PHS MEDIA NEWS

Winter weather can cause problems for everyone, especially with the conditions of roads. When deciding whether or not to delay or cancel school due to weather, the final say comes from Superintendent Greg Walker.

“There are no specific requirements when deciding to delay or cancel school. I look at is it safe for buses to transport students and ask myself would I want my child riding a bus that day. To be thorough I get up at 4 a.m., consult with neighboring superintendents as what their conditions are. I also watch the weather to see what is going to happen in the next few hours,” said Walker. 

Along with communicating with other schools, Walker and Transportation and Athletic Director Darek Newkirk drive the roads and get updates from the County Highway Department to check  conditions. All of these precautions take place within two hours before the official announcement of whether school is cancelled, delayed or on-time at 6 a.m.

After a delay or cancellation is made, it takes about 30 minutes to get notifications out. Walker first calls, texts and emails everyone in the Remind system. He then notifies area radio stations and Louisville T.V. stations.

Two-hour delays help minimize the amount of make-up school days because those days are not made up. The extra two hours allows improved visibility and potentially less traffic on the road.  

If parents and/or students are not receiving any of the notifications about cancellations or delays, they could stay updated by radio or T.V or make sure their names are on the notification list.

Story by Amanda Bowles

The construction trades program at PHS is a class that is designed to teach students the basics of residential construction. The program constructs a lot of different projects for the school and community.

Each year, the class builds a house as one of their projects. Last year, they built Guidance Counselor Brandi Kerley’s house, and they are currently working on this year’s home, the 13th one for the program. The students also worked on building small hunting cabins, which started in early September to have them completed before hunting season.

There are three construction trades classes and each of them contributed to building the cabins. However, the majority of the work was completed by the intro to construction and construction technology students. The project allows students to incorporate skills they will use in building a real house, as the cabins have a lot of the same components that a regular house would have. They are able to learn about various principles of construction, construction math and measuring, tool use and hands-on training during this project as well.

“I am always looking for projects that give the construction students practical, hands-on experience and training. I thought that these cabins would be good projects as they would allow for this experience and also be something that program could sell as a fundraiser,” said construction trades program teacher Jon Shellenberger.

When the students work on their various projects, money is usually charged for the materials used and labor by the students. The money collected from the projects goes to things like field trips, class parties and class t-shirts, but the money is not the only reward for students.

“Another good thing about projects such as these is that they offer the students a sense of pride and accomplishment in having built something beautiful and that people are lining up to purchase,” said Shellenberger.

The cabins have raised a lot of interest, and the classes plan to do this project again next fall. At this point in time, the class is focused primarily on building a house for Habitat for Humanity, but there are projects to come.

Story by Angie Ceja

To kick off their season, the PHS junior high and high school archery teams met for the first time on November 4 and 5.

Students were given information packets about what archery is and what is expected of their shooting performance. The packets also explained costs and provided an acknowledgement form that needs to be signed by a guardian and the student in order for the student to participate.

Any student from grades 4 through 12 can be included in archery, as there is an elementary, junior high and high school team. Students are not required to have prior shooting experience to join.

“I look forward to working with new and returning archers to reach their personal and team goals,” said archery coach Kyle Woolston.

Story by Elizabeth Workman