Trash or Treasure?
Principal Kim Casey is striving to make GHS a better place, both in looks and in the students it serves. Recent changes that Mrs. Casey has done are, gorgeous and festive flower pots, switching of the lunch process and nipping at heels to increase the number of students at school and decrease the tardies. Others changes also significant to Grandview High School include a completely renovated library, featuring letter jackets and yearbooks of the past. The guessing boxes, also found in the library and new portables.
However, students still disrespect and trash the materials that have been generously supplied. School teachers upon being asked, feel like they are being taking advantage of. They spend their money on supplies, rewards, furniture and many other things that they think will improve their student’s learning experience and end up disappointed. Mr. Maiden says, “I would be happy to spend money if students would treat it with respect and help it go a long way so that other students can also have it.”
Janitors are here on weekends and holidays, cleaning and fixing our school keeping it in top shape, they are repaid by children trashing the school even more, leaving wrappers lying around and scratching pointless things into bathroom mirrors. It is common knowledge that the school has invested lots of money into chromebooks, for what? The chromebooks are vandalized and dis-valued
due to the number of missing keys being pulled off them, following this destructive behavior, students toss the chromebooks into an empty, wrongly marked spot and do not plug them in after using them. Students at the end of the day must rush to find a computer that has battery life left due to the selfish doings of their peers.
Teachers classroom supplies are often broken or in bad shape shortly after being purchased because students do not respect their teachers or the materials provided. Mrs. White’s testing cardboard folders are soiled with dirty and unnecessary graffiti and rude remarks. Mr. Graham’s calculators are covered in writing and drawings. Mr. Charvet and Mr. Penwell feel that student’s behavior towards their learning and their actions proves that teachers are hopeless in improving the learning of this school. Mr. Charvet says that when students repeatedly lie to teachers for unworthy reasons, it hurts teachers over time. Mr. Penwell reports that he feels students cheat their way through school by taking advantage of the five day late policy.
The mindset of teens here at Grandview High School has to change, right now, the perspective of students is that they are an animal that should not be held accountable for their actions. They show up and are given a shiny new toy, yet when they tear it up and make a mess, they should not be reprimanded for what they have done because they are simple minded pets who do not know any better. If this is the case then perhaps they should be assigned to cages instead of desks. Unless students adjust their performance, they will be seen as such. In order to change the demeanor that is currently in place, students should make an effort to thank their teachers and respect the supplies generously given to them. They can also counteract the current mentality by helping to improve the treasure that is Grandview High School.
