Program News...
 Annie
Jenison, FHS Student Body Vice President/BPA member
Technology here at Filer has come far. Not only have we inquired many new computers, but numerous teachers have written grants for funding to help further our education. Computer labs aren’t the only technology at Filer High School anymore. |
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| Business/Office
Technology
Pam Lambert’s Technology Lab has had a tremendous makeover. From a new conference high tech computer station to a new Epson color laser printer. Lambert wrote a grant and also purchased a new Risograph high-volume printer, Canon copier, folder, commercial cutter and an electric coil binder. The desktop publishing class learns how to use all of the new equipment. This class has been revised and now includes the FHS Print Shop and the Paw Prints newspaper. Students in this class are in charge of putting out our very own Paw Prints. They do everything from writing the articles to putting everything together (layout and design) that will be printed off and delivered to you. The FHS Print Shop has produced everything from flyers to district sports posters and business cards to handbooks for schools and the community. With continued program support through Idaho State Professional-Technical funding for supplies, any money made from the Print Shop will go back into care of equipment and scholarships. Lambert’s office procedures class has currently taken up the job of updating the filing system for the school district. The business tech lab has also had a few changes. At the end of last year the business lab received 27 new Micron computers thanks to the Albertsons’ Foundation technology grant. This was one of the two labs at the high school to receive new computers. These days you are expected to know at least the basics of a computer. Mrs. Lambert and Ms. Redsull can teach you these in any of their many classes. Lambert says, “Teaching has become more like supervised guidance and coaching rather than always straight instruction.” |
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| Technology
Education
Mat Stephens, out in the computer lab in the Ag shop, has a class that will be of great benefit to any student that takes advantage of it. A+ is a new class that teaches students the basic skills they would need to become a computer technician. He currently has 22 students enrolled in A+. The curriculum is all on-line or CDs, no test books are used. They now have enough computers that they are able to tear them down to rebuild them later. They have new tools and testing devices; and if all goes well, next year they will be able to design and make their own programs. Stephens is very excited about this class because once you pass the test at the end of the year, you will be recognized by the industry as a computer technician and there is a great need for them. More than 20,000 openings are now available in the northwest This could just be something you fall back on if you decide you aren’t happy when out of college, want to earn some summer money, or even just gives you the knowledge to fix your own computer at home. Stephens says, “ You don’t have to move away from home to get jobs in this field anymore.” He would like to encourage anyone who is even slightly interested to come and see if A+ would be right for you. |
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| Networking
Technologies
When you hear someone talking about CISCO, you probably have no idea what he or she is talking about right? Well, CISCO is a networking class where students actually get to set up networks. They recently returned from a trip to ITT and Micron. Students from the CISCO class actually set up our very own network. There are five students from Filer and four students from Buhl. First semester the entire curriculum was online and this semester Buhl students will come over here and use routers to set up communication between networks. This all takes place in the technology center out between Mr. Wolf’s and Mr. Stephens’ classrooms. This class can really take you into great job opportunities. Networking technicians make $60-80 thousand a year and have one of the highest job openings available. There is no longer a photography class. Shelly Christensen has changed photography into digital imaging. This class has received ten new digital cameras that students will learn how to take pictures, make digital video productions, edit their productions, and later in the year will make commercials and mini movies. Christensen has really pushed her classes into the new century. |
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| Technology
Coordinator
Bruce Holderreed, district technology coordinator, seemed impressed with how many new things Filer has received. The newest addition is a 4’x5’ smart board—an interactive computer screen that works by touch or special pointer. The smart board is out in the technology lab between Mr. Wolf’s and Mr. Stephens’ rooms. It is used with many of the technology classes. When asked about any other new technology, Holderreed talked about the districts new server, wireless network upgrade, and the district e-mail server. Even though this technology is great, the more you have the more things can go wrong, which is why he is kept busy making sure things work as they should. |
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| Plant
Science
Ed Richards has a new plant science class that has all the new technology needed to do anything in the plant field as well as others. This class has a DNA thermocycler to copy DNA and forensics to determine crime suspects. The most recent additions to the classroom were two GPS (global positioning system) units costing $3,500, ArcView mapping to use with the GPS units to map anything (even Filer) and an Autoclave which sterilizes materials used to do tissue culturing. All of this new technology adds greatly to the equipment that was given to Filer High School from Seminis. Richards already had one laminar flow station to sterilize the air where tissue culturing takes place, and recently received another $3,500 laminar flow station for his class. With all the new technology he has in the classroom, Richards plans to have the new greenhouse, out by the Ag shop, filled with plants and vegetables that his plant science and special projects class will grow from tissue culturing. He is very excited about these new additions, and would like to encourage students to take advantage of this. Right now his fourth hour plant science class consists of seven students, and his special projects (Ag solutions) only has three students. He needs to have at least ten students enrolled to continue this class next year. It would be a shame to have so much technology and new equipment and not have enough students to take advantage of it. He would like to encourage students that this isn’t a textbook class. Tests aren’t from books, but on how well you know how to operate the equipment in the class. Taking this class will provide students with the ability to use new technology that will help them to be employed. “I’m very excited and I love to teach. I’m learning too, but these courses will make FHS one of the best high schools,” says Richards. |
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| ARTEC
Academy
ARTEC, Area Regional Technical Education Coalition, is one of Mr. Wolf’s new endeavors. It allows students to take classes that are tied in with industry certifications. Welding fabrications, for example, will be tied in with industries so students can get certifications that will be recognized by the industry next year. They will partner up with local businesses and train to work in the real industry developing, building, and operating machinery used in the workplace. This could lead to a possible job position in the industry. Brian Wolf’s fourth hour greenhouse class is tied with FFA. They will be growing bedding plants, and many different vegetables to sell to the community as a FFA fundraiser. This class will learn to take care of the plants from seedling to a quality plant, fertilizing tips, and marketing skills. His Ag-Business class is a replacement class for consumer economics. You learn the economics of the agriculture business. Wolf keeps his classes hands on and teaches skills that can be applied to real life. “I would like to encourage any student to talk to me about any ARTEC courses and see if there is a way to fit it into their lives,” said Wolf. |
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| Family
& Consumer Sciences
Darlene Annen’s Paws Café has been a hit at Filer High School. They are now serving at least two meals a month; this has doubled since last year. Annen’s food service class has really put school learning to the test. These skills learned during, not only this class, but all her classes will be used throughout their lives. Other schools have chosen other areas of putting their cooking abilities to work, for example: Castleford has a bakery and Valley has a cookie business. Annen’s Careers Class will be putting a new twist on things this semester. Starting in February her careers class will be enrolling in an internship of their choice. Bev Young with School to Work is working with Annen to try to get students into the job they prefer. The careers class will give students the skills they will need for seeking and keeping a job during school and after graduation. Annen says, “This class will help students develop life skills in whatever career they choose.” |
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| Health
Occupations Class
One of the newest classes offered and Filer High School offered via tele- communications with Buhl, Castlefore, and CSI is Health Occupations (ALLH 202). Betty Zimmerman, a nurse since 1977 and currently working on her Masters in Nursing, teaches the class in the telecommunications room at FHS. This class is a dual tech-prep credit class. There are currently 37 students enrolled to receive 2 credits from CSI (13 students from Filer, 12 from Buhl, and 12 from Castleford). The class discusses different health occupation careers, study body functions, investigate a career involved in study about the body (dental, nursing, sports medication, mental health, surgery, etc.) There is a possibility of offering a second year class in Health Occupations and a class in medical terminology with enough interest. The class attended the CSI Career Fair in November and will be completing job shadowing during the second semester. “There are so many opportunities in medicine today. A career in medicine would almost ensure a life-long opportunity for employment,” said Zimmerman. The “Baby Boomer,” those born between 1946-1964, currently make up the greatest percentage of the American population today. This generation represents many things to many different people. To health care professionals, the baby boomers represent a looming challenge ahead. By 2030, one out of five Americans will be a senior citizen. Our graduation seniors of 2001 will be almost 50 themselves. with 11.3 million jobs and growing, health services is currently one of the largest industries in the country. Here will be a high demand for qualified health care workers (26% increase in employment Techniques, January 2001). |
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Cole Ulrich, TNT Student/BPA
member
Students from Filer, Buhl and Castleford went to Boise to tour ITT Tech and Micron on February 2 along with advisors Shelly Christensen and Bruce Holderreed. Most of the students were CISCO Networking or A+ Technician students. FHS students attending were Justin Ash, Michael Fort, Christina Christopherson, Cole Ulrich, Adam Moulton, Trevor Root, and Jason Wapinski. Their first stop was ITT Technical Institute, where they received booklets and information on their tuition plan and what courses you can study. After a brief conversation with their recruiter, they took a tour of their many labs filled with computers and testing equipment. Before leaving ITT Tech they were treated to pizza and soda. ITT Technical Institute offers a hands-on education in these areas of Information Technology:
Most people don’t know it, but Micron and MicronPC are two different companies. Micron itself makes memory for computers and home electronics such as DVD Players, Cell Phones, CD Players, and other electronics. MicronPC is a totally separate company that makes computers from the ground up. After we talked about technical careers and what Micron does, we took a tour around the Micron facilities. On the tour students learned what equipment is used to create the memory in computers and how much it costs. “The biggest item that I noted,” said Christensen “was both ITT and Micron recommend continuing your education after high school. Whether 2-year program or 4-year program, either would be a benefit. Also, both places stressed math course for high school students. Take as much math as you can if you are planning on going into Technology.”
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