Incoming freshmen be-gan building the culture of their new school this morning as the rest of Roch-ester's high schoolers scurried in normal fashion to their first classes of the year.
The freshmen gathered in the Rochester High School auditorium for a convocation with their teachers, RHS Principal Dan Ronk, New Tech Assistant Principal Loretta Deardorf and Superintendent Deb Howe.
New Tech represents a revolution in education. Rochester is one of the only schools in the nation to install it as the only option in high school. Within four years, the project-based New Tech approach will be the backbone of all classroom education at RHS. The administrators made it clear that the rest of Indiana, and the nation, will be watching.
"You are setting the stage, you are setting the example and you are setting the program," Howe told the students.
Howe said that technology is important, but working together as a team on projects is the most important aspect of Zebra New Tech, she said.
She used to the habits of geese to explain to students about the culture they will be building among themselves.
Geese gain 71 percent more flying range when they travel as a flock, she said. Their V formation gives them lifting power, she said. The lead goose drops back and lets someone else take over when tired. The flock is interdependent.
"You're going to be working in teams," Howe said.
"If we have as much sense as geese, we'll stand by each other when one of us is down," Howe said.
Howe and Ronk said they are as ready as they can be for the inaugural of Zebra New Tech High School.
Teachers and administrators gathered last week for a final training session with New Tech Foundation's Michael McDowell, a teacher development coach. McDowell was following up on a week of training the staff had in California over the summer.
"He was here to fill in the gaps, make sure the teachers are ready and feel comfortable with what they're going to do," Howe said.
Tony Stesiak and Dan McCarthy will teach global studies, a brand-new course combining English and social studies.
"There are no negative aspects to this," Stesiak said as he watched students file into the auditorium. "We've had a great summer of training. I'm really excited about the possibilities of this program and I'm anxious to get started."
He won't be teaching for a couple days.
Howe said freshmen will spend the next two days in culture-building exercises.
Ronk told the restless bunch they'd first be working on drafting agreements, starting in smaller groups, then sharing their work with the staff and each other, ending with a common set of agreements.
The four areas for which agreements were to be drafted, provided in a handout to the students, are:
• Appropriate use of technology - Few schools in the nation give each student an e-mail account, server space and unfiltered access to the Internet. Hacking, clogged e-mail servers and accessing inappropriate Web sites are concerns. Freshmen will help determine efficient operations and appropriate use.
• Appropriate dress and behavior - Zebra New Tech is built on a business model and often will host the business community, which is being asked for financial support. T-shirts with coarse messages, exposed bellies, mini skirts and wandering the halls do not present the best picture to visitors. "What dress and behavior policies can we agree on, especially when presentations are being made to outside experts, that would ensure a positive first impression for anyone visiting Zebra New Tech?" the students were asked.
• Attendance, tardiness - In today's society, virtually no one works alone, students were told. "You will find that your success here is at least somewhat dependent on the people in your group. It is important that each member of the team make every effort to be in class on time each day." Additionally, the school's attendance is evaluated by the state.
• Working in a team - Students were to decide "What agreements can be reached in Zebra New Tech to help a group use cooperation, mutual respect, accountability and teamwork to make a group a team?"
