The construction in the high school has caused problems for getting to class on time in the given six minutes between blocks. With the loss of a wing, students and teachers alike struggle to get where they need to be in the now short time slot.

The only link between the math hall and the portables is the remaining hallway which is constantly over-packed with students who tend to walk in groups at whatever pace they may please,, whether it is brisk or excruciatingly slow.

It has become difficult to get to class on time for many students. A solution could be for teachers to be a little more lenient with students on their tardies. This may sound like a student trying to get less time in class but it makes sense if really considered.

If second, third and fourth block teachers gave students a minute after the tardy bell it would be much easier for students and staff alike. First block classes are excluded because students should be able to make it on time in the mornings on their own.

Students should be in their classrooms by the time the tardy bell rings but due to construction, crowded hallways and inconvenient routes to classrooms, students may be a few seconds to a minute late.

Another solution could be to shave a minute off of each of the lunches to allow an extra minute into class. Although students or staff may argue with this idea, CHS already does this on a weekly basis, late Wednesdays. Every Wednesday each lunch is a minute shorter and it does not typically cause any issues.

You wake up a second time and briefly remember the previous conversation. The local news is playing on the TV in the corner and something the newscaster says catches your attention. A teenager was driving to a friend’s house when they texted their friend to let them know they were on their way. When they were looking down they hit another car, killing two adults and leaving a six year old girl orphaned. You are disgusted and wonder what person could have done such a thing. Then your mom comes in and tells you that it was you. You have a brief flash of a scene scattered with ambulances and punctuated by heart wrenching sobs, and you realize that you are the one who ruined this little girl’s life.

Of course this is hypothetical, but it could happen. I will never understand nor condone texting and driving. In my opinion, people who text and drive are incredibly arrogant. They assume that what they have to say is more important than someone else’s life. When you glance down to send that text, you are making the decision to risk killing someone in order to say something that probably doesn’t even matter. I understand that you don’t really want to kill someone. You would never intentionally take someone’s life, but every time you look away from the road you are saying that you are ok with killing someone.

The problem with teenagers is that we assume that it would never happen to us, that it’s just something adults say to scare us. They are not lying; things like this really do happen. In 2009, texting behind the wheel resulted in 5,474 deaths and nearly 500,000 injuries.

I understand that you have “stuff to say,” but what is more important than someone’s life? Ask anyone who has lost a father, mother, sibling, or friend and they will tell you absolutely nothing. If there is something that absolutely can not wait, pull over or wait until you get to a red light and call the person you need to contact.

When I was working half an hour away and coming home late my mom had me text her before I left. Naturally I forgot sometimes so I would call her as soon as it was safe. She never once got mad at me for being responsible.

You could probably have an entire conversation without incident, but that doesn’t make it ok. Even if you have texted behind the wheel all of your life and have never once been in an accident, you are still guilty. You still assume that your abbreviated words are more important than a father never seeing his daughter again.

I know that some of you can not drive yet, but this still applies to you. If you’re in the car with a friend and see them texting but don’t say anything, you’re just as guilty. Don’t be afraid to tell them to stop. I’ve told my friends to several times and so far none of them have ever gotten angry at me.

I know that you probably think this is just someone ranting on their personal beliefs, but please take this seriously. I beg you, next time you’re about to send a text while driving stop and think: is this really worth the risk? And it is a big risk. Your chance of having an accident is multiplied by 23 whenever you text. Whether you think so or not, I can promise you that you’re not that important. No one is so important that their words are worth killing for.

That was a typical night for me at least twice a week up until mid-October.  I would typically work four days a week: every Friday and Saturday night for a six or eight hours  and two weeknights for a six hour shift. I was working between 25 and 30 hours a week.

My parents, teachers, and friends all thought I was crazy and with good reason. I never got to do anything on the weekends because I would work Friday and Saturday, then go to church and spend the rest of the day catching up on my homework on Sunday. Between school and work, I was working over 60 hours a week, not including driving time or homework. It was not uncommon for me to get less than 20 hours of sleep during the school week.

No one understood why I didn’t quit. I wanted to, but I was making more money than I ever had before. It deluded me into thinking it was worth it.

My job wasn’t terrible, but it certainly had some drawbacks. People can be incredibly rude. I have been yelled at, cursed out, and had trash and mints thrown at me. Not to mention falling on skates is never a fun experience. I have the scar to prove it.

To summarize because I could go on for another two pages about serving teens, I was miserable. It was impossible to keep my grades where I wanted them and I had no life.

I wanted fewer hours but carhops were understaffed. After spending five hours on a Physics assignment I still didn’t understand because I could never go to enrichment, I texted my boss telling him I would put my two weeks in the next day.

It was a rash decision and at first I regretted it. I hate to quit anything and it made me feel like I was giving up. A few weeks after finally quitting I realized I had made the right decision. Working that much with four AP classes was absurd. Now my grades have gone up and by some sort of miracle I’m actually starting to understand Physics. I don’t have to worry about fitting work around lacrosse, and I get to have fun on the weekends. Most importantly, I finally can sleep.

I think jobs are a key part of growing up and everyone should have one at some point in high school, even if it is just for the summer. If you have a difficult class schedule, be reasonable because no minimum wage, dead-end job is worth losing scholarships over. At the same time, if you take easier classes and don’t have many extracurricular activities, a part-time job can really help your application.  

I am planning on going back to Sonic, but I will wait until the summer. If I decide to continue working during the school year I will be very clear about when I can and can’t work so I do not get so overwhelmed again. I’ve learned that school and time to enjoy my teenage years are more important than making money.

Our days centered around Halloween. How many days were left, who we were trick-or-treating with, how much candy we would get, what everyone would be dressed up as. Every year our dad would hook a heigh-filled trailer to the back of his truck and we would pile in with all of our friends, driving around the neighborhood and going from house to house, smiling while holding our pumpkin shaped buckets out expectantly. Just the mere thought of it had us bouncing in our seats.

Fast forward four years and I’m 12. It’s a few days before Halloween and I’m still contemplating trick-or-treating. Maybe I would go, but probably not. I was way too old for it. I mean, at 12 I was pretty much all grown up, right? Wrong, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel that way. It was my first year atChapinMiddle School, not to mention my first year ever going to a public school, and I was convinced that if I went trick-or-treating my new classmates would make fun of me for it.

In the end my brother and I both stayed home and my mom picked us up some candy from Bi-Lo. We watched a cheesy old Halloween movie and pretended like it was just so much fun. Every time our doorbell rang and I looked out to see another kid my age or older asking for candy I felt a twinge of regret. I really wanted to be out there dressed up and going door to door, too. I would never admit it, though, because I was 12 and I was too cool for Halloween.

Four more years brings us to the present and I’m 16. I don’t trick-or-treat anymore because I really have no desire to, but that doesn’t mean I don’t celebrate Halloween. Trekking from house to house in the freezing cold that I was seemingly impervious to when I was younger no longer seems as exciting as it did before. Instead I had a couple of friends come over this year and we carved pumpkins, roasted marshmallows, ate candy, and watched movies. It may not seem as essential to the experience that is growing up as trick-or-treating is, but I still had fun. I do think you are eventually too old for trick-or-treating, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate Halloween. Don’t cut yourself out of the fun because you’re “too cool.”

Mr. Ross’ concern is genuine. No one wants a school with students who are constantly under the influence of drugs. However, I do not think this is the issue. Sure, some students at CHS use drugs but it is not so much a problem during school hours. Most students use them on the weekends of after school and not during the course of the school day so is it really a school related issue?

Many of the students at CHS think it is not a school related issue but many authorities justify their concern by saying something along the lines of “if one student has a problem then it is up to us to help them.”

I think it is a good thing that Mr. Ross is trying to relieve the school of drugs because I agree that students should not be under the influence while at school or ever for that matter. However, Mr. Ross is taking it too far when he tries to get students to tell on one another.

Having students narc on one another will result in a general distrust amongst students. Already I know students who have been called out of class to be searched based on a mere rumor and in many of the cases there was nothing to prove the rumor to be true. Is it really necessary to disrupt a student’s education for a rumor?

Everyone knows how rumors work: Student A gets angry at Student B and decides to tell Mr. Ross that Student B has drugs. Next thing you know, Student B is taken out of class, called into the office to have their bags checked and scores a spot on the mental or literal list of “druggies” that tend to be under more supervision than students not on the list. I have studied the Crucible and read about the McCarthy hearings but is seems like Mr. Ross has not. This is classic guilty until proven innocent and that is unconstitutional.

Mr. Ross’ motto of “We aRe Chapin” seems to be proven untrue when students are disrespected in such a manner because the capital R stands for ready, responsible and RESPECTFUL. Is it respectful for authorities to search students based upon another student’s testimony when it is easy for students to accuse ANYONE of possessing drugs?

If students are using drugs outside of school and another student tells Mr. Ross, there is nothing he can do because it is not on school grounds: it is handled by the law. He is the school principal and if drugs are causing a negative influence while students are inside his school then something should be done-that is his job.

Needless to say CHS students hate the new policy. They say it takes away from birthday celebrations and discourages sharing. Personally, I agree with the intentions of the policy but I feel that it is rather unnecessary. Of course the District’s concern for students’ health is respectable, but if at 14 years old a student does not have enough common sense to know not to eat something they’re allergic to I think they need a little more help than the Cupcake Policy.

It would be more understandable if this wasChapinElementary Schoolor evenChapinMiddle School, but it seems ridiculous in a high school. Just as many teachers say, their jobs are to prepare us for the real world. With the maturity that is required in high school comes more responsibility, which should include knowing what you can and cannot eat. Where a third grader may not think to ask if a cookie was gluten-free, a ninth grader should know to ask.

Like the majority of the student body, I enjoy having parties in class and bringing food for friends. I love it when someone makes me cupcakes for my birthday, and I love to share them with my classmates. I don’t think the district should take that away over such a superfluous policy. We work hard and deserve a treat every once in a while. Personally, I will never go to the store to buy sweets for someone’s birthday and the only way I would do it for class is if it were for extra credit, but that is not allowed anymore either.

Ultimately, the Cupcake Policy is not the end of the world, nor is it the worst thing to happen to CHS. While I wish the district would take into account our age, I understand they are trying to watch out for us. I don’t think any teachers will take enforcing the policy to the extreme, and I’m glad that they made exceptions for Otis Spunkemeyer cookies and Monkey Ice. It makes the policy much more bearable. I can always sneak my friends their cupcakes at lunch or give them to them on the weekends.

- you spend more time playing Angry Birds than studying for your tests

- you gave up Physics for Lent

- your highest grade is in senior study hall

- the snooze button is the new “man’s best friend”

- you’re among the 25 other people in your class who didn’t do their homework

- you now fully understand the definition of procrastination

- the only grade you care about is an 85

- you weigh the pros and cons of skipping on a daily basis

- you pay more attention to your absences than politics

- taking mental health days is a regular habit

- over half of your work is turned in the day the interim ends

- you gave up using binders 6 months ago

- doodling is the new note-taking

- you’re too lazy to redeem your claw cash

- the only writing in your agenda is in the bathroom pass section

- …..you don’t even have an agenda to write bathroom passes in

- you convince underclassmen to do your work for you

- your bookbag itself weighs more than the contents inside

- you paid more attention on your college visit than in a week’s worth of high school

- not caring is something you brag about

- you sleep more in class then you do at home

- you believe exempting exams is equally as important as graduating

- you create Facebook groups so you can group chat about not doing homework

- college applications were the only assignments you completed all year

- you are too lazy to count down the days until graduation

- you wrote this article in class the day it was due

Recent rumors have been surfacing regarding potential changes in the school day on many levels of possibility. Whether or not any changes come about, it is very interesting to examine the untraditional forms that the public school system of Chapin could be heading toward.

Two times will be etched in the minds of Chapin students until the day they kick the bucket, and those are 7:55 am & 3:10 pm. Never questioned, never changed. But…why these times? Imagine if school started at 9:05 am during the days that the federal schooling system formed, creating a tradition that would allow late days to occur 5 days a week. What teenager wouldn’t vote for the possibility of being able to sleep in nearly every single day? Or even imagine if school lasted from 7 am until noon, and students were released for the rest of the day, as is the tradition of many foreign countries. The possibilities are endless, the idea and reality of school times are beginning to slowly change completely.

Throughout America, many schools are beginning to institute 4 day weeks rather than the traditional 5-day week with a 2 day weekend. Such a proposal would save the schooling systems thousands and possibly even millions when you account for meals, employees, transportation, and electricity. Along with this saving of money, schools are able to accomplish the same course curriculums in less days. Since the nation is committed to federalism, why not treat schools as a form of business, trying to be as efficient and productive as possible.

Other than the shift of traditional lengths and times, thoughts have been geared toward the possibility of changing the typical “A-B Day” schedule of Chapin High into an 8-block schedule. This proposed schedule would create 45 minute classes that would occur everyday, eliminating the “every-other-day” factor and significantly decreasing the time of each class period. Students would be able to remain in the same routine literally everyday, and student-teacher interactions would occur twice as often. There are pros and cons to both systems, but both ideas are beneficial in their own ways.

As a senior, any changes in Chapin High School will not affect me, so I will attempt to create my desired schooling system. First, the start time would vary every day of the week. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays would be the “late days”, starting at 9 am and ending at 4 pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays would be “early days”, starting at 7 am, but ending at 2 pm. This system would also be a cross-over between the A-B and 8 block schedule, creating six 60 minute classes every other day. This would help bridge the gap between issues of AP classes that are double blocked, while also allowing students to change up their studies by allowing them to focus on subjects every other day. Unfortunately, there will never be a Melvin High School. Instead, there is Chapin.

Incentives drive people to work toward some ultimate goal, and in this case, it is receiving a business-card sized prize. Yet, subjectivity exists in this good-hearted system of accomplishment and recognition.  So a question arises…what is the value of a single Claw dollar?

This can only be truly answered by the “bank tellers” of Chapin High. Because the faculty and staff of the school serve as equal distributors of the Claw currency, a judgmental role is created for these employees.  One teacher may see holding a door for someone as worthy, while another may think that much more extreme acts of generosity are required to earn the payment. This means a single Claw dollar’s worth can fluctuate depending upon the teacher. This introduces a new issue with the Claw exchange process called motivation.

What motivates a teacher to distribute Claw Cash? Many teachers see handing out Claw Cash as a burden and even as extra work, yet others are dedicated to picking out acts of good behavior. So, to motivate teachers, the Chapin administration is putting names of teachers who distribute into a hat for a chance to win a prize. This raffle is also being implemented for students who were awarded Claw Cash. However, is it worth a teacher’s effort to find students who actually earn their reward, or does it make much more sense to overly distribute the Claw money in order to boost their odds of being the lottery winner? Ironically, this is a dilemma of ethics that faces the people who determine ethical behavior. Ultimately, the teachers participate in the Claw Cash program to encourage and benefit the student, but this is a valid point of discussion.

Of all the questions surrounding the Claw Cash program, it is easy to exemplify the positive and just as easily attack the negative. There are pros and future cons that may face the C.C. program. The simplicity of the Claw Cash design opens it up for possible counterfeit. Claw Cash can be redeemed for a true monetary value of substance, such as a sandwich, which creates ample inspiration to forge Claw Cash for free food.

Another factor to analyze is the final prize of the Claw Cash’s value. Is food the best motivator to encourage good behavior, or are there other future rewards that could cause a greater inspiration for students to improve and display good behavior? These are questions that could influence the future of Claw Cash’s effectiveness, stability, and existence. Yet, after evaluating, criticizing, and analyzing the Claw Cash program, I would have to give it a passing grade. There have already been steps made in the right direction for the future of Chapin High school and the learning environments in the classrooms. Only one unanswered question remains…..do I get Claw Cash for this?

As I made my way down the ramp and entered the hallway, the bell rang.  I turned back around and out the door to avoid any teachers who may not understand the factors surrounding my lateness.  Of course, when I open up the door, Mr. Ross was waiting outside in the amphitheater.  I told him that I had been at FCA and was released late.  His response: Tardy.

This is just one of the many stories that shows absurdity in the tardy system.  My issue is not with the rules of the tardy system, but when the tardy system serves injustice. 

A majority of school tardies occur within a five minute window of the bell.  One second to twenty-nine minutes after the bell, a student is considered late.

Many times, however, the problem is not the timing but the reason.

There won’t be any change made to qualify students’ reasons for being late.  Yet, there will always be an instance when a tardy is caused because of some unlikely scenario- like a speaker running over time.  That is the error of the tardy system.  Sure, it isn’t a perfect system, but there are ways to use the nearly “zero tolerance” policy to a student’s advantage.

When a student realizes they must get an official front office tardy print-out, they can have some options. First, go get a tardy pass and head straight back to class or they might consider option B.

Since the deadline for being late is 29 minutes, why not use the rest of the time to your advantage?  Since you are not officially checked into school, utilize the available time up until the last minute before it’s is considering cutting in order to “get your money’s worth” out of the punishment. If your the punishment is the same for one second or 28 minutes, why not enjoy the moment?

The other solution is the “teacher pass.”  Teacher passes are the key to escaping punishment while still remaining honest.  I could have easily asked the FCA sponsor, Coach Faris, for a pass to class and completely escaped the tardy but I thought a couple of seconds would not matter.

I was wrong.

The system does not care about justice. Justice is difficult and messy. The system wants obedience and black and white policies- like tardy warnings.