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QHS to be Evaluated

   By Paige Connell

    Although preparation for WASC began last spring, is the time of year that students start to hear about the upcoming WASC evaluations as teachers and school officials begin to their hand-wringing and start to work overtime in preparation for a visit from WASC.  The WASC committee will decide if a school is worthy of grants and whether or not it is a trustworthy place for learning.  Despite the importance of WASC, hardly any students know it exists.
    WASC is an acronym that stands for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.  The WASC exists to accredit schools, and is a regional accreditor (the WASC encompasses California and Hawaii schools).  Although accreditation means that a good or service meets a certain standard, WASC’s website (http://www.acswasc.org) says their accreditation process is “all about fostering excellence.”  To be affiliated with WASC, schools must fit certain criteria in different categories: organization, curriculum and instruction, support for growth, and resource management.  Yet once these are reached, the focus becomes to make the schools better.  WASC’s website claims that it is WASC’s “consistent purpose to professionally support schools.”
    There are several reasons that a school would want WASC accreditation.  One of the main reasons is that it validates the credibility of schools.  Without such accreditation, the school would not have to meet standards; its students and transcripts would be worth less.  Also, with WASC, there are benefits to being an affiliate of the program: WASC will help a school with its goals and offer insight into what needs improvement though its visiting committees.
    The purpose of a visiting committee is to send WASC representatives to a location to see if the schools are keeping up with the standards and to see what else can be added to the school’s agenda.  Visiting committees visit a school at a maximum of six years’ rotation, although three-year term revisits exist, as well as one and two-year term revisits.  Schools that are achieving goals and have high standards already get appointed a visiting committee every six years.  Three-year terms are for determining the future accreditation status of schools.  Schools that are performing especially poorly receive special visits to see if critical mistakes are being corrected.
    Though accredited since 1963, our school is up for its visiting committee check-up.  QHS has been preparing for its WASC visit since April 2005, about a year before the actual visit.  They will survey the school and evaluate it by the WASC standards.  After the visit, they will report their findings to the WASC commission.  According to Mr. Thomas, the accreditation process QHS will be undergoing consists of a “self-study prepared by the Quincy High staff to be sent to the visiting committee.”  This visiting committee will include about five teachers and administrators from other Northern California schools.  When this committee comes, they will look for a “quality school program experienced by its students,” says Mr. Thomas.  While on campus, they will observe learning in classrooms and conduct interviews with teachers, staff, and students.  After the visit, the committee must prepare a report and present it to the school community.  If QHS proves to receive favorable evaluations, we will get re-accredited.
    In the past accreditation, Quincy High was awarded a six-year reevaluation process, the highest a school can receive.  QHS is expected to perform well in its evaluations, which will take place on April 2^nd through April 5^th.

New Laws for Teens

By Jacob Walke

    Do you know what the leading cause of death is for teens in the United States? According to a recent study conducted by the American Automobile Association, the leading cause of death for teens is driving fatalities. With over 3,000 deaths a year due to teen drivers, it’s amazing that there are any teens left. 64% of these deaths are not the teen driver, but in fact the passengers, who suffer.
    The AAA study sites distraction as the major cause of these unnecessary and unexpected deaths. Teens who have two or more passengers accompanying them on the road multiply the likeliness of accidents by at least five times. Passengers are not the only distractions found in a car. Cell phones are an obvious problem as teens attempt to multitask. Radios and CD players also pose as major distractions on the road. If headphones are involved, state law requires that drivers have only one earpiece or headphone in the ears; one ear needs to be free from music devices.
    In an attempt to diminish the problems that can occur from reckless teen driving, California State laws have been revised as of January 1^st, 2006. One major change is the fact that they have raised the months of isolated driving from six months to a full year. The only times you can drive other people around is if you either have a note explaining an excusable situation as per the reason why you have others with you. The other reason is if you have an adult with a license and who is of or above the age of twenty. Another restriction that has recently been changed is the hours that a teen driver can drive. In the past teen driving was permitted between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to midnight. Now the hours have changed to 6:00a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Disobeying these laws may result in the loss of your current permit or license.
    Drivers under the age of 19 are most commonly cited for lack of proper use of life-saving restraints. The average person’s reaction time is about one half of a second. That means it would take less than a second to save a life by putting on a seat belt. How could anyone decide to ignore the risk of death for a “more comfortable” ride? 
    So, next time you get into a car with a friend or family member remember the likeliness of a road fatality. That half a second of reaction time may not be enough in the moment of collision. If you feel like you’re always safe on the road you’re wrong- there are way too many variables that could change or even take a life that are completely irrevocable. BUCKLE UP AND STAY ALIVE.