![With the AISD rank and GPA discrepancies, some students had significant changes to their stats. College and career counselor Camille Nix worked with students to appeal their college decisions if they got rejected from schools depending on their previous stats before getting updated. Students worked with Nix to update schools on their new stats in order to fully get their appropriate decisions. “Those who already were accepted [won’t be affected], but it could factor in if a student appeals their initial decision,” Principal Andy Baxa said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53674616658_18d367e00f_o-1200x676.jpg)
![Junior Mia Milicevic practices her forehand at tennis practice with the WJ girls tennis team. “Sometimes I don’t like [tennis] because you’re alone but most of the time, I do like it for that reason because it really is just you out there. I do experience being part of a team at WJ but in tournaments and when I’m playing outside of school, I like that rush when I win a point because I did it all by myself, Milicevic said. (Courtesy Mia Milicevic)](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/c54807e1-6ab6-4b0b-9c65-bfa256bc7587.jpg)
![The Jaguar student section sits down while the girls basketball team plays in the Great Eight game at the Denver Coliseum against Valor Christian High School Feb. 29. Many students who participated in the boys basketball student section prior to the girls basketball game left before half-time. I think it [the student section] plays a huge role because we actually had a decent crowd at a ranch game. I think that was the only time we had like a student section. And the energy was just awesome, varsity pointing and shooting guard Brooke Harding ‘25 said. I dont expect much from them [the Golden Boys] at all. But the fact that they left at the Elite Eight game when they were already there is honestly mind blowing to me.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_7517-e1716250578550-900x1200.jpeg)
![BACKGROUND IN THE BUSINESS: Dressed by junior designer Kaitlyn Gerrie, senior Chamila Muñoz took to the “Dreamland” runway this past weekend. While it was her first time participating in the McCallum fashion show, Muñoz isn’t new to the modeling world.
I modeled here and there when I was a lot younger, maybe five or six [years old] for some jewelry brands and small businesses, but not much in recent years,” Muñoz said.
Muñoz had hoped to participate in last year’s show but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts. For her senior year, though, she couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by.
“It’s [modeling] something I haven’t done in a while so I was excited to step out of my comfort zone in a way,” Muñoz said. “I always love trying new things and being able to show off designs of my schoolmates is such an honor.”
The preparation process for the show was hectic, leaving the final reveal of Gerrie’s design until days before the show, but the moment Muñoz tried on the outfit, all the stress for both designer and model melted away.
“I didn’t get to try on my outfit until the day before, but the look on Kaitlyn’s face when she saw what she had worked so hard to make actually on a model was just so special,” Muñoz said. “I know it meant so much to her. But then she handed me a blindfold and told me I’d be walking with it on, so that was pretty wild.”
Caption by Francie Wilhelm.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/53535098892_130167352f_o-1200x800.jpg)
Emma Carcamo, junior, sadly looks at her Chromebook screen. She has requested her schedule for the 2024-2025 school year but suddenly has to remove one of the classes. Authentic Science Research (ASR) 3 will no longer be offered for the upcoming school year.
“I feel very sad. I do think ASR 3 is a very beneficial class because the teacher is able to provide actual feedback that year on your research which is good for kids before they go to college,” Carcamo said.
Carcamo has taken ASR 1 as a sophomore and ASR 2 currently. Students in ASR classes create their own research projects and learn about science research.
“ASR 1 we did microbiology so I learned how to use a microscope and then also it kind of taught me how to write scientific papers because those are very different than with English papers,” Carcamo said.
Associate Principal Dr. Mike Wegener said the scheduling of courses that can be available is dependent on students.
“The sign ups for ASR 3 were not high and we made the decision to offer an additional ASR 2 to meet the demand of students who signed up,” Dr. Wegener said. “Courses do not run in certain years based on student sign ups. I would say it is possible in advanced courses to not have them run every year, maybe every other year.”
That strategy would allow students to access courses such as ASR 3 as juniors or seniors.
“I think it’s important because of how much can be done with it because research can be built on existing research.”
— Drishya Manda
Over the next year, if more students sign up for ASR 3, the class may be able to be consistently available in the list of science courses.
Drishya Manda, junior, is a current ASR 3 student, and is upset for students who want to take ASR 3 who are now only able to work outside of school due to the removal of the class.
“I think it’s important because of how much can be done with it because research can be built on existing research,” Manda said.
ASR classes allow students to impact the world through their research on an unanswered question or problem. However, the removal of ASR 3 disrupts students’ plans on continuing to do research in school where they can receive feedback and guidance.
Dr. Cathy Farrar, ASR teacher, said ASR classes help build necessary research skills that prepare students for higher education.
“The goal is for them to learn how to manage their time and be independent with little supervision,” Dr. Farrar said.
ASR 3 furthers students’ engagement in science literature and research which teaches students about critical thinking in research.
“All people research things in science. If you think about the number of times you go to WebMD or you read something about climate change or even something about your car, all of those fall into the realm of science,” Dr. Farrar said. “It is really important for you to be able to access that information and understand it and be able to judge its credibility.”
This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on May 23, 2024.
