN licensure examinations are above the state and national averages. Heartland’s division chair for human services, Catherine Miller, who directs the nursing program, says the pass rate on the exams is something the program has enjoyed for several years now.

Crediting a strong program, with strong commitment by both instructors and students, Miller says, "We know through feedback from our annual survey, that our graduates do very well when they move on into the health industry. Our students tell us they felt well prepared to enter or return to their careers in nursing. And their employers are letting us know that they are pleased with the knowledge and capabilities of our graduates."

Miller says application numbers for potential students into the limited number of openings is on the rise. She reports, "We have about 40 percent more applications for the coming year than we did last year at this time."

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She says the increase in applications could be attributed to many things: some economic instability, increasing word-of-mouth out in the community by employers and graduates alike who have either experienced or benefited from Heartland’s nursing program, and the unique two-step program that the college offers. The program has 32 spaces available for the incoming first-year students and offers a "ladder" program for licensed practical nurses in the second year.

The program’s transfer rate is also very good, according to Miller. Of the past nursing program graduates, she says 25 percent have enrolled in four-year institutions to complete a baccalaureate degree in nursing.

In the central Illinois area, an entry-level nursing position averages about $15 to $17 per hour, or about $32,000 per year.

[HCC news release]

[APRIL 25, 2002]  Students at Lincoln Junior High recently participated in a school-sponsored week of activities that provided education and support against drug use. The students partook in contests, games, tests and wore red ribbons.

[Tim Wiser.  Click picture for full size.]

[Moses Hernandez.  Click picture for full size.]

[Lincoln Police Department DARE Sgt. Ken Greenslate presented jackets to Tim Wiser (seventh grade) and Moses Hernandez (eighth grade) for their winning posters. Seventh-grade teacher Mrs. Sparrow helped coordinate activities.]

Impromptu assembly gets students’ attention

[APRIL 8, 2002]  After years of skirting the issue, someone has finally decided that it’s time to talk about it. Kids have been ready for years. They know all about it, or at least they know what they can learn about it from television and movies. But they never get the truth, because parents are never ready to talk about it.

And yes, I am talking about the big "IT." I am talking about sex. And so was Scott Phelps when he spoke to Lincoln Junior High School students last Friday in an impromptu assembly.

Scott Phelps is one of the writers of the abstinence program for teens called "A.C. Green’s Game Plan." The program, administered by Project Reality, was written using NBA star A.C. Green’s testimony on his life of abstinence, in combination with a sports theme. It gives a "Game Plan" for students to use to remain abstinent.

[Photo provided by Project Reality]
[Scott Phelps]

Phelps was in Springfield last week trying to raise funding for the program and decided to stop by Lincoln on his way home. He spoke to a group of students on the importance of abstinence and the dangers of being sexually active.

His manner of speaking connected with the students. His style was in-your-face, no-nonsense and all those other hyphenated adjectives. Instead of skirting issues and talking in vague terms that only create curiosity in students that age, as many adults do, he said what he had to. "Sex sells." "Sex is good. It’s so good, you should save it up!"

He used many illustrations that were just graphic enough to communicate to the students. In talking about how media uses sex to sell products, he laid out the following situation for them:  What would you say if I told you I like to go into people’s houses and watch them having sex? Almost in unison, the students responded, "Pervert!" Then he made the connection between that and watching a sex scene in a movie. He pointed out the hypocrisy in this, asking them if it is perverted in real life, why is it not perverted on television.

He used students to perform three illustrations:

1. He had four students stand across the gym floor to represent a timeline. The first student represented birth. About three feet beyond her, another student represented 13-15 years old. About two feet farther on, the next student represented age 25, an approximate age for marriage. And lastly, about 15 feet beyond that, the last student represented death, about age 80-90. The students saw how a very short time in their lives (their teen years) can affect the rest of their lives, which is much longer. It helped to illustrate the "big picture" that the Game Plan program focuses on.

[Photos by Gina Sennett]

2. A boy and a girl were chosen to represent the fictitious couple "Jack" and "Jill." Jack and Jill are high school seniors who had remained abstinent until they graduated. One night Jack pressures Jill into having sex. Shortly after that, the relationship begins to change and Jack feels pressured. So he leaves Jill but gives her a gift before he goes. The boy had a box which he handed to the girl, and then he sat down. Jill opened the box, which contained a slip of paper that said "herpes."

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3. Nine individuals were chosen at random, both boys and girls. Each individual was given a Jolly Rancher candy and told to suck on it but not to chew or swallow it. While they did this, Phelps continued his talk. After a few minutes, each student was told to wrap his or her candy back in the wrapper and drop it in a plastic bag. Then a few uneaten candies were dropped in the bag as well. A 10th person was chosen and told to choose one candy from the bag without looking or feeling around and eat it. Completely disgusted, she chose one of the eaten and rewrapped candies. She vehemently refused to eat it. Phelps gave her a fresh candy, and she ate it. This illustrated the chance taken when choosing to have sex with an individual, the chance of getting an STD from that person.

Phelps provided the students with an even mixture of positive and negative images. Before he scared them with personal stories and disgusting illustrations, he reassured them: "Sex is good," but also, "Sex is private." He contrasted today’s movies and television with those of the 1950s. He explained that the separate twin beds shown in the bedrooms of married couples did not mean that sex was bad, just that it was a private affair not meant for the rest of the world to know about.

In one of the "scarier" portions of the assembly, Phelps gave the students a straightforward overview of sexually transmitted diseases. There are two types of STDs: viral and bacterial. Bacterial STDs can be cured. Viral STDs are permanent; they can be treated but not cured. Approximately one in four people has a viral STD. There are four viral STDs: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, herpes, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). HIV is the least common STD, even though it is the one most heard about. HPV is the most common and is the least heard about. This was possibly the most sobering part of his discussion.

In the last few minutes, he gave two final illustrations that he wanted to leave the students with. The first was his own personal story, which in the program workbook is listed as the story of "Steve and Tina."

Steve and Tina had been dating for about six months and had just graduated from high school. As their relationship developed and they were preparing to go to college, Tina began to pressure Steve for sex. He had been abstinent and was planning to save sex for marriage. One night when they were alone, she told him that if he truly loved her he would prove his love to her by having sex with her. He refused and left the house. Their relationship ended shortly afterward.

Two months later Steve learned that Tina was already pregnant on that night when she was trying to get him to have sex with her. Tina became a single mother at age 18.

The last illustration was of three roses. The first represented a person who has sex with this person and that person, giving a part of himself to each person. Petals fell to the floor. Finally when that person met someone he wanted to marry, all that was left to give was a dead stem. The second rose was a person who saves himself. To his wife, he has a full, beautiful rose to give. The final rose was someone who gave himself to many people, but then decided to stop and become abstinent. He did not have a full rose, but most of the rose was left, and there was still a beautiful flower to give to his wife. Phelps wanted to make sure that the students understood that "abstinence is not just for kids who have not been sexually active. …Yesterday is gone, but you can choose it now."

[Gina Sennett]

Honors & Awards

Announcements

[MAY 3, 2002]  AURORA — The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is now accepting registrations from educators for its two summer programs that provide an introduction to problem-based learning, or PBL. The deadline for applications is June 15.

Problem-based learning is an educational approach that organizes curriculum and instruction around carefully crafted problematic situations adapted from real-world issues, such as groundwater contamination, air pollution and flood control. Learners gather and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines in their quest for solutions. IMSA’s PBL institutes empower teachers to design and implement this methodology in their classrooms.

The first summer program, Summer Sleuths Institute for PBL Coaching, will be July 15-19 and July 22-26. The first week, educators will immerse in a problem and then debrief and discuss the PBL process. The second week, educators will coach middle-school students (with help from a mentor coach) through the same problem. On the final day, educators and students will make formal presentations on their solutions.

The second summer program, Harris Institute for PBL Design, will be Aug. 5-8. Educators will begin the week immersed in a problem and will then design their own problems for classroom use with the assistance of a mentor coach.

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Information about these workshops can be found at www.imsa.edu/center/pbl/intro.html, and people interested can contact Deb Gerdes at (630) 907-5957 or dgerdes@imsa.edu.

Located in Aurora, IMSA is a learning enterprise that builds the capacity of students, teachers and policymakers to improve and transform mathematics and science teaching and learning. IMSA’s residential educational program serves Illinois students in grades 10 through 12 who are talented in mathematics and science; its professional development center serves schools, educational systems, teachers and students in Illinois and beyond.

[IMSA news release]

[APRIL 17, 2002]  NORMAL — The Bloomington Rotary Club is offering three scholarships to District 540 residents attending Heartland Community College during the fall 2002 semester that begins Aug. 15.

Two $750 scholarships are available to full-time students (12-18 credit hours). One $500 scholarship is available to a part-time student (less than 12 credit hours). Scholarships are renewable for one semester based on satisfactory academic performance.

The scholarships will be awarded based on financial need, evidence of community service and involvement, and satisfactory high school or college performance.

For consideration, students must complete the Heartland Community College scholarship application and address the scholarship criteria. Those interested can obtain an application from HCC’s financial aid office or at www.bccfoundation.org.

[HCC press release]

[APRIL 16, 2002]  Junior high school and high school students have an opportunity to attend summer camp offered by the Touch of Nature Environmental Center at SIU-Carbondale.

These camps combine adventure skills such as canoeing, caving, camping and hiking with a challenge to both physically and mentally develop an awareness and respect for our environment. Through a series of activities, campfire discussions and presentations, students are involved in current environmental issues, which will help them become problem-solvers of the future. This appears to be an excellent opportunity for any student interested in the field of conservation.

This year’s programs include Ozark canoeing expeditions for high school students and an Ozark Riverways canoe trip for sixth- to eighth-grade students. Program information has been sent to all high school and junior high schools in Logan County.

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The Logan County Soil and Water Conservation District will be sponsoring one full scholarship or two partial scholarships, depending on the number of applications received. Students interested in information concerning scholarship applications and funding should contact the district office, 1650 Fifth Street Road, Lincoln; (217) 732-2010, Ext. 3.

Students will need to submit a short description of their interests and why they would like to attend one of the workshops.

[SWCD news release]

Menus

• Lincoln Elementary Schools

• New Holland-Middletown Elementary District 88

• West Lincoln-Broadwell Elementary School District 92

(Milk served with every meal.)

Wednesday, May 8 — Cereal, toast with apple butter, juice

Thursday, May 9 — Biscuit with egg and ham, fruit

Friday, May 10 — Cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, juice

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(Milk served with every meal.)

Wednesday, May 8 — Chicken and biscuit, peas, carrot sticks, pears

Thursday, May 9 — Sloppy Joes, french fries, cole slaw, jello with whipped cream

Friday, May 10 — French toast sticks with syrup, sausage patty, hash brown, pineapple-orange cup

Two percent white or chocolate milk, bread, butter and peanut butter served daily.

Menu may be subject to change.

Wednesday, May 8 — Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, peaches, "go-gurt"

Thursday, May 9 — Chicken patty, bun, cheese potatoes, pineapple, vanilla pudding

Friday, May 10 — Cheese pizza, lettuce salad, apple slices, no-bake cookie

Monday, May 13 — Hot dog, bun, corn, mandarin oranges, pumpkin bars

Tuesday, May 14 — Turkey and cheese sandwich, corn, peaches, Texas cake

Wednesday, May 15 — Sloppy Joe, bun, green beans, strawberries, chocolate pudding

Thursday, May 16 — Macaroni and cheese, peas, pineapple, chocolate chip cookie

Friday, May 17 — Nachos, lettuce salad, pears, sugar cookie

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Monday, May 20 — Hamburger, CB, bun, french fries, applesauce, brownies

Tuesday, May 21 — Pig in a blanket, peas, peaches, ice cream treat

Wednesday, May 22 — Pork tenderloin, bun, cheese mashed potatoes, strawberries, Texas cake

Thursday, May 23 — Soft shell taco, corn, applesauce, no-bake cookie

Friday, May 24 — Ravioli, green beans, pears, gushers

Monday, May 27 — No school

Tuesday, May 28 — Corn dogs, carrot sticks, dip, peaches, vanilla pudding

Wednesday, May 8 — Breadsticks with meat sauce, baked beans, slaw, strawberry applesauce

Thursday, May 9 — Creamed turkey on biscuit, potatoes, peas, jello

Friday, May 10 — Sloppy Joe on bun, potato rounds, lettuce salad, pears

Monday, May 13 — Barbecued chicken on bun, cheesy potatoes, corn, mixed fruit

Tuesday, May 14 — Breaded pork chop, potatoes and gravy, broccoli, applesauce

Wednesday, May 15 — Soft tacos, lettuce and cheese, nacho chips, cheese sauce, veggie sticks, cake with fruit

Thursday, May 16 — Chicken fillet on bun, french fries, green beans, pears

Friday, May 17 — Hot ham and cheese, bun, potato rounds, slaw, peaches

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