I’m sorry, but do not say Steinmetz is a bad school if you are not:
1. Taking any honor/AP/IB classes, or
2. In a school sport, club or activity, or
3. Putting your best foot forward in school.
Also, it is never too late to apply yourself in school. We just began a new semester. Apply yourself and see the change you create. Whether you’re a freshman or a senior about to graduate, straight A’s feel great and you can definitely achieve them. Steinmetz also has tutoring.

Imagine if the Mona Lisa had an obvious modification to it — something dramatic, like a gigantic scribble grazed over the entire painting, or something simple, like if she had a mustache. Even if it was one minor line it would change the entire outcome of the art piece. One simple line is all it takes to destroy or enhance a finished product.

Consider yourself a blank canvas. Endless possibilities linger in the air on what you will turn out to be. On this canvas there is an outline of your basic identity, and your ego becomes the main focus of this still life. However, everyone who comes in contact with you can leave a mark of any kind, ultimately affecting the end result of you.

Our ability to create a chain reaction is obnoxiously overwhelming. Our words spill out of our mouths like vomit, and since we want to be heard, it feels like it is impossible to contain them.

This all could be easily summed up into one simple sentence: What you do affects people, so watch what you say and do.

But that isn’t intense enough. It is so incredibly easy to disregard the impact that these random words hold. The order in which we place words can make a difference or just become repetitive things said in different variations. We are capable of enhancing each other.

Educate yourself on issues happening in the world, or even just about one specific person, and strive to make things better.

Unity is necessary for survival; there is absolutely no point in hating each other or disrespecting others because of their beliefs and opinions when toxic issues in the world are unraveling before our eyes.

Step away from just your perspective in the world and absorb compassion and love. Not everyone will agree with what you believe in or stand for, and that is simply okay.

Dreaming becomes a beautiful tool, especially when having an optimistic point of view. The power we have to imprint all things possible is combusting inside of us.

Instead of saying controversial things to be funny, or purposefully hurting or insulting someone for simply living, acknowledge the impact you have on yourself and others and constantly try to be better.

Everyday, everyone has the potential to be different. No one is the same as he or she used to be. Constant change, whether it is negative or positive, continues to flourish.

By Elise Guillen and Agape Alfaro

Many who care about Steinmetz have noticed with each passing year that Steinmetz is slowly decreasing in value. This editorial is not meant to bash Steinmetz, but rather criticize the school in order to improve it. We love Steinmetz and have a deep concern for it.

It’s also worth noting that there is no specific group to point out and to blame why Steinmetz is going in a bad direction. It is rather a combination of people, thus proving there needs to be a group effort from students, teachers, staff and CPS to make sure Steinmetz has the future it deserves.

Lack of organization. When planning events, there is disorganization due to the lack of communication. For example, this year the seniors had no idea when graduation practice would happen or when they would receive things such as caps and gowns or even graduation tickets because no one was telling them anything. Also, when there are events happening at the school, students rarely hear about them until they happen.

Lack of involvement from staff and students. There are only certain staff and students who are constantly involved at Steinmetz and it’s very easy to pick them out.

The Star encourages more students and staff to get involved at Steinmetz to allow other people to see the great things Steinmetz offers and to get even more people to be excited and involved in the school. There’s so much to do besides academics. Since there’s not enough student involvement and even lack of teacher involvement, this leads to the next point.

Extra curriculars diminishing. Lately, since people are not getting involved as much, clubs are dying. There are barely any extracurriculars besides sports. There used to be drama club and a school play every year until this year. Four years ago the school was alive and buzzing with various activities to do after school, but now everyone just rushes out of the building and many clubs and sports are told to leave by a certain time while other schools are open late for students.

Funding to improve Steinmetz- There’s a difficulty getting funding from the school in order to get materials for club since administration doesn’t allow things like fundraisers, which could really improve and benefit Steinmetz. Even sports struggle because of lack of money for buses.

Uniforms.  The Star has covered the uniform issue plenty of times and every time that we do, we always come back to the same consensus: Get rid of it.

The uniform is inconsistent and it’s ridiculous that the school has it. The way that the school enforces it is confusing considering it can only being enforced part of the time instead of all the time. One person could get called out for wearing jeans, but then the five people who are also not in uniform don’t get in trouble.

Then, the school makes a big deal of being out of uniform like it’s the worst thing ever. It isn’t. There are other student behavior problems that should be focused on, but get less attention since people are focused on the uniforms.

It also gives the community something to think about. Why did the other high schools in the area drop the uniform? Why is Steinmetz the only one left with it? Many think that the uniform gives the school a bad look because it’s associated with controlling bad students.

Having the uniform, despite many students being against it, shows that the students aren’t being listened to and they’re the ones being forced to wear it. When in reality, it’s limiting students’ creative expression and causing more problems than fixing them.

We understand the reasons for uniforms,  but they do nothing for student safety. We highly suggest requiring students to always wear their IDs as an alternative to identify Steinmetz students.

The high standards of rules yet the lack of enforcement of them. As stated before with uniform, there is a lack of proper discipline. One day staff with be on your case with being in proper uniform and the next day  everyone will turn a blind eye. Sometimes detentions will be handed out, but very few actually attend. And when people do show up to detention, it’s relaxed. People are talking or on their phone and will be able to leave after thirty minutes. Another issue is how teachers are told to write up students who misbehave, yet then they receive no discipline. At most, they receive a call home but that isn’t even proper discipline.

The quality of the bathrooms. This is not a bashing on how they are being cleaned. The cleaning crew has improved and works really hard. But the lack of fixing the overall bathrooms over the course of several years is deeply concerning. The murals outside the bathrooms make a student believe the bathrooms are just as nice inside but that’s not the case. Most of the bathrooms have damaged mirrors and some even have none. This is something students always complain about, but nothing has been done to fix the problem. As for the graffiti and quality of the stalls, there is not much to do about that. Except to possibly open the school up during the summer and let anyone from the community or even students help paint over the graffiti before the start of every school year.

The topics discussed have not only contributed to the population of Steinmetz decreasing, but have also made Steinmetz students less enthusiastic about school and not proud of where they attend.

There are other serious problems that are now beyond administration, students and staff’s hands, such as the lay-offs of our librarian Ms. Eshoo and amazing teachers Mr. Foster, Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Meunier, as well as new schools being built nearby which will further decrease our enrollment and funding.

But there are many things that everyone at this school can work on. It truly starts with the people who attend or work at Steinmetz to create change and to make others aware of what Steinmetz is capable of.

If you’re reading this and you’re like us and care and worry about the future of Steinmetz, reevaluate what you could personally do to help give Steinmetz the future it deserves.

“My favorite experiences were making friends throughout all four school years of my high school career, being on the track team for freshman and junior years, as well as cross country senior year. I met so many awesome people that I am so glad to have met. Doing well in the Star poetry contest was one of my proudest achievements.”
Jennifer Pelot

“I truly enjoyed the conversations we had in our lunch table.”
Steffin Kurian

“I liked the day when my friends and I had created the tunnel of “El Chapo” in lunch period.”
Brenda Diaz

“I liked my English class my freshman year because that’s where I met my best friend Jasmin Vides. We’ve been best friends ever since, and we got closer to each other.”
Leslie Herera

From a young age I considered myself an Asian American. As I grew older, I began to struggle with my identity.

About a year ago, I told a classmate that my family was from the Philippines. The conversation led to them saying, “You’re not Asian.”

To me that was shocking. How was I not Asian? The Philippines is a part of Asia. I didn’t understand what they were implying and I was left confused.

Recently, I had a conversation with some friends about how they were kind of excited to see more Asians in the city. I questioned them, asking why they don’t act that way towards me and my Asian classmates. After all, we’re Asian as well. What makes us different from them?

A friend said I was like “the Taco Bell for Asians,” and that I was an “old” Asian.

What does that even mean? That I’m not an “authentic” Asian because I wasn’t physically born in the Philippines? Is is because I’m not completely familiar with the language and culture?

I knew that people had misconceptions of Asians, but maybe it’s on a much larger scale than I thought it to be.

Asia consists of 48 countries, yet when most people are asked which countries are Asian, most would reply with only China, Japan and Korea.

Not only are there many more Asian countries, Asians make up about 60 percent of the world population. That results in many Asians who aren’t acknowledged.

So where is the heart of the problem? How does the Asian community allow people to become aware of Asians?

You can’t base our Asianness by skin colors, eye shapes and other physical features. As a whole, Asians can look vastly different. Sure, some of us look like the Asian stereotypes that you see on T.V., but many look like stereotypical Africans, Caucasians or Latinos.

So if it’s difficult to judge who’s Asian based off of looks, do we base it off of culture? Because, yet again, depending on where Asians are from, there are going to be lots of differences in culture.

I can understand if people are confused on who’s considered Asian and who isn’t. That’s okay, even I can admit that I get confused too.

What’s not okay is being ignorant, and I feel like many fangirls for Asians aren’t taking that step to learn about countries and cultures.

The Star doubts he knows how these announcements were received. Besides the eye rolls and groans, typical comments were –

“Annoying.”

“Rude.”

“Repetitive.”

“Too loud; he’s yelling, not talking.”

“Ineffective.”

We understand that Mr. Ngo’s goal in using the intercom is to communicate with students.

Although most of the staff members of the Star think the uniform policy harms rather than helps the school (in part because it is impossible to enforce completely), we understand that once a policy is set that Mr. Ngo wants students to follow it.

Obviously, no students should be in the hallways instead of class. Mr. Ngo wants students there, and wanted teachers to be aware that some students were leaving early.

He wants students to push hard at the finish line of the semester.

However, there is a better way to communicate these ideas and policies than using the intercom and loudly interrupting classes. The following are suggestions we’d like Mr. Ngo to consider the next time he feels the desire to blast a message:

• Give information to teachers and tell them to talk to their students in a class discussion.
• Share your message in a grade level town hall meeting.
• Email students and parents.
• Send a phone message to families
• Talk to the individuals who aren’t following policies or are struggling.
• Start communicating these things at the beginning of the year and consistently throughout the semester; don’t wait until things seem so urgent.
• Don’t just demand things, explain to students why they’re important (but not on the the intercom).
• If you feel you have to use the intercom make announcements, use it during the passing periods or during the regular announcement period after 1st period or before school begins.

Drop the uniform

The school would have fewer problems and fewer students going into 118 if there were no uniform requirement. – Jasmin Vides

Mr. Ngo takes it like it’s a big issue to be out of uniform. It’s not. – Emily Gonzales

Have a dress code instead of a uniform. – Alma Carmona

Change the uniform policy. – Rosalinda Diaz, Kyiah Morris

I would like to get rid of the uniform entirely, like most schools in the area. – Alyanna Fontanilla

Return to earlier bell schedule

We should get out at 3:00  instead of 4:00 because many students have jobs and after school programs. Students go home so late. – Jasmin Vides

I hate how we don’t get out of school until four o’clock on most days. Even if we had to start earlier, I would still do it if it meant getting out earlier as well. – Stephanie Pravinchandra

I think that we get out of school way too late, which makes students have less freedom after school. – Alma Nunez

Allow off-campus lunch

I would let the seniors leave for lunch. If not that, put them all in a lunch period together. The lunch periods this year are all mixed up, which isn’t fair for the seniors since this is their last year. – Stephanie Pravinchandra

I feel that the way we eat lunch is really bad and that the school only feeds us because they are required to.

We should have the option of off-campus lunch. If some students don’t come back then that’s their education they’re putting in jeopardy, not mine.

Earlier this year, there was a smushed bug on my milk. All the lunch lady did was gave me a new lunch, which is still unacceptable.

It’s not fair that they are investing millions of dollars into a new field but not better food, when some people don’t eat because they are not getting the proper nutrition that their bodies deserve. – Katera Goldman

Off-campus lunch should be an option because the lunchroom food isn’t always good. – Aja Williams

We should be allowed to go out to get food and then come back to the school when we’re done.  – Kyiah Morris

Dismiss seniors after 7th

Seniors who have all their credits and are on track to graduate shouldn’t have an 8th period. I feel like that will motivate all grade levels to stay on track and won’t fail classes that they will need to meet the graduation requirement once they get to senior year. – Rosalinda Diaz

Staying in school until 4:01 p.m. seems too long. I also feel that seniors who have all their credits, should be able to pick their schedule or get to get out early due to the fact we don’t need electives. – Aja Williams

Focus on arts

I would change how low the art programs are seen in this school and how sports are more valued than the arts. – Kathryn Rosas

Support sports

I wish our sport teams were better supported. We use uniforms that are old and the letters are coming off of the jerseys. I don’t think our school is too fond of sport teams, so they don’t try to better any equipment of sorts. – Victor Hernandez

Hold more events, better venues

We need more than one pep rally, like a winter and spring pep rally. I’m in boys volleyball I would love to experience being on the stage showing off my spirit in the school. – Vinnie Rivera

We should rent banquet halls for the school dances because it’s too crowded to do it in the lunchroom and the gym. It gets too hot in both locations. – Victor Hernandez

Acknowledge success of all students

There is a lot of favoritism in this school towards certain course levels, like IB. I have witnessed this first-hand and it upsets me because all of us have potential.

We should all be treated equally and get the praise we deserve.

Some of us work our a__es off to get the grades we have, while struggling with other activities, and it isn’t fair that there is no acknowledgment of us.

It would be nice to hear from our administration, especially Mr. Ngo, with positive speeches and praises over our achievements. – Daria Velazquez

Behave better, improve attitudes

I believe that we must inspire a change within our students in order to really make a change in this school. I believe we need to change the way we see ourselves and others and motivate one another to achieve greatness. –Jenny Gamboa

I would change the discipline. In my opinion, the students practically run the school. – Chiya Loyd

Let’s get real

We are now young adults going into the real world; we should be talking about real things.

We need to talk about public school system’s priorities and how those priorities are not in the right places. We want students to be successful in life, but schools aren’t teaching things that are considered life necessities. I don’t need to know the Pythagorean Theorem to be successful. Show me how to do my taxes. – Chiya Loyd

[See Chiya’s complete “Let’s get real” column at steinmetzstar.com.]•

On Oct. 11, when the other classes were taking PSATs, the seniors had a field trip to the zoo, a place that many people believe causes more harm than good.

One of the problems with zoos are the enclosures the animals are forced to endure. Zoo workers may decorate them, but that’s nothing compared to the natural habitats where animals were meant to live.

Cramped conditions bore animals and make them act unnaturally. The enclosures also cut lives. A study found that elephants held captive in zoos live an average of 17 years, while in the wild they live 56 years.

The following, divided by grade level, are some of the signed comments, transcribed by the 8th period journalism class.

Freshmen

“The uniforms make the school depressing.”

Cesar Escamila, freshman

“I hate getting in trouble for it.”

Anthony Martinez, freshman

“Because who wears uniforms?”

Giovanni Anaya, freshman

“Wearing our own clothes lets us be us.”

Omar Hasayeh, freshman

“I say no uniform ‘cause some people don’t have money to buy gym clothes, a $13 uniform shirt and pants.”

Keana Smith, freshman

“No uniforms because I want to show people what I wear.”

Krystian, freshman

“I don’t like wearing the same green colored shirt.”

Iverson Amparan, freshman

“My reason is because wearing uniforms are part of our school grade.”

Nathaniel Kndx, freshman

“No uniforms hold less restriction on students and it helps us express ourselves as people through fashion.”

Tamia Martinez, freshman

“To be honest, the uniforms aren’t too outrageous and the reason for their existence in the first place is because people abused their freedom. I doubt our demographic will be more responsible than the last one.”

Seth Kline, freshman

“I choose no uniforms because I want to dress up the way I want to dress up and not being forced to to wear something I don’t want to wear.”

Mark Jimenez, freshman

“My family can’t afford the clothing and plus I don’t like them.”

Clonde Gutierrez, freshman

“Uniform is lame, no one likes it. People like to be in their own clothes. My whole life it’s been uniforms. When it gets dirty we need to wash it.”

Rafael Garcia, freshman

“No because I’m tired of wasting money for more clothes.”

Fernando Paredes, freshman

“What we wear lets us be who we are.”

Jaden Melendez, freshman

“I feel students should have the freedom to choose what they want to wear.”

Jonathan Mendez, freshman

“No, because I don’t like uniform that’s the whole purpose of the ID’s and temps.”

Victor Diaz, freshman

“Uniforms prevent bullying based on what someone wears, and takes up less time to decide what to wear! You can definitely express yourself in other ways!”

Aleksandra Walediak, freshman

“It would stress me out to look for different clothes everyday”.

Ashley Palacios, freshman

Sophomores

“There should not be any uniform because most people feel weird with their uniform.”

Davion White, sophomore

“I want to be able to come to school with joggers and a t-shirt instead of khakis.”

Jalina Garay, sophomore

“I think we should at least be able to wear jeans.”

Fernando Arroyo, sophomore

“We should express ourselves freely. No rules.“

Karime Ramirez, sophomore

“ We shouldn’t have uniform. Uniform doesn’t come as an obstacle when i’m trying to get an A in my math class nor in any other subject.”

Kristal Gomez, sophomore

“We should not wear uniforms because to be honest I just don’t like them and I would rather wear clothes I like.”

Zamzam Dalis, sophomore

“I don’t really like the uniform because people should express the way they like dressing.”

Luis Sosa, sophomore

“Uniform is ugly and cost extra money like for what.”

Mia Villamil, sophomore

“I believe that everyone is unique. They deserve to voice themselves in any way, shape or form.”

Alyssa Smith, sophomore

“I think the uniform just makes the school look more boring than it actually is. We should showcase how interesting and unique the students and school really are.”

Angelina Villarreal, sophomore

“I don’t like the uniforms.”

Jesus Manzanares, sophomore

“I’d like to come to school in my own clothes that are comfortable and make me feel confident.”

Abigail Lacrosse, sophomore

“No uniforms because other Chicago public schools don’t wear uniforms. It’s not fair that we have to do it when other schools don’t have to wear uniforms.”

Brian Gonzalez, sophomore

“People should be able to express themselves freely and wear what they want.”

Kari Garcia, sophomore

“I don’t like the school uniforms, why not bring our normal clothes.”

Marvin DeLeon, sophomore

“The uniforms are ugly and I don’t like it.”

Christopher Torres, sophomore

“I hate the khakis.”

Christian Honorable, sophomore

“Hate uniform.”

George Lopez, sophomore

“I think we shouldn’t be using uniforms because there are some who can’t buy uniforms at the time or only have 3 or 4 shirts, but that isn’t enough”

Giovanni Saldado,sophomore

“I don’t like the school uniform and I would like to see some color in Steinmetz.”

Kevin Delgado, sophomore

“People like me do not have a lot of money for new clothes or clean clothes so it’s better with no uniform.”

JoseAngel Carreno, sophomore

“No one likes uniforms.”

Jesse Zetina, sophomore

“I think uniforms are stupid. Why do we need to wear uniforms? I feel that wearing uniforms don’t let us express ourselves and people don’t get to know our personality we should be able to express who we really are.”

Leslie Jimenez, sophomore

“Why would we wear uniforms? It’s hard getting these pants to match this uniform.”

Terryiana Jones, sophomore

“It would be better to remove the uniform.”

Angeluz Carreno, senior

“I don’t like matching with others and I don’t like the uniforms.”

Brian Garcia, sophomore

“I think that wearing uniforms is not for high school. Wearing uniform makes us feel that we are still in middle school, it makes us feel childish.”

Geovonnie Boyd, sophomore

“I feel we shouldn’t wear uniforms because it would be more easier for kids to go to school and if people knew how to dress it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Makalah Leach, sophomore

“I don’t mind wearing uniforms.”

Iris, sophomore

“I think we should keep our uniforms because maybe not a lot of kids have clothes to wear or if they do I feel like kids might take it too far. I think they should change the khakis though to whatever pants.”

Autumn Silcox, sophomore

“High school is about expressing yourself. Whether it’s through your work, clothes, what you do, or just whatever involves your interests”

Trinity Garcia, sophomore

Juniors

“The uniform policy is a hassle. I would rather wear something comfortable instead of khakis and the green polo. It is also a waste of money for families because I know I won’t wear it out of school or after. Students should be able to express themselves.”

Jay Ann Perez, junior

“Some people cannot afford multiple uniforms. If you wear two polo shirts everyday you would need to wash your clothes too much. Khakis get dirty so easily and are hard to find.”

Valeriia Lytrak, junior

“It decreases discrimination and it makes all of us equal.”

Jocelyn Lopez, junior

“No uniform because it allows self expression. Anything is better than khakis. They care more about the pants than our grades. We want to be comfy at school.”

Diana Paramo, junior

“Some of us feel more comfortable without the uniform. We should be able to wear our sweaters that are not from Steinmetz.”

Alexis Diaz, junior

“I feel uncomfortable using uniform.”

Lara Banez, junior

“I hate wearing uniform.”

Angie Melchor, junior

“No uniform.”

Berenice Jerez, junior

“My khaki’s are short and look ridiculous on me, I’m having trouble getting new ones my size. Very bad for my self image.”

Hassan Daniel, junior

“Uniforms are quite expensive due to most high schools having no uniforms, so khakis are expensive.”

Keyla Garcia, junior

“Uniforms benefits us in no way. It doesn’t stop bullying like they say it does. It makes us look bad because schools with uniforms have “bad” students. It’s expensive, ugly, uncomfortable, not in my size. The uniforms hurts us.”

Sammie Chafa, junior

Seniors

“It doesn’t really matter anymore because there’s always gonna be people who break the rules. So I’m neutral.”
Leslie Sequeira, senior

“It’s more comfortable wearing our own jeans. We’re just wasting money on pants only used for school. I don’t mind the Steinmetz shirts but I want jeans back like freshman year.”

Noe Lagunas, senior

“Our school has moved up and gotten better, so we should be rewarded with no uniform.”

Lia Cruz, senior

“Uniforms are too much.”

Bree M., senior

“Uniforms don’t stop the dumb, wannabe gangster kids from grouping together. There’s no point in having uniforms anymore. There are zero to none gang fights.”

Gustavo Carmona, senior

Uniform at Steinmetz is disgusting. Having to see everyone wearing the same thing is sad. Style is a great way of expressing who you are, and sadly that was taken away from us. We look like one big depressed school. No wonder why no one wants to come here.

Vinnie Rivera, senior

“I honestly think our school has gotten really good. I think the upperclassmen should be privileged with no uniform.”

Natalie Velasco, senior

“I am a young lady, therefore I get my menstrual cycle every month. I hate having to wear khakis in fear that I’ll stain myself. I would rather be in comfy clothes such as joggers and a warm sweater.”

Yuridia Galavis, senior

“It would be better off not to have uniform, students should feel comfortable. It also shows other schools that Steinmetz isn’t a bad school which may persuade others to visit this school.”

Michelle Hernandez, senior

“School uniforms limit our self confidence and our creativity to be ourselves. People are beautiful and diverse, so by wearing the uniform we are being stripped away from that. We should be trusted to act responsibly with no uniforms. I know not all people are responsible, but punish them, not the others whom actually want to do this.”

Leticia Perez, senior

“Without uniform we can be more comfortable”

Fatima Andrea Aguilar, senior

“No because it is our last year, we wanna enjoy it.“

Zaid, senior

“Spirit week was one of the best weeks of school, simply because students were able to express themselves. Faculty members don’t understand that students feel more comfortable being able to wear whatever they want.”

Yahaira Villatoro, senior

“Let the students express themselves and find themselves.”

Tyrek Gates, senior

“I feel like there shouldn’t be any uniform because majority of Chicago public schools have no uniform.”

Kyiah Morris, senior

“I can’t express myself when I’m in uniform.”

Alma Carmona, senior

“I think it would be better if we didn’t have uniform because we could wear comfy clothes.”

Katherine Garcia, senior

“Be free to wear what we want.”

Marcelo Roa, senior

“No we shouldn’t because this isn’t a private school to be wearing uniform, they don’t even wear uniform.”

Angela Perez, senior

“We should be able to wear what we want. What we wear to school doesn’t affect the way we learn.”

Sofia Velagas, senior

“I have a lot of clothes I’d like to wear.”

Aja Williams, senior

“I feel like there is no originality in the school. The schools surrounding such as Prosser and Chicago Academy have no uniforms. Why should we?”

Daria Velazquez, senior

“I don’t like the khaki pants.”

Miguel Lopez, senior

“No uniform allows us to come comfortable, express ourselves and be unique. All in one uniforms just make us one.”

Jada N. Briggs, senior

“Less problems and you don’t have to think about what to wear.”

Chiya Loyd, senior

“It keeps the students more focused and they don’t have to worry about being bullied about what he or she wears.”

Jazmyne Evans, senior

This year, students should stop being basic.

Talking about things like the uniform, the lunch and the when school starts is getting really played out. We are now young adults going into the real world — we should be talking about real things. Things like the Sept. 8 senior meeting. There is no way there can be a senior contract when not one student has seen or signed anything. Holding us to this said “contract” is practically illegal.

We need to talk about public school system’s priorities and how those priorities are not in the right places. We want students to be successful in life, but schools aren’t teaching things that are considered life necessities. I don’t need to know the Pythagorean Theorem to be successful. Show me how to do my taxes. Why is my learning the Periodic Table of Elements more important than me actually knowing how the elements work?

Schools care more about the actual letter grade than the students comprehending the material. They believe having good grades means you’re a child prodigy, but you can give any fool time to study a test and to memorize the answers and they can pass with the perfect score. Do they know the material – is the question. Having book smarts and being intellectually knowledgeable are very different things.

These are some of the things I would like to explore this year and I know the Star is just the place to do it.