Johnson Creek High/Middle School Newsletter February 2014 | Page 5

Guidance
ACT

Teenage Depression

What is the ACT? The ACT is an academic assessment
that colleges use to help make admissions and scholarship decisions. The best method of preparing for the
ACT is longitudinal by taking appropriate high school
courses and taking practice tests. Johnson Creek High
School prepares every student to be college ready whether the student is planning to attend a technical college,
four year college, apprenticeship, or join the military.
Eight and ninth grade students take the ACT Explore and
10th grade students take the ACT Plan. The Explore and
Plan cover the same subjects as the ACT, English, Math,
Reading, and Science, and are in the same format. They
are timed, skills based tests.

Teenage Depression - Teens are vulnerable to depression
because it is a time of tremendous change. Bad mood or
Depressed? Symptoms of depression last a long period
of time, weeks or months and depressed people feel that
they cannot control their mood or circumstances. Some
signs of depression are: continued feelings of sadness or
emptiness, sleeping too much or too little, lack of energy,
anxiety or panic attacks, and thoughts of suicide. What
to do if you notice these symptoms? Professional help
is available. Contact a primary care physician or a local
counseling agency. Other techniques to cope with depression include: socializing, exercising, setting small goals.
The most important things you can do is support the depressed person and encourage him/her to seek treatment.
The ACT Explore and Plan provide data to determine (Source: The Bureau for At-Risk Youth)
if students are on the right track for college readiness.
The results point out academic strengths and weaknesses
which help with high school class selection. High School
classes should highlight areas of strength and help build
skills in low areas. In addition, teachers use the data to
assess the effectiveness of their curriculum. The ACT
Plan provides estimated ACT scores. Results are shared
with parents at Education / Career Planning conferences.

MS Forensics
Seventeen Johnson Creek Middle School students
competed in Forensics this year, with twelve of them
participating for the first time. The team has competed
in three Level I meets thus far and will conclude their
season at the Level II meet on February 3rd in Beaver
Dam. In order to qualify for the February 3rd meet,

entries had to earn an A or A- rating on two out of their
three rounds at a Level I meet. Of the nine individual
or group entries from Johnson Creek, eight qualified for
the Level II meet!
The main goal for Forensics students was to improve
throughout the season. It was clear that this goal was
accomplished by each participant. Many of the inexperienced students commented how much confidence
they gained by learning to practice their piece and deliver a performance in front of new people. The experienced students made big strides this year, often earning
impressive remarks from the judges.

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