Point-Counterpoint: Extra Time Between Class

A Clear Necessity:

The overpass between classes is like New York City at rush hour. Everyone has somewhere to be, yet no one is going anywhere fast enough. Ninth grade student L says, “The overpass might as well have a traffic guard.” Every class has students showing up after the bell, it’s just a fact that with a limited amount of time to get to class, not everyone will make it on time. I’m sure that everyone reading this has had an instance where they’ve run to get to class on time. Teachers are understandably frustrated that students are arriving tardy, but what can they do about it?

The majority of the kids who are consecutively late to class did not wander around the school beforehand. Many times the reason a student is late is because a teacher would not allow them time to pack up before the bell, or they got stuck in the overpass/science hallway. When people show up late to class they cause interruptions, and hold up everyone. There are many solutions to this problem, but the easiest is to have more time in between classes.

If MHS students had more time between classes they would be able to get to class on time because they would have more time to navigate the school. The overpass would still be crowded, but students would have enough time to get through it and get to class before the bell rings. This would allow for more time to teach students without the door constantly opening and closing. More time would also let students use the bathroom, refill water bottles, and fulfill other possible classroom interruptions before the bell if they arrive to class early. More time would give students the opportunity to prepare for class and have all their materials together. Overall, it would enable teachers and students to make the most of the class time they have.

 

Only Effective in Theory:

Adding extra time between periods is a good idea in theory, but impractical. An extra couple of minutes to get where we need to go would only succeed in lengthening the school day, and who wants that? More time between periods sounds like it could help with tardiness, but plenty of students make it to class with time to spare. I would agree with adding time if there were no way to get to class. However, there are many different paths and shortcuts that allow students to make it to class.

There are other options besides adding time that would help students get to class. Many students aren’t ready to leave the room by the time the bell rings, which takes up time they could be using to get across the school. By packing up a little bit before before the period is over, students can be out of the room and hurrying down the hall with lots of time.

Another solution is to plan ahead and map out your path to class. Scoping out the hallways and finding shortcuts is a great way to save time. If you know your next class is very far away, you should have a set walking plan to get to that class. On the other hand, if you know your next class is relatively nearby, you know you can take more time getting there.

In closing, adding extra minutes between periods will unnecessarily extend the school day even more than it already is. A majority of the students can make it to class on time if they manage their time and map out their path. Packing up before the period is over and simply walking faster are concise solutions to a very reversible problem.

 

What Happened to Working in High School?

The average MHS student has a very busy schedule involving homework, projects, and numerous tests. In addition to school, many participate in sports, PACE shows, and clubs, staying for hours after school for practices and rehearsals. Not to mention the tutor sessions to prepare for the SATs, the private lessons at the Larchmont Music Academy, or the list of chores around the house. It is a wonder that we find the time to do homework or hang out with friends, and it is not surprising that most of us sacrifice sleep and free time for schoolwork and studying. Our list of activities is long, yet something is missing: going to work. Only 35% of American teenagers today are employed, a number significantly lower than in 2000, when over 50% of teens worked. In our financially privileged community, this percentage is guaranteed to be lower, as most teens do not need to work in order to support their families. How many of us have visited our school’s own YES office? The majority of MHS students are missing an opportunity to learn vital workplace skills that will benefit them in the future.

         Most high schoolers blame school as the reason they don’t have jobs. We’re all trying to compile the perfect application for college. While this focus on academics is a positive, many high school students believe getting into a respectable college is the final goal. This is not the case. The point of education is not to prepare someone for more education, rather it is to prepare you for holding a job. Most students spend all of their time preparing for college and not for what comes after. Those of us who have a job learn how to interact with coworkers, bosses, and customers. Having job experience as a teenager, no matter what type of job you hold, sets you up for a more successful career in your adult years, and it directly corresponds to wages. Adults who had a job as a teenager bring in paychecks 25% larger than those who were unemployed.

         It is not as if jobs aren’t available to teenagers. In fact, it is the opposite. Jobs typically held by teens, such as waiting tables at IHOP or folding shirts at Gap, are available, but no one is taking them. Fast food chains are desperate for teen workers to work the cash register or assemble burgers. Companies like this need cheap labor teens to keep their businesses going. Instead, managers and owners are forced to work the lunch rush, knowing that if customers aren’t satisfied by the speed of their service, they won’t come back. Employers want us in the workforce just as badly as we need the work experience.

        We all should reconsider the importance of having an after school job. On top of having extra money in your pocket, it sets you up for a better career in your adult years. Delivering pizza part-time increases your likelihood of earning higher wages as an adult, and makes you more appealing to future employers. It will improve your time management skills as you learn to balance school and work. Finding time for work may seem impossible, but the valuable experience we receive makes it worth the effort.

By Abby Tucker

The New Cheating Policy: A Missed Punch at a Complex Issue

There’s a new sheriff in town. The school recently announced a new academic integrity policy, aimed at curtailing cheating, plagiarism, and academic dishonesty. Released by an ad hoc committee in mid-October, this new policy swings for the fences, but, unfortunately, the ball barely makes it past the pitcher’s mound. This new Academic integrity policy is extensive, and, in its attempt to address every instance of so called “cheating,” takes a shoot-first-ask-questions later approach that machineguns some incredibly complicated issues.

The most notable problem with this policy is its take on group work. One key plank of the policy is that, “…all exercises, assignments, activities or assessments are to be completed individually unless directed otherwise by the teacher…This includes, but is not limited to, homework, classwork, [etc.].” Hidden in this mundane language is a threat to the education of scores of MHS Students.

Pep Rally 2.0: A Welcome Change

On October 4th, Mamaroneck High School hosted its first evening pep rally in three years. At the last nighttime pep rally, the girls’ tennis team dance was not deemed “school appropriate,” and Ms. Clain changed the rally to a daytime event. Alison Zerbib ‘19, the captain, said that “Because tennis had the reputation, the blame fell on them.” Sophia Psaila, the former captain, commented, “I don’t think it was right of the athletic department to punish all the teams for pep rally when it was tennis’ dance that was seen as the most inappropriate.”

West and Swift Wade into Political Water

For almost a decade now, singer Taylor Swift and rapper Kanye West have been involved in a feud. It began at the 2009 MTV VMA’s when West interrupted Swift while she was receiving the Music Video of the Year Award, and now their feud has moved into the most polarizing aspect in our country, politics. Both West and Swift’s backing of the Republican and Democratic party demonstrate the growing influence celebrities have on the political atmosphere of our country. It shows that celebrity endorsements could play a role in the outcome on Election Day.  

“Pencils for Parkinson’s” Club Off to a Great Start

t started with a tremor. A persistent shake in the right hand. Then the right leg.

“It’s nothing,” you would say. A hint of worry hidden underneath your tongue.

Soon, you realize your steps are shorter. You can’t keep up as you walk with others. You make excuses. Falling becomes an everyday fear. You know something is happening. One day, your life will become bound to a chair and controlled by nurses.

This is Parkinson’s disease.

GSA Celebrates LGBTQ History Month

In 1994, a Missouri high school teacher named Rodney Wilson created LGBTQ History Month. This month is a celebration of important events and individuals in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history. For the United States and Canada, it was chosen to be celebrated during October in concurrence with the already established National Coming Out Day on October 11. Other LGBTQ+ related events in October are the anniversary of the first march on Washington by LGBTQ+ people on October 14th, 1979, Spirit Day on October 20th, in which people wear purple to support LGBTQ+ youth and Ally Week, in which anti LGBTQ+ bullying is called attention to.

Valedictorian Mancuso and Salutatorian Hilden: Two True Intellectuals

With 57 students with GPAs 95 and up and 6 students at 98 and up, the MHS Class of 2018 has an exceptional number of deserving graduates. But at the very top stand Rebecca Mancuso, this year’s valedictorian, and David Hilden, this year’s salutatorian. Each one has rounded off their MHS career with an outstanding academic record, an impressive lineup of extracurricular accomplishments, and a remarkable spirit of humility towards their peers.

Rebecca Mancuso lives in White Plains but was able to go to school in the district because her mother is a teacher at Chatsworth, where Mancuso went to elementary school. Her sister, Emily Mancuso, was salutatorian in 2013.

This year Mancuso was the co-president of the Chinese Club and the Quiz Bowl Club. She is also a lifelong Girl Scout. She took PACE for all of high school and played the viola in the the local St. Thomas Orchestra and the MHS Chamber Orchestra. For her senior internship she helped Ms. Rosen teach orchestra at Murray. Next year she will attend Temple University to study music education, and she intends to become a music teacher.

Mancuso’s APs this year were Physics C, BC Calculus, Literature, and European History, and last year she took AP U.S. History and Physics 1. She engages deeply in all her classes and does not lean towards any single academic area. “I find myself very interested in the topics that I am studying,” she told the Globe. Mancuso says that although she tries not to, she ends up spending most of her time studying so that she can feel she has mastered the material for every test. “She sits in the front of the room and she’s always on top of it, always answering all the questions, always helping her classmates,” said Ms. Valdez, the BC Calculus teacher. Valdez added, “I think she got a hundred on just about every test.”

Mrs. Groninger Named Hommocks Assistant Principal

Next year, Mrs. Groninger—an English teacher who has taught many classes including AP Language and 9th grade English—will be moving on to bigger and better things. Leaving many of her students with a mixture of shock and excitement, Mrs. Groninger has revealed that she will step in as the assistant principal of the Hommocks next year!

“We’re Here for the Students”: The End of Midterms

Principal Clain has announced that the 2018-2019 MHS midterm policy is changing drastically. After receiving backlash from the past year’s “summatives,” the Mamaroneck School Board decided to eliminate all midterms. Going forward, the teachers will decide how they test students at the end of the second semester.

Principal Clain hopes that teachers will think of “creative” ways to assess students. In an interview she questioned, “Why is our learning so disconnected? I am puzzled by this idea that we break things up into units.” With the new policy in place, she hopes that teachers will “build” upon previous units learned. For example, a test given in the third quarter may incorporate ideas learned in the first quarter into questions. As part of the new plan, the MHS administration has created a testing period of up to 12 days before the end of each quarter to reduce stress. This schedule will assign one or two subjects the ability to test per day.

Before the 2017-2018 school year, Mamaroneck High School stopped classes for one week of midterm testing. The week took days out of the school year and as a result did not meet New York State’s required number of school days for receiving state aid. The Mamaroneck School Board came up with “summatives” as a solution. Summatives lasted from the middle of December to the end of January in which there were several block days with 90 minute periods devoted to mid-year testing. After sending out a post-summative survey, Principal Clain said that the feedback received was “overwhelmingly negative for both teachers and students.” Many students reported that they crammed and felt even more stressed because they studied for the exams over the course of two months.

Most colleges and universities reserve a testing period for midterms, and many MHS students question if this new “no midterm” policy will prepare them for that. Others are skeptical of their teachers following Clain’s idea of “building” on material and instead sticking to their traditional ways of testing. Ms. Clain states that MHS is “here for the students” and hopes that this new plan will create a healthier and less stressful learning environment for the future.

By Lizzy Kaplan

OSR Year a Huge Success

At the 2017-18 school year marks one of the most successful in Original Science Research (OSR) history. This year, 35 seniors are graduating from the OSR program. Across multiple competitions, OSR students have taken home 33 awards and over $5,000 in prizes this year.

2018: A Year of Changes at MHS

The 2018-2019 school year is surely not one to be forgotten, especially for this year’s graduating class. This year brought to the school physically as well as dynamically. Sports teams enjoyed successes and the arts the school prides itself on dazzled audiences. Individual students showcased their talents in areas such as the fields of science and in the humanities. Mamaroneck High School is as much a school located in Lower Westchester, New York, as it is one that is globally based- as seen in the diverse student population and its charitable efforts in countries such as Senegal and China. When asked how to describe the school year in only one word, Zoë  Yunger ‘18 said “appreciative,” and with a look back on the most recent school year, that assessment could not be any more accurate.

Increasing Enrollment in District Schools Remains an Issue

The number of students entering kindergarten in the Mamaroneck district has rapidly increased over the past few years and is expected to continue growing. The challenge with this is finding enough room in each elementary school to handle all the new students. Among many possible solutions, the School Board most seriously considered redrawing the elementary school-assignment boundary lines, also known as redistricting. If this happened it would mean that many Murray and Chatsworth graduates at MHS would find that their homes were no longer zoned to those schools, but rather zoned to Central and Mamaroneck Avenue for new kindergarteners. For next year, the redistricting proposal is off the table, however, increasing enrollment is expected to be a challenge throughout the coming years.

Since 2010, the enrollment in schools in Mamaroneck has increased by 13%. The School Board thinks this is due to Mamaroneck’s proximity to NYC, the water, and the highly desirable schools in the district. Along with that, many new houses and apartment units have been built over the past few years. While this is a positive improvement for the town, it has caused a few problems involving the space the elementary schools have for the large amount of kindergarteners enrolling this coming fall. The School Board identified the two main problems as: whether there was enough physical space to provide for the students, and, whether the district would have the financial resources to deal with the increased enrollment.

FBLA Wins Big at State Conference

The State Leadership Conference is prepared for all year by FBLA members throughout the state, and is an amazing experience for all members. There are many aspects to the Conference, but the most exciting aspect is competition. FBLA offers a plethora of competitions for members to participate in such as Introduction to Business Presentation, Accounting exams, and Basic Decision Making. Some competitive events test knowledge, while others test public speaking and presentation skills.

MHS Teachers Pioneer Interdisciplinary Beehive Program

On April 13th, a small crowd of teachers, administrators and students gathered on the hill outside the Mamaroneck High School overpass. Some wore helmets, yellow mesh face guards and white gloves, while others stood poised with their iPhone cameras. The white noise of 20,000 pairs of bee wings was everywhere.

Last summer, the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation issued a generous grant to allow MHS to install four beehives on school property. Since then, a wide range of people have worked together to help make the Honeybee Project a reality, officially launching it last month. The beehives now sit just outside the overpass window, where students can glimpse them on their way to class.

The idea for the project first came from AP Biology teacher Ms. O’Reilly, who was inspired by a friend she had visited over the summer. “They were telling me about their beehives, and I thought, I wonder if I could ever get something like that at Mamaroneck,” said Ms. O’Reilly. “I thought that it would be a perfect, authentic learning experience for a lot of people in the school building.” Already, the project has involved many people and much collaboration. Prior to the bees being transferred into their hives on the 13th, students and faculty at MHS spent months preparing for their arrival. Each hive—consisting of a white box with several wax frames inside—was built from scratch by engineering students in Mr. Love’s class. The engineering students, along with some of Chef Luff’s culinary students, also helped to decorate the hives and later install them in the ground. Students who were interested in helping with the project formed a “bee team” and volunteered to help with different aspects of the process.

While it may not seem logical to have thousands of bees living in the vicinity of a high school, honeybees are extremely unlikely to cause trouble. Although the suits and helmets might suggest otherwise, honeybees very rarely sting people who aren’t a direct threat to them. Honeybees also tend to fly up to three miles away from their hives in search of food, which means they won’t be noticed too much around the high school. According to Ms. O’Reilly, it will be more likely to find them at Harbor Island during the day.

Each hive, containing approximately 10,000 honeybees and one queen, is a self-sustaining unit that can last for years. In that time, the hives will hopefully provide lasting educational and practical benefits. The bees have already started to make honeycomb, which can soon be harvested with a large honey extractor that was included in the grant. “Honey is a really great sugar substitute for a lot of different recipes,” says Chef Luff, who plans on using the collected honey in his culinary classes. “Baked goods, even more savory goods…salad dressing is something that really comes to mind.” He added that whatever honey doesn’t get used in his culinary class will likely be bottled up and sold at school fundraisers.

Senior Parking: A Debate Left Open

Cartoon by Eli Canter. 

This year, 293 seniors from the 2018 graduating class participated in a senior internship for a month once AP classes were wrapping up. As a result, the senior parking lot (known as SLot), located outside the glass door entrance, has had many open spots every day. Meanwhile, just up the hill around the small junior lot, students struggle every day to find parking in the overpopulated residential streets that serve as junior parking. Residents near the school have started to put cones out to prevent students from using the spots in front of their homes for the day, and some residents don’t even use their driveways anymore, opting to park their cars on the street to limit the number of spots available to juniors. Juniors have been forced to leave their houses earlier and earlier to compete for spots. Many had hoped that the departure of the majority of the senior class would allow them to park in the almost-empty senior lot. However, juniors were met with threats of being towed and fined if they parked in senior lot. In a few cases, juniors who tried parking in senior lot even had their cars vandalized.

One would expect that in the midst of such hostility between the two grades, the school administration would step in as an authoritative force and set policies to ensure that juniors have a place to park. But instead, the administration remained virtually silent on the issue. In fact, Ms. Clain officially told the Globe that with so many other things going on in the school, this is not her main priority. The silence from the school has caused an accusatory and tense debate, rather than the open conversation needed for a reasonable solution.

Fixing the school’s broken system for parking would obviously require much more long-term changes, such as assigning specific spots to students at the beginning of the year or even building a new parking lot. But letting students park in the half-empty main lot wouldn’t be a bad place to start. A few rows could even be designated for seniors only to guarantee they still have parking. Ms. Clain has said, “Senior lot is a privilege.” However, why should students who decide to go on internships reserve the privilege of a parking spot at the school?  And what did seniors do to earn this privilege in the first place?

Part of the reason why action has never been taken on this issue is that juniors know they only have a few months before they can roll down to senior lot and leave the chaotic mornings to the class below them, so there is never a sustained initiative. Rising juniors will just have to hope that the school decides to take action before they arrive next year.

Students Prefer to Not Take a Stand for Standing Desks

Anyone who has set foot in a public high school classroom can envision the classic desk and chair combination. It has been accepted in our society as the standard classroom furniture because it’s easy, organized, and functional. However, students who have sat in these desks are familiar with the neck pain, the back cramps, and the restlessness that results from sitting for a long period of time. And that’s even before sitting down in one of the connected chair-and-desks in the science wing that would be more recognizable as a sled.

Words Matter

As MHS students embark upon numerous college tours, they will now notice tour guides stumbling on the word “freshman.” Many colleges have changed the term to “first year” to promote gender equality. If this term expresses equality, why don’t all schools, including high schools, use it? As we go about our daily conversations, we can notice how many words are centered around the word “man” or “male” and how many common expressions are gender-based. If society is so intent on recognizing that both genders are equal, why aren’t we using terms that encompass all genders?

The more a word is used, the more power it gains. Starting at a young age, children are exposed to “gendered language,” and stereotypes develop based on the words their parents and teachers use. Many everyday expressions reinforce gender stereotypes. Some common male-centered expressions, including “man up,” “ballsy,” and “wise guy,” represent strength, masculinity, and power. On the other hand, expressions invoking feminine terminology such as “run like a girl,” “drama queen,”  and “Primadonna” have predominantly negative connotations. They buy into the stereotype that girls are more emotional and represent weakness.

Over time, meanings of words shift; when the word “man” was created, it included all people. The etymology of the word woman is derived from “wifman,” which means female servant, an outdated concept. Since the word “man” has evolved over time, words including it should be modified to be more inclusive.

Approaching Media in the #MeToo Era

What does a student do with the music of Melanie Martinez, accused of sexual misconduct in the last few months? Do we strike it from our Spotify playlists, delete it and condemn it as if we never enjoyed it?  Do we stop watching the movies of the famous Harvey Weinstein, recently accused of rape and sexual abuse on multiple counts? Poof goes “Pulp Fiction,” “Shakespeare in Love,” and “Playing for Keeps.” What about the comedy of Louis C.K.?  Do we forget the laughs, omit his cameos in many of our favorite shows, including the loved “Parks and Recreation?” While many may never say goodbye to some of these entertainment staples, this year has raised a hefty question: how do students approach adored pieces of art made by controversial artists?

Many people feel that enjoying films, songs, and literature that were meant to entertain does not offer up an endorsement of their creators. Psychologist Peggy Drexler of Weill Medical College of Cornell University states, “It’s critical to remember that when we watch a film, view art or read a book, we’re doing so to be entertained and enriched. We’re not doing it to issue an endorsement of the human being whose work it is.” Dr. Drexler believes that it is possible to condemn the person without condemning their work. Going forwards, it is essential for us to separate the work of art from the artist, especially if the current pattern continues.