The school year has brought some changes for students and faculty.

Principal Phil Bressler said the biggest change for the teachers is the 1:1 initiative.

The Chromebooks will be implemented in the middle of the school year.

“It really doesn’t matter when you start, we did a lot of research with the surrounding districts that have implemented the 1:1 initiative… We waited until the middle because we wanted our staff to have a good handle on what they’re doing before they try to stand in front of students and deliver content,” said Bressler.

Bressler said it shouldn’t be a problem for students to start using the Chromebooks in the middle of the school year.

“A lot of our students are going to be ahead of all of our faculty. There are things that the students are going to be able to teach our teachers and faculty,” he said.

Math teacher Whitney Black says she can use the Chromebooks to see if her students are actually understanding the material.

“I may use the Chromebook to see how students are understanding by making a quick Google form and having them answer the question.”

Black sometimes grades her homework assignments for accuracy, and Google may make that easier for her.

“I grade homework for accuracy I might make five questions on a Google form and have that grade for accuracy to help part of my homework go a little quicker,” she said.

The math department will still be using paper for notes, assignments and tests because according to Black, “It’s really hard to show work on a computer.”

Junior Jake Miller said Panther Steering Committee was created to help improve the student body.

“Mr. Bressler wanted to know more of what the students want; whenever we hear a student say they don’t like something or they want something,” Miller said. “It started because Bressler wanted to know what new classes we wanted.”

Miller said he does like the Chromebooks, but they’ll just be big change for the students.

“For freshman I don’t think it will really be that big of a change, but for us juniors and seniors, we’ve been doing one thing our entire high school career and now that’s being changed,” he said.

Miller said the Chromebooks can have advantages and disadvantages.

“I think it will be an advantage for the students that try, but for the ones that don’t it will make the school work and the tests tougher,” he said.

Another change students have been discussing has been the implementation of drug/alcohol tests.

Bressler cleared the air on the rumors.

“We do not have a policy as a school district at this time, the rumors are coming because Osawatomie has adopted a policy,” Bressler said.

The talk is also coming from people in the school and on the school board.

“There have been people in the school and on the school board that have expressed concern and there may be forthcoming discussion about that,” Bressler said. “We have no intent this school year of doing anything.”

However, Bressler said that decision is not up to him, but the school board.
“The board is the one that makes that decision and that could change if the board wants to do it,” he said.