Introduction
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North Newton School Corporation is located in northern Newton County. According to the Federal Bureau of Census, in 2000 there were 14,566 people living in Newton County. Beaver, Colfax, Jackson, Lake, Lincoln and McClellan Townships comprise the North Newton School Corporation. Interstate 65 borders the county on the east thus accounting for the significant number of residents who migrate out of the county to work in Lake, Jasper, Tippecanoe, and Porter counties in Indiana. Additionally, the county residents travel to Illinois for employment. The Newton County unemployment rate in December 2000 was 3.1 percent compared to 2.7 percent in the state. The average wage per capita income in Newton County in 1999 was $18,835 while the state average in 1999 was $26,136, which translates into an average income $7,101 below the state. The median family income in Newton County in 1999 was $36,875 compared to the state average of $37,909.
According to the 1990 Indiana Statistics, the number of Newton County adults age 25 or older with less than a high school diploma was 2,361, which are 27.5 percent of the adult population. The number of Newton County adults, age 25 and older, who have only a high school diploma is 3,997. Adults in Newton County age 25 or older, who have a high school diploma or more, are 72.4 percent. The number of adults with a Bachelor's degree or higher is 8.1 percent of the adult population.
North Newton Jr./Sr. High School's student population is made up of the six northern townships of Newton county. The students come from three corporation elementary schools located in Lake Village, Roselawn, and Morocco. The corporation is rural in nature with moderate population growth in the two northern townships. Student population is split between members of transient and long-term residents of the community. The school is the only local source of culture and entertainment producing a heavy reliance on Lake County and the Chicago, Illinois area for these outlets. The corporation was formed during the 1963-1973-school consolidation phase in Indiana and held their first classes in the fall of 1967. When school opened students were split about evenly between the five towns that comprise the school district. The majority of the student population came from farm or farm industry families that were long term residents of the community. Beginning in 1972 the overcrowding, higher taxes and cultural issues in Lake County produced a huge growth spurt in the student population in the northern two townships. The growth in the northern two townships still continues today. As a result of this shift, the school population today in many ways resembles a small blue-collar school district located in a rural setting. The nearest town to the school is eight miles away. As the district is rural and most workers commute out of the district to work, the tax base is very limited in the district. The tax base problem is further eroded by the presence of two large state preserves in the district that generate no tax revenues and by a large dairy conglomerate that has been awarded generous tax abatements on millions of dollars of buildings and equipment. The end result is that our school corporation has one of the higher tax rates in the state and yet it produces one of the lowest student per capita tax allowances in the state. The state of Indiana has never addressed this problem and yet has been aware of it since the inception of the new consolidated district. Under Public Law 221, the state has asked for any rule or law changes that need to be addressed that will assist in our school improvement plan. The problem that has just been stated needs to addressed by the state as soon as possible to ensure a quality education for all students in the district. Overall, the community is supportive of the school and of the instructional process.
North Newton Jr./Sr. High School went to block eight scheduling in 1998 and this allowed the high school students to increase the total amount of course involvement. The major reason that North Newton went to block scheduling was to increase the amount of class time to allow more in depth study per class and to facilitate courses that needed more time in lab situations or special projects. The added periods allowed for more course offerings in each department. Block scheduling also made taking student field trips much easier because there was a full 88 minutes to travel to and from each destination since the school is located far from any business location.
The French classroom has tables and chairs rather than traditional desks in order to facilitate group work and conversations. There are seven computers that have Internet access in the room along with a laser printer and a projection system for PowerPoints. There is a VCR and television in the room along with two tape/CD players. A portable language lab is shared with one other room.
French III has 23 students who are primarily juniors. The students range in age from 15 to 18. All of the students are Caucasian and have lived in the school district most of their lives. The class is 88 minuets in length and meets five times in a two-week period.