New Tutorial System Promotes Productivity, Prompts Pranks

By Liam Brooks and Nick Seminerio

 

Don’t bother running to your favorite Tutorial during break this week. Instead, pull out your phone or wake up your computer, because Tutorial just moved to cyberspace. During Tutorial on Wednesday, Jan. 10, students schoolwide were introduced to our school’s new system for Tutorial sign-ups. The six-week pilot program discounts non recyclable paper passes for an online tag team of a spreadsheet and the free-to-use website timetosignup.com.

Aiming to increase attendance and promote academic responsibility, the new system also allows staff to digitally track student sign-ups, according to counselor Sheila Souder.

The first day of the program, Friday, Jan. 12, was met with positive and negative feedback from teachers and administrators. According to Souder, students had a greater incentive to attend Tutorial due to the variety of structured workshops available from teachers. These structured workshops, limited to a manageable class size, allow teachers to focus on specific parts of the curriculum and help students one-on-one.

According to math teacher Alissa Fong, her popular exponent review workshop was attended by 20 focused students. The workshop was productive, but she wished more students attended who were struggling in the class–as it was, most of her attendees had As. The first-come first-serve nature of the system might be to blame, said Fong.

Administrators also had good things to say about the program so far. Assistant Principal Chad Stuart said that the system has resulted in a change in “culture” that has made students think about their plan for Tutorial. Teachers reported that students were more on-task and organized with their studies because of the structured offerings, according to Stuart.

However, as expected by administrators, some students were quick to exploit the system’s lack of accountability. Alongside legitimate sign-ups were fake ones such as Adolf Hitler, George Washington, and some obscene and inappropriate names.

“Some students have not been good digital citizens, which is a skill we’re always trying to teach in terms of ethics,” said Stuart. Attendance and integrity are expectations of the system. Stuart also noted he believes administrators have the ability to track down the guilty students.

If the pilot program goes well, the Tamalpais Union High School District will purchase a better system linked to eSchool Plus and student accounts. This will alleviate some of the technical inconveniences of the current system and will also limit the potential for pranks.

How has your experience with the new system been so far? Respond in the poll above or in the comment section below.

Community Rallies to Support Student Crash Victims

By Samantha Gilbert and Nick Seminerio

Update:  Feb. 13, 2014

The Feb. 8 Vaccaro benefit night was a huge success, according to event organizers. The combined events at Deer Park Villa and various bars in Fairfax raised around $22,000, according to lead organizer Dianne Zellers. Deer Park Villa was sold out at 400 attendees, she said.

Two more benefit events are planned on March 8 and 22. Full details on both events were not immediately available, but the March 8 event will be at Nave’s in Fairfax, and the March 22 event at the Fairfax Pavillion hosted by the Native Sons.

Full details and ticket purchasing details will be online soon, according to Zellers. The website can be found at www.vaccarofund.org.

The donation site is still live at www.gofundme.org/vaccarofamily.

We will update this story with more information as we receive it.

Update:  Feb. 7, 2014

Vaccaro benefit organizers have launched a website where tickets can be purchased for the Feb. 8 benefit event at Deer Park Villa. Attendees are being asked to print their receipt and bring it to the event, according to organizer Dianne Zellers.

The website can be found at www.vaccarofund.org

Tickets for the second part of the evening cost $20.00, and only one ticket is needed for entrance to all three venues, which will have live music performances throughout the night, Zellers said. These tickets are available for purchase at the door at any of the three venues the night of Feb. 8 only.

Peri’s Silver Dollar Saloon, The Sleeping Lady, and 19 Broadway are all participating, Zellers said.

Read below for the full story, and more details on the Feb. 8 event.

Update:  Jan. 23, 2014

Vaccaro’s medical condition has improved, according to best friend Foster Zellers in a Facebook update. Vaccaro has been able to breathe on his own without a ventilator, which has enabled him to speak, Zellers said. He was scheduled to be moved to a facility in Santa Clara on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

The list of venues for the Feb. 8 benefit has grown to four: Deer Park Villa, 19 Broadway, The Sleeping Lady, and Peri’s Silver Dollar Saloon, according to Dianne Zellers.

Tickets to attend the first portion of the evening at Deer Park Villa are $30.00. The event includes appetizers, dinner, a silent auction, and live music performances by Drake students. Tickets to the Deer Park Villa event are available for purchase in Susanna Nash’s classroom #209, or by emailing Dianne Zellers at dz@marketingmachine.net with “Ticket Reservation” in the subject line.

Tickets for the second part of the evening cost $20.00, and only one ticket is needed for entrance to all three venues, which will have live music performances throughout the night, Zellers said. These tickets are available for purchase at the door of the three venues the night of Feb. 8 only.

In addition to event attendees, Vaccaro benefit organizers are also looking for babysitters for the second portion of the event. The babysitters are needed from 9 p.m. until the event’s conclusion later that night. The money for babysitting will go to the Vaccaro and Reeder funds, so babysitters would need to work for free but for a good cause, according to Cyndi Cady, who is organizing the babysitting. “If you or anyone you know is willing to babysit, please email me at cyncady@soundbureau.com with the word ‘babysitting’ in the subject line,” Cady said.

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A single vehicle accident on Christmas Eve involving six teenagers, including four Drake students, has resulted in an outpouring of community support.

Around 11 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2013, a 2003 Chevy Tahoe driven by senior Christian Gordon overturned on eastbound Lucas Valley Road in San Rafael.

“I was going too fast going around a corner,” Gordon said. “The wheels slid to the right, so I counter-steered. Then the wheels then started sliding to the left, and I over counter-steered. The tires caught on the pavement and the truck flipped twice, landing upside down on the hillside.”

Two passengers sustained moderate injuries, including one sophomore and 19 year-old Drake graduate Dameon Reeder, who sustained spinal, hip, and leg injuries, along with a concussion.

Sophomore Louie Vaccaro received major injuries, according to Vaccaro’s best friend, junior Foster Zellers.

The other three teens, including Gordon, had minor injuries. All six were wearing seat belts, Zellers said.

Following the crash, the six teens were taken to Marin General Hospital. Vaccaro immediately underwent a ten-hour surgery to fix three damaged vertebrae, one of which was replaced. He was put in a medically induced coma for three days, according to Zellers.

Vaccaro moved from Marin General Hospital to Kaiser Terra Linda, but will soon be transferred to a long term rehabilitation facility in Vallejo. He is expected to remain on a ventilator for at least two to three months, Zellers said.

Vaccaro’s family and friends are hopeful that he will make a full recovery.

Diane Zellers, Foster Zellers’ mother and a close friend of the Vaccaro family, is coordinating community support efforts. She created a GoFundMe website where anyone can donate to help Vaccaro’s recovery. Vaccaro’s page can be found at gofundme.com/vaccarofamily.

The web page has raised over $31,000 as of Tuesday, Jan. 14

Administrators also asked the community to help. “We urge the Drake community to support the family in any means they can. Our hearts and warmest thoughts are always with Louie and his family,” said Principal Liz Seabury and Assistant Principals Eric Saibel and Chad Stuart in a statement.

A series of community events have been planned to support Vaccaro. The first, on Jan. 9, 2014, was held at The Sleeping Lady restaurant in Fairfax, and raised nearly $2,200. Of that, $500 went to Reeder.

The next two events will be held on the same night, Feb. 8, 2014. The first event is for families and will take place at Deer Park Villa in Fairfax, featuring appetizers, dinner, raffle prizes, and more, according to Dianne Zellers.

The night will continue for adults at both 19 Broadway and The Sleeping Lady in Fairfax, with live music performances from over fifteen bands, she said. Attendees should email Zellers to reserve tickets at dz@marketingmachine.net with “Ticket Reservation” in the subject line.

In the wake of the tragedy, Vaccaro’s family and friends have found hope. “Through this tragic situation, I can’t believe the beauty I’ve seen,” Dianne Zellers said. “The outpouring of love from the community – It’s changed the view of where I live.”

—For more information on donation and upcoming events, see below.

Link to the Vaccaro family’s GoFundMe website: gofundme.com/vaccarofamily