Things I Wish I had Been Tauight in School
By Aly Hickey
As my high school career is coming to an end, I’ve come to the conclusion that we graduate high school lacking life skills. I have memorized the quadratic formula and I could sing the preposition song in my sleep, but I couldn’t tell you the first step to paying bills or even how to vote.
Since I was little, I’ve heard many of the adults in my life talk about taxes and bills and how paying them was a burden. I’m sure if you asked most high school, or even college, student how to pay bills and taxes, they’d look at you like you had six heads. In school, we take everything from algebra, to calculus, to business math, but we are never given the option to choose a math class that will teach us how to pay our bills.
Awdhesh Singh, an author and engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, once said that “The importance of money in human life is similar to the importance of food for the body. Just like you can’t live even for a few days without food, you can’t survive for long without money.” Money, unfortunately, is essential to live. So knowing how to handle money properly is something I wish I was taught in school.
In every history class I’ve completed, we’ve taken an abundance of notes and written tons of DBQ’s. After eleven years of school, I, and many of my classmates, could not name all fifty states, tell you our rights, or fill out a blank map of all of the continents. As an American citizen, I think it is very important to know my rights, but instead of studying America’s important documents, we’re learning about Rasputin, and Henry VIII. But the lack of information isn’t just in our history classes. We fall short of life skills in all areas, English being a major one.
In an article written by an eleventh grade English teacher in the April 2014 edition of The Atlantic , she tells about a project she assigned to her class in which they had to have a conversation in a group with other students and record a podcast of their conversations. All of the juniors started off fine, but within minutes, they began to look down at their hands or phones and became silent. This just goes to show that conversational competence is a crucial life skill that students are not taught. What are we supposed to do when we go for job interviews and cannot even hold a simple conversation?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned a plethora of important things in high school from my academic classes. But unless you’re planning on becoming an engineer or professor, when will you ever use this knowledge that we are forced to memorize in school? Not all students plan to nor can afford to attend college, either. For them, life skills are critical to their livelihood. Many educators will tell you that real life skills are for the parents to be teaching their kids at home. But how do they know that every student’s parents are adequate enough to teach them these skills? Schools should not get rid of academic courses by any means, or the wonderful electives our school offers, but I think schools should consider balancing real life skill classes with those academic classes to guarantee that everyone is taught the fundamentals of living.
As my high school career is coming to an end, I’ve come to the conclusion that we graduate high school lacking life skills. I have memorized the quadratic formula and I could sing the preposition song in my sleep, but I couldn’t tell you the first step to paying bills or even how to vote.
Since I was little, I’ve heard many of the adults in my life talk about taxes and bills and how paying them was a burden. I’m sure if you asked most high school, or even college, student how to pay bills and taxes, they’d look at you like you had six heads. In school, we take everything from algebra, to calculus, to business math, but we are never given the option to choose a math class that will teach us how to pay our bills.
Awdhesh Singh, an author and engineer from Indian Institute of Technology, once said that “The importance of money in human life is similar to the importance of food for the body. Just like you can’t live even for a few days without food, you can’t survive for long without money.” Money, unfortunately, is essential to live. So knowing how to handle money properly is something I wish I was taught in school.
In every history class I’ve completed, we’ve taken an abundance of notes and written tons of DBQ’s. After eleven years of school, I, and many of my classmates, could not name all fifty states, tell you our rights, or fill out a blank map of all of the continents. As an American citizen, I think it is very important to know my rights, but instead of studying America’s important documents, we’re learning about Rasputin, and Henry VIII. But the lack of information isn’t just in our history classes. We fall short of life skills in all areas, English being a major one.
In an article written by an eleventh grade English teacher in the April 2014 edition of The Atlantic , she tells about a project she assigned to her class in which they had to have a conversation in a group with other students and record a podcast of their conversations. All of the juniors started off fine, but within minutes, they began to look down at their hands or phones and became silent. This just goes to show that conversational competence is a crucial life skill that students are not taught. What are we supposed to do when we go for job interviews and cannot even hold a simple conversation?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learned a plethora of important things in high school from my academic classes. But unless you’re planning on becoming an engineer or professor, when will you ever use this knowledge that we are forced to memorize in school? Not all students plan to nor can afford to attend college, either. For them, life skills are critical to their livelihood. Many educators will tell you that real life skills are for the parents to be teaching their kids at home. But how do they know that every student’s parents are adequate enough to teach them these skills? Schools should not get rid of academic courses by any means, or the wonderful electives our school offers, but I think schools should consider balancing real life skill classes with those academic classes to guarantee that everyone is taught the fundamentals of living.
The Time To Give is Not Just Now, but All Year
by Kayla Downing
Once Thanksgiving rolls around many people tend to think about others. During the last two months of the year there is a traditional sense that everyone needs to do something to better the lives of the less fortunate. But why can’t giving be a year around tradition?
Charity work should something every citizen should do not only during the holidays but year around. There are many different, simple types of charity work that can be done, for instance donating to a local food bank or even just baking cookies for someone in need. Although some charity work can be hard work, it is worth it. By giving the needy just a hour of time or some food is important for them during all times of the year.
While most children in America sit in their warm houses with the Christmas tree and presents filling the floor below, there are children on the streets whose parents could not afford to get them presents let alone a house with heat.
Many Americans, including myself, take advantage of the smallest things not only during the holidays but throughout the year. During the holidays many begin to think about those who do not have the same advantages as they do, so they feel compelled to give back. Although it is a great to give at this time of year what about the rest of year. Think about yourself, is the only time of year you eat during the holidays? No. Many homeless people are affected by starvation each day of the year.
It should not matter what time of year it is; donations and charity work should be done year-round. Even though the holidays are an extremely important time to help those who need it, helping others needs to become a norm throughout the year.
Once Thanksgiving rolls around many people tend to think about others. During the last two months of the year there is a traditional sense that everyone needs to do something to better the lives of the less fortunate. But why can’t giving be a year around tradition?
Charity work should something every citizen should do not only during the holidays but year around. There are many different, simple types of charity work that can be done, for instance donating to a local food bank or even just baking cookies for someone in need. Although some charity work can be hard work, it is worth it. By giving the needy just a hour of time or some food is important for them during all times of the year.
While most children in America sit in their warm houses with the Christmas tree and presents filling the floor below, there are children on the streets whose parents could not afford to get them presents let alone a house with heat.
Many Americans, including myself, take advantage of the smallest things not only during the holidays but throughout the year. During the holidays many begin to think about those who do not have the same advantages as they do, so they feel compelled to give back. Although it is a great to give at this time of year what about the rest of year. Think about yourself, is the only time of year you eat during the holidays? No. Many homeless people are affected by starvation each day of the year.
It should not matter what time of year it is; donations and charity work should be done year-round. Even though the holidays are an extremely important time to help those who need it, helping others needs to become a norm throughout the year.
'Tis Better to Give Than Receive
by Jackie Lanahan
December is here again, the most wonderful time of the year. A time of happiness, love, giving and receiving. Everywhere you turn you see Christmas trees through the windows of homes, and big bright lights wrapped around the yards. Personally, this is my favorite holiday. Receiving gifts and love is amazing but giving them is even better.
Can you imagine being alone for the holidays, not being able to provide for your children on Christmas morning or living in a place that you would call a temporary home just to stay off the streets? Growing up on Cape Cod I do not see as much of it I might in an urban area, but that does not mean it's not happening. The holidays is a perfect time to give back and nothing feels better than that. Knowing you are so fortunate compared to others to simply be able to wake up on Christmas morning and be able to unwrap gifts from your loved ones, attend a large party with all of your family and friends, complete with more gifts... and let's not forget about the food! Yet there are so many people that do not get to look forward to anything close to that.
I ‘ve been raised in a large Italian family that cares about everyone's feelings. If you are a stranger or a sister, we care. And each and everyone of us would give the shirt off our back if to someone in need. . That's why it is so important to me to give back. I love to spend my own money that I worked for to get that little girl a barbie, nail polish or a play makeup kit. Even if you have no money, you can still give back. Recycling your clothes that no longer fit to the local salvation army is one way. Or simply volunteering your time at the Stuff A Bus or Toys For Tots.
Small actions can make a world of a difference to families in need. A majority of those in need are the most appreciative for the simplest actions and there's no other feeling like making someone smile, without even trying.
December is here again, the most wonderful time of the year. A time of happiness, love, giving and receiving. Everywhere you turn you see Christmas trees through the windows of homes, and big bright lights wrapped around the yards. Personally, this is my favorite holiday. Receiving gifts and love is amazing but giving them is even better.
Can you imagine being alone for the holidays, not being able to provide for your children on Christmas morning or living in a place that you would call a temporary home just to stay off the streets? Growing up on Cape Cod I do not see as much of it I might in an urban area, but that does not mean it's not happening. The holidays is a perfect time to give back and nothing feels better than that. Knowing you are so fortunate compared to others to simply be able to wake up on Christmas morning and be able to unwrap gifts from your loved ones, attend a large party with all of your family and friends, complete with more gifts... and let's not forget about the food! Yet there are so many people that do not get to look forward to anything close to that.
I ‘ve been raised in a large Italian family that cares about everyone's feelings. If you are a stranger or a sister, we care. And each and everyone of us would give the shirt off our back if to someone in need. . That's why it is so important to me to give back. I love to spend my own money that I worked for to get that little girl a barbie, nail polish or a play makeup kit. Even if you have no money, you can still give back. Recycling your clothes that no longer fit to the local salvation army is one way. Or simply volunteering your time at the Stuff A Bus or Toys For Tots.
Small actions can make a world of a difference to families in need. A majority of those in need are the most appreciative for the simplest actions and there's no other feeling like making someone smile, without even trying.
It's Time to Tackle the Cost of College
by Kayla Downing
College, College, College…Debt. 2018 is fast approaching and before the class of 2018 knows it we will be visiting colleges and sending out our applications. Now is the time to research which colleges fit best and ponder want to do with the rest of our lives. For me that's going to college.
College is not cheap by any means but there help with the steep costs of an education including loans, , financial aid and the most helpful scholarships.. But what about those of us whose parents make too much money to receive financial aid but just not enough to sign a forty thousand dollar check?
Most middle class Americans are faced with this problem. It seems that graduate college with limited debt you either have to be extremely poor or filthy rich, which in my opinion is just not fair. As 2018 approaches I have started to look at different colleges and their cost. Most of the colleges so far are at least $25,000 and that's only for the tuition nevermind the boarding, books, and other costs that come with attending..
Typically, a earning a college degree takes four years. For most colleges that totals about $100,000 for. Now, spread out over four years, 100,000 dollars doesn't seem like much for most middle class Americans who make that or more in one year, but the only way someone could afford to go to college with that salary is if they did not spend any money, at all. Most college website have online calculators which estimate the family contribution to the cost. According to one, my family can afford to pay all but five thousand dollars to help pay for the tuition. Five thousand of 25,000. Wow! Thanks. That’s a lot of help. (Detect the sarcasm?)
Financial aid should be available for every student. Going to college now a days is key in being successful in most career fields you chose. How is it fair for students to have to pay for something that is a necessity for most of the population? And how is it fair that because our parents are successful, we students who are footing the bill have to pay full price? Every student should be given an affordable opportunity to go to college; that is why financial aid was created. Although many people believe that financial aid is a loan that you never have to pay back its not. The only way to leave college debt free is a merit scholarship.
Today, handling the major cost of colleges students requires private loans. Loans help with the cost of college but you have to pay it back once you graduate college. So who benefits? Banks! So many college graduates are coming out of college with massive debt, making them focus not on finding a job they love but a job that makes enough for them to pay off their loans. Students should be able to graduate without having to worry about their intensive about of loans.
College, College, College…Debt. 2018 is fast approaching and before the class of 2018 knows it we will be visiting colleges and sending out our applications. Now is the time to research which colleges fit best and ponder want to do with the rest of our lives. For me that's going to college.
College is not cheap by any means but there help with the steep costs of an education including loans, , financial aid and the most helpful scholarships.. But what about those of us whose parents make too much money to receive financial aid but just not enough to sign a forty thousand dollar check?
Most middle class Americans are faced with this problem. It seems that graduate college with limited debt you either have to be extremely poor or filthy rich, which in my opinion is just not fair. As 2018 approaches I have started to look at different colleges and their cost. Most of the colleges so far are at least $25,000 and that's only for the tuition nevermind the boarding, books, and other costs that come with attending..
Typically, a earning a college degree takes four years. For most colleges that totals about $100,000 for. Now, spread out over four years, 100,000 dollars doesn't seem like much for most middle class Americans who make that or more in one year, but the only way someone could afford to go to college with that salary is if they did not spend any money, at all. Most college website have online calculators which estimate the family contribution to the cost. According to one, my family can afford to pay all but five thousand dollars to help pay for the tuition. Five thousand of 25,000. Wow! Thanks. That’s a lot of help. (Detect the sarcasm?)
Financial aid should be available for every student. Going to college now a days is key in being successful in most career fields you chose. How is it fair for students to have to pay for something that is a necessity for most of the population? And how is it fair that because our parents are successful, we students who are footing the bill have to pay full price? Every student should be given an affordable opportunity to go to college; that is why financial aid was created. Although many people believe that financial aid is a loan that you never have to pay back its not. The only way to leave college debt free is a merit scholarship.
Today, handling the major cost of colleges students requires private loans. Loans help with the cost of college but you have to pay it back once you graduate college. So who benefits? Banks! So many college graduates are coming out of college with massive debt, making them focus not on finding a job they love but a job that makes enough for them to pay off their loans. Students should be able to graduate without having to worry about their intensive about of loans.
Let's Get Back to Basics--Put Down the Technology
By Jackie Lanahan
I ask my peers to think back ten years, maybe even five. The sky's still blue, the waves still crash along shore and the trees still dance in the wind. The natural world is unchanged. But look at what changed, take a look at the children growing up. Look at ourselves, even.
Children are not children in my eyes anymore, and I haven't been around all that long. When I was growing, up my family would keep me busy at all times the old fashioned way. Coloring, running through the sprinkler, playing games or having play dates. As I got older I would play man hunt with the neighborhood kids, walk to my friends’ houses or to the country store to get lollipops. What happened to all of this?
A child's coloring book is now an app on an iPad, a little girls Barbie isn't a changeable doll anymore; it's now a virtual world on a tablet or iPhone. You go out to a restaurant and see an infant with a phone that's bigger than him, shoved in their little faces. Not to mention the restaurants that supply tablets on every table on which you can play games or and order something on the menu without your waitress coming to the table.
Am I the only one that sees a problem in this?
I remember when my mom got her first “hip” cell phone. I, of course, was too young to have one so I fiddled with hers like it was mine. It took someone ten minutes just to text someone “Hi!, even though no one even texted each other. Now that's all people do. People do not verbally communicate anymore. Studies show that the youth spends an average of 7.5 hours a day of entertainment technology and 75% of children have tv in their bedrooms.
Enjoying a home cooked meal at the dinner table with the family is when the best conversations and laughs happen. In many households today, all of that is thrown anyway. A tv sits on the kitchen counter instead of fixing for meals. Psychologists say four critical factors are necessary to achieve healthy child development: movement, touch, human connection, and exposure to nature. How is that supposed to happen with such little exposure to the world? Think of how much can be offered in a simple home-cooked meal out on the patio, complete with conversation.
Its upsetting for me to watch all these young souls not get to see all of the fun and beauty that's right in front of them. Let's all have no phones at the dinner table and the TV off for once. Maybe people will learn to simply enjoy one another's company.
I ask my peers to think back ten years, maybe even five. The sky's still blue, the waves still crash along shore and the trees still dance in the wind. The natural world is unchanged. But look at what changed, take a look at the children growing up. Look at ourselves, even.
Children are not children in my eyes anymore, and I haven't been around all that long. When I was growing, up my family would keep me busy at all times the old fashioned way. Coloring, running through the sprinkler, playing games or having play dates. As I got older I would play man hunt with the neighborhood kids, walk to my friends’ houses or to the country store to get lollipops. What happened to all of this?
A child's coloring book is now an app on an iPad, a little girls Barbie isn't a changeable doll anymore; it's now a virtual world on a tablet or iPhone. You go out to a restaurant and see an infant with a phone that's bigger than him, shoved in their little faces. Not to mention the restaurants that supply tablets on every table on which you can play games or and order something on the menu without your waitress coming to the table.
Am I the only one that sees a problem in this?
I remember when my mom got her first “hip” cell phone. I, of course, was too young to have one so I fiddled with hers like it was mine. It took someone ten minutes just to text someone “Hi!, even though no one even texted each other. Now that's all people do. People do not verbally communicate anymore. Studies show that the youth spends an average of 7.5 hours a day of entertainment technology and 75% of children have tv in their bedrooms.
Enjoying a home cooked meal at the dinner table with the family is when the best conversations and laughs happen. In many households today, all of that is thrown anyway. A tv sits on the kitchen counter instead of fixing for meals. Psychologists say four critical factors are necessary to achieve healthy child development: movement, touch, human connection, and exposure to nature. How is that supposed to happen with such little exposure to the world? Think of how much can be offered in a simple home-cooked meal out on the patio, complete with conversation.
Its upsetting for me to watch all these young souls not get to see all of the fun and beauty that's right in front of them. Let's all have no phones at the dinner table and the TV off for once. Maybe people will learn to simply enjoy one another's company.
Bring Awareness to Teenage Depression
By Emily Saba
Myth: Teenagers who claim to be depressed can simply cut it out and stop acting weak and moody. Fact: Depression is not a weakness. It is a serious health disorder and most people facing it need professional help.
Teenagers who don’t face this possibly life-threatening mental illness are disregarding the fact that suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth people between the ages of 15 and 24. Depression is the leading cause of disability for children over the age of five. Many don’t realize that every 100 minutes, somewhere in the world, a teen takes his or her life due to depression, according to suicide.org. Several people out there may think “So what?” or “That’s your problem” when someone is depressed, but it’s a serious issue that can be overlooked and misunderstood.
Depression is defined as “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.” It can be caused by numerous things. Any trauma: death, abuse, adoption, moving to a new place, a new school, and even heredity can all be factors in causing depression. Symptoms include feeling empty, hopeless, irritable, worthless, and helpless; having a loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities; decreased energy or fatigue; moving or talking more slowly: difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions: difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or oversleeping: appetite and weight changes, suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, or thoughts of death: and aches or pains without a clear or physical cause that don’t ease with treatment.
Not everyone who experiences depression has all these symptoms. Some people have a few and some people have more than half of them. Having these symptoms can cause even an extremely simple task to be difficult. Take for instance, getting out of bed in the morning. For the average teenager, during the school week, they may not want to get out of bed due to the fact that they are still tired because they stayed up too late finishing that English essay due the next day. for a teenager struggling with depression, he may not want to get out of bed in the morning because he doesn’t want to face the world or the people in it.
Depression is the most common mental illness in the world and the most documented, but few ever talk about it. Someone who is depressed may be afraid to talk about her depression or tell people because the social stigma is that being depressed isn’t okay and that she is weak and broken. Well, guess what? Depressed teens are far from broken. And to every depressed person reading this, let me say that going through everyday life being depressed doesn’t make you weak. People who have successfully overcome depression will tell you that depression makes you strong because it reminds you that you are still alive.
It is perceived by others that depression is being sad when something in your life goes wrong.real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right, stated by comedian, author, and mental health activist, Kevin Breel on a TED Talk about depression. You may wonder why it is like that, but it’s just the way depression manipulates the brain.
You may also wonder why people hide their depression, and I’m going to tell you why: Consider this: when someone breaks his arm, a lot of people want to sign their name on that bright yellow cast they have on their arm, yet when people say they struggle with depression, all those people who wanted to sign that other person’s cast, run in the opposite direction wanting nothing to do with you, as revealed in that TED talk. That’s why they hide it. Most people are only accepting of every other body part breaking down except for the brain, and that is ignorant.
Depression is a serious mental illness, and if someone tells you that they are depressed, try not to run in the other direction because that’s the last thing someone who is depressed needs. Depression is just like any other health disorder: a cure requires love, care, patience, and support. Be aware of the people around you, what they might be going through because they might need that love, that care, that patience and support that you give to people when another body part is broken down. With baby steps, that social stigma of depression can be changed, one person at a time.
Myth: Teenagers who claim to be depressed can simply cut it out and stop acting weak and moody. Fact: Depression is not a weakness. It is a serious health disorder and most people facing it need professional help.
Teenagers who don’t face this possibly life-threatening mental illness are disregarding the fact that suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth people between the ages of 15 and 24. Depression is the leading cause of disability for children over the age of five. Many don’t realize that every 100 minutes, somewhere in the world, a teen takes his or her life due to depression, according to suicide.org. Several people out there may think “So what?” or “That’s your problem” when someone is depressed, but it’s a serious issue that can be overlooked and misunderstood.
Depression is defined as “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest.” It can be caused by numerous things. Any trauma: death, abuse, adoption, moving to a new place, a new school, and even heredity can all be factors in causing depression. Symptoms include feeling empty, hopeless, irritable, worthless, and helpless; having a loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities; decreased energy or fatigue; moving or talking more slowly: difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions: difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or oversleeping: appetite and weight changes, suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, or thoughts of death: and aches or pains without a clear or physical cause that don’t ease with treatment.
Not everyone who experiences depression has all these symptoms. Some people have a few and some people have more than half of them. Having these symptoms can cause even an extremely simple task to be difficult. Take for instance, getting out of bed in the morning. For the average teenager, during the school week, they may not want to get out of bed due to the fact that they are still tired because they stayed up too late finishing that English essay due the next day. for a teenager struggling with depression, he may not want to get out of bed in the morning because he doesn’t want to face the world or the people in it.
Depression is the most common mental illness in the world and the most documented, but few ever talk about it. Someone who is depressed may be afraid to talk about her depression or tell people because the social stigma is that being depressed isn’t okay and that she is weak and broken. Well, guess what? Depressed teens are far from broken. And to every depressed person reading this, let me say that going through everyday life being depressed doesn’t make you weak. People who have successfully overcome depression will tell you that depression makes you strong because it reminds you that you are still alive.
It is perceived by others that depression is being sad when something in your life goes wrong.real depression is being sad when everything in your life is going right, stated by comedian, author, and mental health activist, Kevin Breel on a TED Talk about depression. You may wonder why it is like that, but it’s just the way depression manipulates the brain.
You may also wonder why people hide their depression, and I’m going to tell you why: Consider this: when someone breaks his arm, a lot of people want to sign their name on that bright yellow cast they have on their arm, yet when people say they struggle with depression, all those people who wanted to sign that other person’s cast, run in the opposite direction wanting nothing to do with you, as revealed in that TED talk. That’s why they hide it. Most people are only accepting of every other body part breaking down except for the brain, and that is ignorant.
Depression is a serious mental illness, and if someone tells you that they are depressed, try not to run in the other direction because that’s the last thing someone who is depressed needs. Depression is just like any other health disorder: a cure requires love, care, patience, and support. Be aware of the people around you, what they might be going through because they might need that love, that care, that patience and support that you give to people when another body part is broken down. With baby steps, that social stigma of depression can be changed, one person at a time.
Fine Arts Make for a Complete Educational Experience
by Abbey Saba
Most believe that the academic classes are the most important thing about attending schools because that is what colleges look at this; this is not true at all. When colleges look at applications, they want to see a well rounded student; someone who plays sports, is involved in clubs and societies, or someone who is involved in a fine arts program.
Throughout high school, fine arts has been a huge part of my success and my motivation to achieve goals in my academics. The STEAM program at Bourne High Schools puts the fine arts on the same pedestal as they do science, technology, math, and engineering; not many schools have gone to the same extremes and I look at this as an issue in those schools.
Fine Arts such as music and drama are what students remember most looking back on high school. Being a part of both music and drama makes me very proud. It has not only improved the applications of students applying to college, it has allowed many to also find a passion or talent they never knew they had before. It has taught us the real meaning of hard work and pushed us to try new things and step out of our comfort zone. It has given us a new kind of self-confidence and excitement in our lives, two things not everyone can achieve in our math and science classes.
In Sandwich High School, there is no STEAM program, it is only a STEM program. I believe that by leaving out the art aspect of STEAM like they have at Sandwich High School is a great loss for their high school experience. The STEM program only fosters sciences and mathematics. No doubt about, both of these academic fields are greatly important, but fine arts are just as important. Fine arts teach people to be creative and may even benefit students who want to be more innovative. Going through High School for the past four years, music has motivated me to work hard and has given me confidence and grace in my academic classes. It gives students relief from the bore of average schoolwork and allows them to express themselves through things they truly love. At Bourne High School, I have talked to many students who did not do fine arts until their senior year and they have all thought to themselves, “Why didn’t I do this earlier?” I’ve seen these people in a new light and it’s such a positive thing to be able to say that you sing or play an instrument or that you are in your school’s production of the Little Mermaid!
For me personally, being involved in fine arts has been so beneficial in my life for many different things such as applying to colleges and filling out resumes. I can feel myself light up when I talk about singing or being a part of so many wonderful choral experiences as well as the outside opportunities I’ve been given because of my participation in fine arts at BHS.
Most believe that the academic classes are the most important thing about attending schools because that is what colleges look at this; this is not true at all. When colleges look at applications, they want to see a well rounded student; someone who plays sports, is involved in clubs and societies, or someone who is involved in a fine arts program.
Throughout high school, fine arts has been a huge part of my success and my motivation to achieve goals in my academics. The STEAM program at Bourne High Schools puts the fine arts on the same pedestal as they do science, technology, math, and engineering; not many schools have gone to the same extremes and I look at this as an issue in those schools.
Fine Arts such as music and drama are what students remember most looking back on high school. Being a part of both music and drama makes me very proud. It has not only improved the applications of students applying to college, it has allowed many to also find a passion or talent they never knew they had before. It has taught us the real meaning of hard work and pushed us to try new things and step out of our comfort zone. It has given us a new kind of self-confidence and excitement in our lives, two things not everyone can achieve in our math and science classes.
In Sandwich High School, there is no STEAM program, it is only a STEM program. I believe that by leaving out the art aspect of STEAM like they have at Sandwich High School is a great loss for their high school experience. The STEM program only fosters sciences and mathematics. No doubt about, both of these academic fields are greatly important, but fine arts are just as important. Fine arts teach people to be creative and may even benefit students who want to be more innovative. Going through High School for the past four years, music has motivated me to work hard and has given me confidence and grace in my academic classes. It gives students relief from the bore of average schoolwork and allows them to express themselves through things they truly love. At Bourne High School, I have talked to many students who did not do fine arts until their senior year and they have all thought to themselves, “Why didn’t I do this earlier?” I’ve seen these people in a new light and it’s such a positive thing to be able to say that you sing or play an instrument or that you are in your school’s production of the Little Mermaid!
For me personally, being involved in fine arts has been so beneficial in my life for many different things such as applying to colleges and filling out resumes. I can feel myself light up when I talk about singing or being a part of so many wonderful choral experiences as well as the outside opportunities I’ve been given because of my participation in fine arts at BHS.
Schools Need Less Emphasis on Standardized testing, More Emphasis on Reality
by Nick Silvestris
No longer is it as important for high school students to learn how to be able to file taxes or cook for yourself, but rather score high on tests such as the MCAS, PARCC, SATs and ACTs.
A major problem in America is the structure of modern education. As competition becomes greater due to society’s pressure for success, a reliance on standardized testing has become the norm for schooling. Nationwide tests are now in large a factor for many colleges and universities to determine which students deserve to attend the more select schools. There is a need, however, for a standard to be developed in order to compare students to their peers especially in situations where the respective students may have very similar if not inseparable resumés. However, this hypothetical test should not be so heavily relied upon by enrollment officers. Not every kid is great at testing, and at the same time students who may not be the most adept can receive fortunate scores due to guessing. The importance of the scheduled nationwide tests adds a greater level of stress on the students to succeed even beyond their capacity in order to compete with students from all ends of the country, and in some cases, the world. All it takes is one bad day or an unfortunate mistake to cost a very capable student his shot at making it into a prestigious college. After all, we all have a bad day. It could be on testing day.
A decreased reliance on standardized testing could result in a change of curriculum within schools. Common core would instead become common sense. Real world applications would actually be applied in real world situations, and graduates could live on their own after leaving high school, equipped with very necessary skills like accounting and household economics. While calculus and other advanced classes are proven to increase brain strength and capacity, their prominence in everyday life for the average person is minimal if used at all. The argument is not to replace AP classes, but instead offer classes that have a paramount importance in everyday situations. Students should learn how to cook a proper meal, wash clothes and have a grasp on the basics of banking and finances. It’s very rare that you’ll see someone apply what they learned in 11th grade chemistry while shopping in the grocery store, but you’re almost guaranteed to see them spending on a budget and planning their meals.
Schooling is made for one of the most vital commodities in a person’s life and what they learn while in primary schooling should extend past book work. In reality, not every kid who walks into school is destined to be a doctor or lawyer, but in reality the uniqueness people posses helps society function. Because if everyone became a scientist we’d be deprived of police officers and plumbers and musicians. Everyone deserves a chance to succeed. Let the college bound kids continue to test well and take the pressure off of the others to let them pass their life’s tests. It’s time we de-emphasize standardized tests and reemphasize learning.
No longer is it as important for high school students to learn how to be able to file taxes or cook for yourself, but rather score high on tests such as the MCAS, PARCC, SATs and ACTs.
A major problem in America is the structure of modern education. As competition becomes greater due to society’s pressure for success, a reliance on standardized testing has become the norm for schooling. Nationwide tests are now in large a factor for many colleges and universities to determine which students deserve to attend the more select schools. There is a need, however, for a standard to be developed in order to compare students to their peers especially in situations where the respective students may have very similar if not inseparable resumés. However, this hypothetical test should not be so heavily relied upon by enrollment officers. Not every kid is great at testing, and at the same time students who may not be the most adept can receive fortunate scores due to guessing. The importance of the scheduled nationwide tests adds a greater level of stress on the students to succeed even beyond their capacity in order to compete with students from all ends of the country, and in some cases, the world. All it takes is one bad day or an unfortunate mistake to cost a very capable student his shot at making it into a prestigious college. After all, we all have a bad day. It could be on testing day.
A decreased reliance on standardized testing could result in a change of curriculum within schools. Common core would instead become common sense. Real world applications would actually be applied in real world situations, and graduates could live on their own after leaving high school, equipped with very necessary skills like accounting and household economics. While calculus and other advanced classes are proven to increase brain strength and capacity, their prominence in everyday life for the average person is minimal if used at all. The argument is not to replace AP classes, but instead offer classes that have a paramount importance in everyday situations. Students should learn how to cook a proper meal, wash clothes and have a grasp on the basics of banking and finances. It’s very rare that you’ll see someone apply what they learned in 11th grade chemistry while shopping in the grocery store, but you’re almost guaranteed to see them spending on a budget and planning their meals.
Schooling is made for one of the most vital commodities in a person’s life and what they learn while in primary schooling should extend past book work. In reality, not every kid who walks into school is destined to be a doctor or lawyer, but in reality the uniqueness people posses helps society function. Because if everyone became a scientist we’d be deprived of police officers and plumbers and musicians. Everyone deserves a chance to succeed. Let the college bound kids continue to test well and take the pressure off of the others to let them pass their life’s tests. It’s time we de-emphasize standardized tests and reemphasize learning.