Sixth grade social studies students at Cedarville Middle School will get new textbooks soon. The Les Cheneaux Community Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the purchase of the books Monday, November 17, to meet state standards.

Students will receive three shorter textbooks to replace one large book used now. Thirty copies of each shorter book will be purchased at a total cost of $2,612, which includes a test generator and online learning components for teachers.

Principal Amy Scott said the old books don't meet state content specifications. There will be advantages, she noted, since students will only be using one of the three books at a time.

"It's a cost savings measure to the district, if one were lost it's only $19 to, I believe, to replace," she said. "Also the students don't have those huge books to carry in their backpack."

Honor society open to sophomores

Julie Pitko, advisor for Cedarville High School's chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS), received approval from the board to open enrollment to eligible sophomores. National guidelines, she said, allow students to join as early as sophomore year, however, Cedarville chapter bylaws reserve membership only for juniors and seniors. Only five juniors and seniors are eligible to join the honor society this year, she said, while 25 sophomores would be eligible.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled at CHS for at least one semester with a 3.2 cumulative grade point average. Students can be put on probation or lose their NHS status if their grade point average falls below 3.2 for multiple semesters in a row, are caught cheating, or fail to meet service, scholarship, leadership, or character standards. Students who are dismissed or resign may not rejoin, according to national guidelines.

"We always put students on probation first, because we all make mistakes," Ms. Pitko said.

New members will be inducted in January.

Meeting change

The board also changed its meeting time next month to allow board members to attend the middle and high school band concert scheduled at the same time. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Monday, December 15, two hours ahead of its normally scheduled time.