Eichthaler receives volunteer award

Published Sunday, March 16, 2008

By Brandon Evans

After six years of selflessly volunteering on behalf of senior citizens, Steven Eichthaler, 18, a senior at Decatur High School received the 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

A representative of Prudential donned Eichthaler with a silver medal at the Decatur ISD School Board meeting on Thursday night.

Only one high school student from the entire state of Texas receives this award each year.

"We are honored to have a student like Steven in our district," said superintendent Dr. Gary Gindt.

Six years ago Eichthaler created a musical group called MUSE. The group has included more than 60 young minstrels and they have performed 85 concerts at nursing homes and community, fund-raising events over the years.

He got the idea to form the group after his school band performed at a nursing home for Christmas years ago.

"After the show, I discovered there were several residents who could not attend, so I asked if I could stay and play for them in their rooms," he said. "So many of the seniors asked us come and sit with them, we could have stayed all night."

MUSE performed at nursing homes and care centers and participated in fundraisers providing gifts, blankets and other goods for shut-in seniors.

"I have found that music can overcome many differences and can connect one generation to another through beauty and appreciation," Eichthaler said.

Decatur High School decided to nominate Eichthaler for the Prudential award this year. He alone was chosen from all participating high schools in the state.

In addition to the silver medallion, Eichthaler also received $1,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C., from May 3-6. There he will join 51 other high schoolers from across the nation selected for the award. Five of them will be declared National Honorees. They will receive $5,000 plus an additional $5,000 to go to a charity of his choice and a gold medallion.

In addition to the Prudential award, he has also qualified for the President's Volunteer Service Award.

TAK on some more

The state has made several changes to the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests (TAKS) for special-education students.

Beginning in 2009-10 school year, the performance of special education will factor into the state's rating system.

"I can't say how much it will count in the ratings," said Cassandra Darst, DISD's director of special programs. "Nobody in the state knows yet. This is the first time these students will be taking these tests."

One of the new tests is the TAKS-Modified. This tests features larger font, has fewer items per page and fewer answer choices. It also uses simpler vocabulary and sentence structure.

Another is the TAKS-Alternate. This test is for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Both of these new tests will not be factored into a district's rating system until the 2009-10 school year.

"The state has not yet set a passing standard on these tests," Darst said. "They don't know how students are going to perform."

The other test is the TAKS-Accomodated. It is for students who need specific modifications. It uses the same questions and passing standards as the general-education tests. It will be included in this year's accountability ratings.

All these changes are spawned from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which expects all students to be proficient in math and science by 2014.

"It is very stressful for the teachers giving these tests," Darst said. "We have our regular education teachers working hard with special education students to prepare them for these new TAKS tests."

Kindergarten screening

Beginning next school year, kindergartners will be dismissed at noon during the first week, Aug. 25-29.

The purpose is to help assess the abilities of all these students, most of whom are entering school for the first time. Bus transportation will be provided at noon for eligible students during this week.

Each child will be scheduled to stay at school until 2:50 p.m. for one day during the initial week.

During this time, teachers will administer a set of kindergarten screenings.

"As everyone knows, the first week of school is difficult," said Denise Joseph, a kindergarten teacher at Carson Elementary. "It's hard because this is the first time a lot of these kids have been in a structure environment away from home like this. This helps the students get adjusted."

In addition to assessing the new students and helping them get adjusted, Johnson said it also allows teachers to work one-on-one with new students and help to form a personal relationship with each child.