ETHS Recognizes March Students of the Month

The following news items were submitted by Evanston Township High School.

ETHS congratulates March Students of the Month

Evanston Township High School celebrated the March Students of the Month on April 19, 2013. ETHS staff members nominated 25 students for the month of March and recognized a range of accomplishments. Students were commended for characteristics such as bringing an amazing spirit into class, being a model for academic success, and for demonstrating the “3 R’s” at ETHS (respect for self, respect for others and respect for community).

ETHS honorees represented all grade levels and were joined by family members, teachers, department chairs, principals, and the superintendent. Brief statements were made about each student in attendance and certificates were presented during the event.

ETHS students recognized at the Student of the Month breakfast on April 19, 2013 include (from left): Dominique McCullough, Shanti Polara, Lily Marzahl, Ariana Walton,  Alexis King, Christopher Ramirez, Richard Parkinson, David Cadet, Mitchell Washington, Brandi Smetko, Anuri Moreno Martin, Juliana Nazaire, Tevin Willis and Rosa Iglarsh. Students of the Month not pictured: Va’Shondre Banks, Julian Bohannon-Smith, Kenyanna Brown, Adam Frim, Malcolm Gill, Naomi Guillaume, Kiana Knox, Jorie Minsky, Ashley Smith, John Survillion, and Michael Zachery.

ETHS receives SchoolSearch™ 2013 Bright Red Apple™ Award for educational excellence

Evanston Township High School has received the SchoolSearch™ 2013 Bright Red Apple™ Award for Educational Excellence. ETHS is one of only 78 Illinois School Districts (out of 866 Illinois school districts) to receive this honor presented by the national educational research and consulting firm, SchoolSearch™, to the top schools in the state.

The award criteria are based on "family-favored" categories such as academic performance and educational level of teachers. All school districts in Illinois are considered for the award based on the 2012 Illinois School Report Card Data.

For more information, visit www.schoolsearchrankings.com.

ETHS teacher uses “flipped classroom” model in math classes

ETHS math teacher Sachin Jhunjhunwala is proud to say that he is “flipping” his classroom and may be part of a national trend among educators to move direct instruction from a group learning space to an individual learning space. While the concept may date back to 2007, the trend and network of flipped classrooms is gradually growing, particularly in math and science classes where students must often solve complex problems.

The driving force behind flipped classrooms is looking at how teachers use valuable classroom time – giving lectures which are important precursors to tackling problems versus working one-on-one with students to address individual challenges with assignments. Jhunjhunwala started using the flipped classroom concept last school year in his Algebra 1 and Geometry classes. He learned about the concept from fellow math teacher Zach Herrmann, who started recording his classes for students who were absent. By flipping the classroom, students are allowed to move through the lectures/videos at their own pace, and then solve problems. Students only move forward after demonstrating mastery of the material prior.

Jhunjhunwala has found it rewarding to help his students learn in ways that will serve them beyond their academic needs by giving them the opportunity to learn important 21st century skills. He sees that the flipped classroom model “reinforces the ideas that understanding and mastering the concepts is more important than ‘getting through’ school.” Teachers are able to teach students how to organize their own work and self-assess, plus create and execute a plan.

“This also enables students a class period where they can work with friends on common mathematical goals,” Jhunjhunwala remarks, which “frees teachers to spend their class time working one-to-one with students to meet their specific needs.” 

“Students in the flipped classroom gain 21st century learning skills made possible by technology so that lessons and new concepts are available on demand outside of the traditional classroom,” commented ETHS District 202 Superintendent Eric Witherspoon. “The emphasis on one-to-one teacher-student interaction and collaborative problem solving in the classroom serves as an effective way to deepen understanding and increase learning.”

Teachers across the country are discovering that flipped classrooms are becoming more mainstream and may be used across all content areas in any classroom where there is a need to "lecture." By differentiating how to work with various students who are approaching material from different places, both teachers and students benefit.