New Knoxville High School - Memoir Yearbook (New Knoxville, OH)

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First year brings AGONY £ ECSTASY School — a learning experience. This statement stands true for teach- ers as well as students. Many students think that going to school is difficult and that they are constantly being taught something. But what about teachers? What do they think of school — more exactly, their first year of teaching? Mrs. Karen Lehmkuhl, our only first-year teacher, calls her first year very challenging and very busy. Mrs. Lehmkuhl (pictured below) teaches home economics for half a day. A teacher ' s first year isn ' t always fun and games, however. Many teach- ers look back on their first year and recall the horror of it. I didn ' t know anything. I had 165 students and col- lected everything they did. There were stacks of paper 1 threw in the garbage and never graded, said Mrs. Janean Oberlander of her first year of teaching in Cincinnati. Science teach- er, Mr. Steve Trout, thought his first year to be a waste. 1 was ready to quit at the end of it, commented Mrs Thervl Da«i ; New Knoxville Board of Education: Gary Schrolucke. Tom Fledderjohann, Bruce Eschmeyer, Ted L am- mers, Eugene Opperman Jr.. Bruce Hoge. The first year of teaching may be hard and at times discouraging, but it is still satisfying and rewarding in many ways. My first year was a dream come true. The excitement of doing things I had been taught in col- lege was a natural high, was Mrs. Dana Brown ' s positive comment about her first year of teaching. — Glen Bechara Incentive programs — A first in elementary The following students were caught being good ... This familiar phrase preceded all other announcements on Monday mornings and may have even become mundane to the high school students. But to the stu- dents in grades 1-6, these words meant something special. Stickers, bookmarks, or maybe even a meal at a local restaurant were some of the awards given to students who were caught being good. Initiated in October, the Caught Being Good program was designed to reward students for being polite, kind, and giving an extra hand to teach- ers and other students. The program puts a strong emphasis on positive reinforcement, stated Principal Annett Kuck. The kids were given disci- pline slips when they caused trouble, but there was nothing to reward them for being good. We needed a program that would balance the scales. Students are issued tickets when they are caught being good. On Fri- days they take their tickets into the principal ' s office, and Mrs. Kuck then exchanges the tickets for either a sticker or a bookmark. The reason we have the kids come to my office is so they can see the principal on a pos- itive note. When someone has to come to the principal ' s office, he usually thinks he has done something wrong. I want to let the kids know that this is not true. The program has created an incentive for students. The classes want to be good, said Mrs. Kuck. It has proven effective as the percent- age of students without any discipline slips has increased. Creating incentives academically, the Star Award Program has helped motivate kids to get good grades. Although there has been no drastic in- crease from last year, Kuck feels the program is effective. I think the program pushes the students to work harder. Incentive programs like these are designed to promote a positive atti- tude towards school. The keys to success in high school lie in having posi- tive experiences in the elementary grades, and programs such as Caught Being Good and the Star Awards help to provide those positive experi- ences. — Laurie Merges Staff 19

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Always giving a hand, band and music teacher, Mr. Michal Epperly. joins first trumpets Chad Wyatt and Jenny Wessel to su t I piemen t the sound of the high school band during the winter co cert. Mr. Greg Bornhorst Mr. Craig Bowsher Mr. Charles Braden Mrs. Cheryl Davis Physical Sciences Industrial Technology Mathematics German Business Math Mechanical Drawing High School Computers Mr. Michael Epperl Vocal and Instrument Music Mrs. Marna Katerheinrich Mrs. Joan Kentner Mrs. Karen Lehmkuhl Mrs. Janean Oberland Elementary £ H.S. Reading Librarian, English 9 Home Economics English, Publications

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Mr. Craig Bowsher and Mrs. Joan Kentner enjoy taking part in the spirit competition between the boys and the girls. Although the girls were named the winners, both received a pie in the face. Teachers discuss first day of school When I was a kid, I was scared to death on the first day of school. I was also disappointed because I had to miss ' Captain Kangaroo. ' I thought he could teach me everything I needed to know, said Miss Deborah Heil of her very first day of school. She no longer relies on Captain Kangaroo for education, but is a teacher herself. Now she feels excited on her first day of school every year. Thinking of new ideas and meeting new students makes her pretty wound up. A kindergarten teacher has her share of work on the first day of school. Mrs. Mary Bensman comes up with an interesting new theme ev ery year. For example, with a theme involving bears, a path of bear footprints would be placed in the hallway for simple directions to the room. Before school actually starts, she holds an open house for the parents and new stu- dents to become acquainted with the room. Then she holds a meeting for the parents, giving them an idea of what to expect. Overall, the teachers are excited on the first day of school. Many said it was the same when they were kids. Each one works hard to make the first day fun and comfortable for everyone involved. — Rachel Wilson I was excited about the first day of school this year because I was starting an elementary guidance program. — Diana Farno Bowsher remembers first whack Of all forms of punishment used in schools, corporal punish- ment is by far the most controver- sial. I used to make sure the kid knew that he had been hit, said Mr. Craig Bowsher of giving whacks. Mr. Bowsher, known for giving memorable whacks, remembers the first time he had to use corporal punishment. It was for the mis- treatment of tools, and I was ex- tremely mad, he said. From that time on, he was known for giving whacks that were not soon forgotten until he had a conversation with a student which he had disciplined by the use of cor- poral punishment. While talking with the student, Mr. Bowsher found out that the whack had left a huge bruise. I never realized that I was hit ting the student that hard, said Mr Bowsher. After this, he cooled down quit a bit and doesn ' t hit as hard. Mr Bowsher said he doesn ' t like to use corporal punishment, but in certain situations, he feels it is necessary. — Jeff Lehman