What Has Happened
The Area Career Center has been filled with testing and finals preparation. Students are constantly preparing to pass their classes in their effort to obtain their associates, certifications, and diplomas. They see Istep+ as another part of this journey and are ready to dedicate their time to be successful. Students completed scheduled test prep days, and many stayed after school additional days for more help. Istep+ is now over and student have reverted to their regularly scheduled teaching.
The ACCU was involved with this year’s city holiday parade. The Hammond parade started at 10:00 am at Gavit High School. The parade followed 169th street to Indianapolis Boulevard and finished at Wicker Park. The ACCU loves being involved with events and organizations of the city. It’s important that the school participate in different school, city, and community events. This is because ACCU is a “melting pot” of all public high schools in Hammond, which provides the students the ability to attend events and not become excluded.
The ACCU would also like to welcome its newest teacher, Mrs.Cushing. The ACCU’s computer sciences pathway was missing a permanent teacher to guide the students to their associate's degrees. With her credentials and upbeat attitude, there is no doubt she will be a great addition to the school and the computer sciences pathway.
Student Spotlight
Eduardo Pineda is a Junior at Area Career Center University. Pineda’s favorite part of school is to enjoy the company of the teachers and the way that they teach the class. He believes the teachers are very engaged in the student’s learning and they strive to get their students prepared for college. They take their jobs seriously, but they leave time to make sure that all students are on track.
During school he enjoys reading books, working with robotics, and programming. He also exercises in order to stay healthy. During his “off time”, which there is little, he enjoys watching movies or playing video games as stress management. Pineda enjoys golf, running, jogging, and chess. Pineda is in the Computer Programming and Computer Sciences pathway at ACCU. He plans to get a Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering and plans to finish out his associates in computer science.
Pineda’s favorite quote is from Albert Einstein: “Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.”
Teacher Spotlight
Mrs. Castillo is a social studies teacher who has been at the Area Career Center University for five years. She teaches the general social studies classes of World History, Government, and US History. She is also solely responsible for teaching the dual credit social studies college courses. She is the technology liaison for ACCU, co-sponsor of ACCU’s gaming club, the national history day sponsor, and the Class of 2018 sponsor.
Her favorite part of teaching is taking what she has learned and using it in the classroom to further interest the students in social studies. She likes being able to make history interesting and trying to make a difference in students’ lives.
Her favorite thing about her students is their ability to participate and the response to the content of her classes. They laugh at her jokes, they appreciate her making history exciting, and they strive to know more about current and past events.
Castillo looks forward to the discussions in her history classes. She is also curious to see what her students bring to talk about and how their perspective or thinking processes interpret history. She looks forward to her students learning new ideas or theories and being able to apply them or use them for reference in their normal lives.
She is currently coaching Basketball and has coached volleyball in Hammond. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time with her family. She likes to travel and check out different historical places in Indiana and the surrounding areas as well. The more she learns, the more knowledge she can bring to herself and her students.
The Next Chapter of ACCU
The ACCU will be conducting finals the week before the district’s winter break. Students are studying their Spanish, writing their essays, and becoming more familiar with their coursework. The students have to complete college-level finals for most of their classes. This is to receive Vincennes credit and to earn the credit hours towards their associates degrees. Like always, the students at ACCU will put in the effort and get the results.
This year, ACCU is hosting a fundraiser for the Class of 2018, Class of 2019, and yearbook funding. ACCU’s Winter Wonderland is an after-school party filled with games, food, and everything necessary to have a great holiday get together. This event and the others gives families and peers a chance to connect under the one umbrella we all are under, the ACCU.
This year, ACCU will also be hosting a holiday movie for the students and faculty. This movie event is so wonderful because it is also a can drive for families in need of food. Each student, instead of paying, will be able to attend by donating two cans of food. With the capacity to have a donation of over 600 cans, the ACCU can feed many families this Christmas season. ACCU also encourages that students help in any way possible this holiday season.