Congrats to the Beta Club

PPHS had 14 students attend the Beta Convention in downtown Springfield.  They competed in 6 different events.  We received 1st place in Engineering, 2nd place in Service Learning Showcase, and 3rd in Portfolio.  We had 2 individuals take academic tests.  Caitlyn Hecker won 1st place in the 12th grade group Social Studies, and Drew Washam won 1st in the 11th grade group for Spanish!. Congratulations to the the kids and sponsors!

Boys win Sectional title!

Congratulations to the boys basketball team for wining the Sectional championship over Tremont.

https://www.sj-r.com/sports/20190302/plains-pulls-away-from-tremont-for-sectional-title

student collaborative work

Students in Engineering Design and Development have been working hard on their remote control door lock. I want the first one. 

Yearbook students working on digital sports calendars for spring sports!!

WYSE Regional Champs

Congratulations to the WYSE Team on winning their Regional!!

Individuals:

2nd place chemistry Evan Saebeler and Anna Kanllakan

1st place chemistry Blake Hermes

3rd place computer science Luke Ozenkoski

1st place computer science Sam Hutcherson 

3rd place engineering graphics Luke Ozenkoski

2nd place Evan Saebeler 

1st place engineering graphics Justin Holding

3rd place English Erin Riley

3rd place math Jenni Osmond

3rd place physics Will Drake  and Otis Sanders

1st place physics Blake Hermes

Sectional Champs / Fall Sports

Congrats to the volleyball team on winning the Class 2A Riverton Sectional Championship by defeating Maroa Forsyth!

 This is a big weekend for PPHS. We have the boys' football team hosting Greenville in a 2nd round IHSA playoff game, the girls' XC team competing at the IHSA state XC meet, and our volleyball team will be at Beardstown for the Super-Sectional against Eureka. Congratulations to all the coaches and players.

Regional Champs!!

Congratulations to our volleyball team on their Regional Championship. They will play Williamsville Monday night at Riverton.

A Change to Graduation

I sent this letter out to students and parents ta the beginning of the year, but wanted to re-send...

Dear Parents,

I hope this letter finds you enjoying your summer! I wanted to make you aware of a change we are making to the graduation ceremony beginning with the class of 2022.  I’m excited about this change and feel it is beneficial to many students at PPHS.Beginning with the class of 2022, we will no longer recognize Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and top ten during our graduation ceremony. In its place will be Latin honors recognition that includes Summa Cum Laude (with greatest honor), Magna Cum Laude (great honor), and Cum Laude (with honor). The top 5% of students in a graduating class will receive the Summa Cum Laude distinction, the top 10% of students will receive Magna Cum Laude distinction, and the top 20% will receive Cum Laude distinction.

There are several reasons for making this change. Largely, I hope to eliminate some of the unhealthy competition for Valedictorian and Salutatorian which seems to happen from time to time. Competing for the top two spots leads to students more interested in a GPA than taking courses they enjoy or will seek a future in.  In short, the focus is not on learning, but rather competing for a spot. Beginning their freshman year, students can calculate courses and weigh options to position themselves for a top spot. Additionally, the difference between the top 3-4 students is often statistically insignificant. It becomes hard to decipher exactly what separates 2-3 students when the difference is only thousandths of a point. That issue is exacerbated when you factor in scheduling conflicts that don’t allow students to take certain courses that would impact top spots.  By transitioning to the Latin honors system, we also recognize students who achieved academic excellence in non weighted courses. Human intelligence is more than one prescribed academic criteria, and I believe this system better reflects that. For all the above reasons, I believe this is a productive and positive change for PPHS that encompasses a more holistic approach to academic recognition.

I want to be clear that we are not doing away with class rank. Every student at PPHS will still have their class rank on their transcript and will receive that distinction if it applies to the college admissions or scholarship process. The only change that is being made is to our graduation ceremony. Speaking roles for students will still be present in the form of class president, NHS President, Student council, etc.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Luke Brooks
Principal, PPHS