Are You Thirsty?
Every year, except for one, the current principal Mrs. Raby has helped create a cross-curricular project at ACCU.
In the 2014-2015 school year, they did “A night and A day”; This was about the “Kristallnacht” or “the night of broken glass”. The 2016-2017 school year did “Dia de Los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead”. This year the school decided to do another type of project, this project talked about the water of the region. During this project, students have gone to the Dunes, heard a presentation on how the water is collected, sanitized, and distributed, and also completed various projects in each of their class that corresponds to their subjects.
The presentation was headed by a sanitation worker and a water plant worker. Each gave insight on their job. At the Dunes, the students split into groups and each followed a leader who gave them a tour. Each leader had a specialty which made each tour unique to the children. The children then came back and had to do the previously mentioned assignments.
The math department focused on the compounds in Hammond’s water supply, the Spanish department made their students do projects on water quality in a Spanish country, and the social studies classes made aquifers and a large map of Hammond. This project was done over the course of one month with ACCU the only school who participated in this unique project.
What’s Next:
Every year, the ACCU hosts a Halloween party for students. During this party, students get to dress up in appropriate costumes and watch a movie at the end of the day.
This year is no different and the students are excited. Past movies featured Beetlejuice and other Halloween favorites. This year’s movie is the occult favorite, GhostBusters. Each student pays one dollar for a ticket and can also enjoy concessions with popcorn and other amazing snacks. These will be used to raise money for each of the four classes’ prom efforts.
One really big thing happening to the school is the 2017 School City of Hammond Referendum. This referendum deals with salaries and the building of a new school due to outdated architecture. If the referendum is passed, it would save the jobs of 60 teachers, 20 custodians, and support staff. The passing of the referendum would also start the process of building the new school to replace Hammond High School. This would require Hammond residents to pay an increased amount of property taxes that range in price. The referendum is contigent upon eligible voters within the community.
Teacher Spotlight
Mrs.Lint has been the Health Sciences teacher at the Area Career Center University for three years. Her classes are directed towards a certain grade level. She teaches Intro to Health Careers to her sophomores, Medical Terminology and Multicultural Health to her juniors, and finally Public Health to her seniors.
Her favorite part of teaching is the interaction with her students and the fact that she is constantly learning from them. The more serious part of why she teaches is because when she was a younger nurse, she rarely saw diversity in her job. This program is a way to reach out to minorities and get their needed perspective in healthcare. She considers her students to be some of the most dedicated and outgoing kids in the program.
One of her students, Abby Ruiz, said “Mrs. Lint motivates me to become a better student because of the skills she has taught us.”
Lint looks forward to her days because she can’t wait to see what happens in her classes. Her favorite part of her day is when she is able to find a real-world application of the topics she is teaching. Mrs. Lint isn’t just teaching students, she is one herself. She is currently finishing her Master’s in Public Health; She has decided to do this after a short hiatus because she wants to fulfill her goal to be a lifelong learner.
When asked what quote was her favorite she couldn’t answer because “she has so many of them." After a couple of minutes, she chose the following:
“You do not study to pass the test. You study to prepare for the day when you are the only thing between a patient and the grave.”
Mrs. Lint is a major part of the Health Careers pathway and has and will continually show her students life through the eyes of a Healthcare Professional.
Student Spotlight
Nicholas Chappey has been going to the ACCU for three years. As a junior, he really likes the ACCU because it gives him the opportunity to receive college-level education in high school. It also allows him to obtain college credits for the dual credit courses he takes.
The program he is in allows him to get an associates degree in the field of his choice while obtaining his high school diploma. He likes the ACCU because it is a smaller community that allows for teachers to be more one-on-one and interactive with their students.
His favorite subject or class at ACCU is Medical Terminology. Chappey believes it gives him the vocabulary needed to succeed in a medical college and in his future career as a cardiologist. He views the class as a very in-depth class where he is able to learn about anatomy and the corresponding vocabulary. Nick chose to attend this program over attending his homeschool because this program allows him to test his brain and get a head start.
The program Chappey is in takes away two years of college that has to be completed in his future educational career. He finds this the main motivation because in order to become a cardiologist he will have to spend many years in college. He is married to the fact that he is able to eliminate the stress of these future college years and “lose less hair”.
When asked what his favorite quote is he responded with, “Never give up, stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learning.”