The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1054616
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, November 21, 2018 C-11 EAST GIBSON NEWS Submit school news: Email: egnews@ pressdispatch.net Deadline: Noon on Friday Oakland City Elementary Above: Wood Memorial High School junior Syd- ney Lamar (with ball) drives past Pike Central ju- nior Jayln Nelson during varsity girls' basketball action at Pike Central on Friday, Nov. 16. Lamar scored five points in the Lady Trojans' 52-44 loss. Ed Cahill photo Right: Wood Memorial High School sophomore Madison Frederick (10) takes a shot at the bas- ket during varsity girls' basketball action at Pike Central on Friday, Nov. 16. Frederick scored four points in the Lady Trojans' 52-44 loss. Ed Cahill photo Above: Wood Memorial High School fresh- man Karis Blacklock (35) finds herself sur- rounded by Pike Central freshman Sophie Car- nahan (33), sophomore Gracie Jones (35) and freshman Kya Leighty (30) during junior varsi- ty girls' basketball action on Friday, Nov. 16. Ed Cahill photo Left: Wood Memorial High School junior Ky- lie Hicks (1) goes up for a shot over Pike Cen- tral sophomore Gracie Jones (right) during ju- nior varsity girls' basketball action on Friday, Nov. 16. Hicks scored seven points in the visit- ing Lady Trojans' 44-29 victory. Ed Cahill photo Mrs. Janet Gentry, Kenzie Rudolph photo Gentry's 36th year at Wood Memorial By Kenzie Rudolph Janet Gentry has taught at Wood Memorial since her first year out of college in 1983. This is her 36th year teaching. Gentry graduated from Gibson Southern High School and then went on to college at University of Evansville and ISUE, which is now USI. She felt called to teach in high school, and she had great teachers who encour- aged her. At Wood Memorial this year, she is teaching two Chemistry I classes, a Chem II class, two Integrat- ed Chemistry and Physics classes, which Dr. Schlott- man teaches the physics side of, and she also has a Math 10 class. Gentry does not have a favorite class or subject to teach and said, "A lot of it isn't the subject matter that I'm teaching but the kids I'm teaching." She does enjoy her older Chem II students, though, because of the intellectu- al conversations that come out of teaching them. There was one point in time that Gentry applied for a teaching job at Gibson Southern, which her hus- band urged her to do, but she convinced her husband that Wood Memorial was her home. She said that the biggest change over the course of her 36 years has been the faces around her, staff wise. Many teachers have come and gone. She added that not a lot has changed at Wood Me- morial, as she motioned around the room to signify that there has not been ma- ny building improvements or changes, but she has wit- nessed a lot of change when it comes to the state stan- dards for educating, with which she does not always agree. "I think that the state is making it harder on stu- dents and their families for them to get through high school. We are trying to con- vince everybody that they need a four-year college de- gree, and I am not a big pro- ponent of that; I don't think everybody does, and I think we are hurting some kids in the process of trying to do that," said Gentry. She also added that soci- ety is different, but she al- ways tries to stay positive. Gentry does not think that the general public is aware of all of the changes and reg- ulations that are put on high school students, as in the graduation requirements. In a rural area like this, some students really strug- gle when they have to have harder classes like Chemis- try or Algebra 2, for exam- ple, to graduate with a Core 40 diploma. Gentry added, "We've got some kids who would make wonderful craftsman, won- derful plumbers, wonder- ful electricians, and peo- ple there are shortages of. I have heard people can't hire enough welders...What hap- pens is we discourage those kids that could be really good at that with this kind of Core 40 requirement right now." Gentry has used her col- lege education, and she takes her job seriously, but she knows that college is not for everybody. "I try to help and ask them, 'what do you think is for you? ' and I encour- age them...I just try to be a cheerleader and keep pump- ing them up to help them find the tools to get the grad- uation requirements in, to help them think about what they do want to do," Gentry said. As a Chemistry teach- er, she said the content has not changed much over the years, but the presentation of it definitely has with how technology has advanced. Gentry had to be taught how to use a computer when she first became a teacher, and now all of her students have iPads handy. "I use Quizlet and Kahoot, I have had to learn a lot in the last few years...In the be- ginning, I wasn't a big pro- ponent of it, just because I guess I'm an old dog and that's different from me. I didn't grow up with that. But I am finding that some of those tools work really well for the students," she said with a laugh. Gentry adapts to differ- ent learning styles, though, and she knows that some students still work better physically writing with pa- per and pencil and a physi- cal book. She added that she has never taught a class the same way two years in a row because her classes always change depending on the specific students and their individual needs. She has students that come back and visit her af- ter high school, or former students who send her a text asking for college home- work help. She said, "That kind of helps because sometimes it is easy to get bogged down in your daily routine and to wonder if you're making a difference with the kids you're with everyday...it's nice to have people who give you some encouragement and let you know that what you're doing has helped someone somewhere...it just makes a huge differ- ence, even if it's just a cou- ple of kids every year, that little bit is enough to keep you going for a while." She has passed her first retirement opportunity, but she does not think she's there yet. "As long as I can still can have fun with the kids, and as long as I'm getting some feedback that I'm doing some good. Now when I'm getting to the point where I'm not doing any good, I hope somebody has the kindness to tell me so that I can get out of the way so that somebody else can come along...I like being here," added Gentry. MENU Thursday, November 22: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiv- ing Break. Friday, November 23:NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break. Monday, November 26: Chicken and noodles, breakfast, chef salad or PB&J with tots, fresh fruit, veggies and mixed fruit. Tuesday, November 27: Tacos, cheeseburger, pop- corn chicken salad or ham and cheese sandwich with peas, fresh fruit, veggies and diced peaches. Wednesday, November 28: Chicken tender, corn- dog, taco salad or turkey and cheese sandwich with baked beans, fresh fruit, veggies, diced pears and jello. CALENDER Nov. 21 - Nov. 23–No School Thanksgiving Break Nov. 26 –Girls' Basket- ball (5 & 6) vs. Fort Branch, 4:30 p.m. Nov. 27–Fifth grade(- Girls and Boys) Basketball vs. Holy Cross, 4:30 p.m. Nov. 29 –Evansville Mu- sic Academy Program Boys' Basketball (5 & 6) vs. Owensville, 4:30 p.m. Nov. 30 –Geography Bee, 8:30 a.m. Kindergarten student Gunner Bean works hard at OCE. Kenzie Rudolph photo Wesley Potts puts a puzzle together he colored at Oakland City Elementary. Kenzie Rudolph photo Embyr Beasley decides on which supply to use in Mrs. Parke's kindergarten class. Kenzie Rudolph photo Above: Kindergarten students Berkley At- kins and Aubrey Robinson work hard in Mrs. Parke's class. Kenzie Rudolph photo Right: Mrs. Parke and Avery Carr work to- gether on sounding out words at Oakland City Elementary. Kenzie Rudolph photo OAKLAND CITY KINDERGARTEN CLASS LADY TROJAN BASKETBALL VS. CHARGERS