Category: Orangewood High School

By JADE BURCH

Let’s face it, school feels very out of touch with the outside world. The education system seems to think extensive algebra takes priority over skills that are important as an adult. As a senior, you may wander out into the world with only your high school education and wonder: “What now? How do I apply for housing? What even are taxes?” But you know about integers and variables if you managed to pay attention in class. 

Life Skills classes are essential, and should be a mandatory course. Assistance after high school and school resources should be available and should be regularly emphasized to students. Curriculum can be outdated at times and if adjustments aren’t made, students won’t be the only ones affected.

Even if you get a Life Skills class in your schedule as an elective, the information is either too general or too specific. Students feel like it doesn’t apply to them, so they’re not engaged.  We need a mixture of fixed and flexible curriculum that adapts to students.

Andy Simmons, a senior at Orangewood High School, says, “I feel current life skills classes are necessary, but they’re not well executed. The curriculum isn’t solid and the information is too specific to apply to students.”  

Matthew Stewart, a Career Technical Education teacher at Orangewood, expresses his frustration with the curriculum and its coverage on economics and business. 

“You get taught theories of the economic system, not where the money goes or how it works. Schools fail to teach you the basic economics of life,” said Stewart. “Current classes miss the mark, they teach you to be an employee for the rest of your life without moving up.” 

There are different opinions on what curriculum should be in the classes. 

“Helping students prepare for a more specific career path, taxes, how to buy a car are good ones,” Simmons says. “They need to teach students how to be eligible for an apartment. They also need  child development education since it’s required for a lot of jobs.” 

Stewart adds, “They should be teaching you guys what bare minimum is to survive financially and socially. Other things like the basics of banking and credit along with home and vehicle maintenance would be very useful as well.” 

Staff have noted that the class should also teach social concepts to students, such as things they wished they learned earlier in life. 

Stewart gives examples such as, “How to engage people in a civil manner and having an open mind. You need to understand your position in society and either be happy with it or change it.” 

Jason Knight, a counselor at Orangewood, adds, “I wish I learned about finances and using business technology, like Email and Word. Being able to read official documents like paystubs, tax forms, and contracts saves you a lot of trouble.”

Stewart also notes the need for students to find other goals in life, emphasizing life isn’t all about money or success. 

The question is, how do we keep students engaged? Most students will go straight into the workforce with their high school education and nothing else. They won’t learn any other life skills that high school relies on college to teach. Students may feel what is being taught doesn’t apply to them because they aren’t going to college. 

“We need to make sure students know that they will encounter the scenarios that are taught in a life skills class no matter what,” says Knight.

School staff also feel that students need different services or classes. Field trips to help students get jobs, apply to colleges, and apply for other government services would be extremely useful. Even after high school, students who are on their own as new adults are lost and may need additional help programs.  

“Students need more assistance with post high school situations,” said Knight. 

Knight goes on to say that Career Centers are a great resource that goes unnoticed by students. They typically provide information about scholarships, financial aid, job opportunities, and college exploration. There are also other resources online that could aid students, but none of these things are stressed to students. So, these resources will continue to be overlooked unless staff worry less about academic classes and more about relevant skills. 

If changes aren’t made, students will continue to go into society unprepared and knowledgeable of how the world functions. They will be easily taken advantage of by other members of society, creating a generation of people that don’t know their options. This isn’t just for the benefit of newly graduated students, this is for the benefit of our future society.

By SORA REYNOLDS

If you’re a quiet kid and need a club, you should keep reading.

I have always been one of the quiet kids.

I know how hard it is to be alone without any friends. So, maybe a club might help quiet kids like us get more friends and not be as quiet.

Some kids like to stay quiet, and that’s okay, but maybe if there were more clubs available, people might socialize better.  

Some of us are so quiet that it’s hard to make friends. But if we were around more people we had things in common with, it might make it easier.

So, if you’re in need of a club, I have some ideas. The clubs that are stated in this letter, are clubs that aren’t here yet, but should get added. If or when they do get added and you’re interested in joining, I think you should go ahead.

I’m interested in joining an LGBTQ+ and band club if they’re added.

Many people are part of the LGBTQ+ community at our school, but some are quiet kids. I myself am one of them. And I know there are others that are quiet, too. I think that if there was an LGBTQ+ club, more kids that are part of the community could socialize with each other more.

But it’s not only an LGBTQ+ club that might help quiet kids socialize more. Other clubs for people with things in common might help too.

Clubs could bring people that are alike together.

I think that a club for band people would be a good idea. If there was a club for band people, they could practice and arrange for there to be an assembly so they could play in front of the school. And maybe sometimes they could play during lunch.

But, while I may be interested in an LGBTQ+ or band club, you may disagree or even be interested in a different type of club. I got some feedback from students and they had different opinions on what clubs should or shouldn’t be made.

Some people didn’t like the idea of an LGBTQ+ club because they felt it discriminates against straight people. Others felt that LGBTQ+ clubs were okay so that people could be more comfortable with each other, express their feelings and talk to like-minded people without the fear of being made fun of.  

Some felt there shouldn’t be a band club because it would be too loud, but others felt that a band, car, or bike club would be okay.

Maybe we could have all those clubs.

All in all, what I’ve been trying to say in this letter is that, if you’re a quiet kid who needs a club, as I do, join the club! We’d be glad to have you.

By JOCELYN GOMEZ

A goal at Orangewood High School will always be to help students feel welcomed in their learning environment. 

Normalize pronoun usage

A common issue that is experienced is uncomfortable pronoun usage or reference. 

People attach their identity to how they are referenced whether it’s he/she/they/them. After speaking and taking personal experiences from students that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community on campus, I feel it’s important to bring awareness for those that feel left out of everyday society during the school day, simply because others are uncomfortable with using a specific reference that applies to their gender identity.

A solution to this would be teachers having a brief lesson on the importance of pronouns even for heterosexual people, and get students comfortable with each reference. Many people use pronouns and ask people to use their pronouns because they want society to respect their identity.  Blogs, like Prospect, give personal reasons on why pronouns are important.

Encourage school attendance

After speaking to students on campus, being in the time frame during the year where absences are at a peak, I’d like to share helpful opinions on what would motivate students to come to school. 

Some students, like Orangewood Senior Thomas Vasquez, agree that they would be more motivated to attend if school lunch was better in quality and different each week.

Senior Sidney Hammons also mentioned more activities on campus, like movie nights or spring festivals. 

A more realistic and easier alternative to those activities that was recommended would be more interactive lesson plans like games that involve the lesson or subject being studied.
Tracking students’ absences and approaching them to check if they have a personal issue at home is helpful, according to companies like Creatix Campus. Sometimes asking them shows that someone cares and notices, which could mean more to a student if it was staff that asked.

Featured image was created by AVA LARSEN using canva.com

By MEL MAGANA FRANCO

School is draining. Any student can agree, some more than others. 

“It’s draining because you wake up in the morning everyday and go to school for how many hours, six to seven,” says Niamonie Calloway, junior at Orangewood High School.

Students work, deal with family issues and some play sports. A break is well deserved. It would help students stay in a more calm state of mind. 

Students are the new generation coming up. It’s a lot of pressure on adults, of course, to make sure we are great individuals. But students, as kids and teens, we feel pressure. We feel like we have to meet everyone’s expectations and we become stressed. Everything is new to us.

We deserve at least one mental break weekly from all the thinking and the expectations and all of the worry.

Research shows that academic stress leads to less well-being and an increased likelihood of developing anxiety or depression. Students who have academic stress tend to do poorly in school. This mental health day will be a good thing for students’ future and mental health.

Having a mental health day off will encourage students to come to school when there is school. Students don’t come to school because they are drained or have higher priorities to deal with. With a mental break day, they will wait just for that day to come so they can get it out of the way. If you look at attendance around scheduled breaks, like Spring Break, the week before and after students are more likely to attend because they know they have that break. When there is school for days and weeks on end, students feel like there isn’t a break so they start to miss school. With scheduled mental break days, students will be more encouraged to show up to school.

It is true that some students may take advantage of this. Yes, some students may still not show up on scheduled school days. The school can make a rule that if they miss school without an actual good excuse, they can’t take the mental health day because it will be replaced with a make-up day. A few teachers on a rotating basis will be on campus on these mental health days for those students who need to make up missing work from an unexcused absence.  Those who showed up during scheduled school days should get the mental health break.

Students not only need a break, but would benefit from a mental health day off each week.

By ANDREW SIMMONS

There is an issue in high school attendance: tardiness.

There are many reasons students will not show up to school on time, as well as why students should be able to excuse their own tardies.

Mental health

Students may be dealing with mental health issues at home of which they don’t feel comfortable disclosing with school staff.

They could be living with depression and having trouble finding the motivation to get out of bed.

They could have obsessive-compulsive disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or other disorder, any of which can affect what time a student wakes up and what time they are ready for school in the morning.

Transportation

There is an assumption that all students have a way to get to school on time, but many students have compromised means of transportation and or live a further distance from the school than most students

A majority of high school students do not have their learner’s permit/driver’s license and many students or their families also do not have cars. A few examples of why students may not have access to a license or car include not being able to afford it, not being permitted by their guardian to do so, or simply being too afraid and not wanting to drive.

Some students have to bike safely up and down hills and through car-busy highways and roads, take city busses or even use costly ride-share apps.

Family size

Schools tend to neglect the fact that many students have many siblings, all in different age ranges, attending schools with different starts times, as well as possibly living in a one guardian household.

It would not be unreasonable to accept the verity of limited time in the morning. With this in mind, there is the challenge of trying to get every child in that family admitted to school on time every single day. No matter how prepared and organized a large family may be, there can always be unexpected obstacles like a traffic jam, or a type of mechanical error with their vehicle. 

Are students responsible and trustworthy enough to excuse their own tardies?

While it is understandable for teachers and staff to be skeptical about the very real possibility of students abusing the ability to call in sick, it is also important to note that the trust between students and teachers is generally strained due to prejudice from teachers towards students that are late or miss school frequently.

More than often, instead of trying to figure out why their students are missing school hours, the teacher will give the student unneeded and discouraging discipline. Students that get punished for something they had no control over may be less inclined to take responsibility the next time they could have control over their situation.

Many students, contrary to many adult beliefs, have very real and very complicated issues. Some of these problems, students might not be willing to share with teachers, especially in front of their peers during class time, which is more than often the time and place teachers choose to confront late students. This is a very disconcerting and uncomfortable situation that is far too familiar to many young adults in highs school. One could argue that a more appropriate time and setting to address the tardines of a student would be after class when the student is no longer occupied or in the presence of an audience of their peers.

Teachers may find that in listening to their students, they will also find understanding. Sympathy for students can go a very long way, and they may be less inclined to lie about their whereabouts, or wander the school halls with meandering minds.

The denigration of students’ personal issues is a disease among schools. The allowance of young adults to be trusted and involved with the responsibility of attendance issues may lead to a more adamant will to attend school and attend on time, of course keeping the issue of transportation in mind.

Ultimately, trusting the judgment of high school students for calling in to excuse missing class time in advance could gradually diminish tardiness. Allowing students the responsibility to excuse their own tardies may motivate an initiative in students to protect that responsibility by not abusing it.

By MALIK GAYNAIR

What keeps students motivated to get up and get ready for school? Maybe it’s friends, maybe it’s food, or maybe it’s educational excitement. But, amid all this motivation, some students still find reasons to not come to school.

As a model continuation school, Orangewood High School works to reignite students’ motivation to attend school again and catch up on work. However, a major impediment stands in the way: transportation. Many students are unable to secure regular transportation to home and from school.

Orangewood no longer offers school busing anymore. Why don’t we have it anymore, you say? Allegedly, budget cuts. No matter the reason, a bus system is crucial for student success.

Local city bus stops are often too far from most students’ houses, or too far from Orangewood in general. Despite this, most students still go the extra mile to take the public city bus and walk to school. This system puts a strain on regular and timely attendance, because students do not want to depend on unreliable public transportation wherein they run the risk of harassment by strangers on the city buses. 

Moreover, some students experience problems at home that may prevent them securing regular rides from family members. Occasionally, students’ parents can’t take them to school, because they have work. Additionally, when the our city experiences inclement weather, students are more inclined to stay home because they are faced with the following question: Why go to school if I don’t have a ride or don’t want to walk to school?

Orangewood’s goal should be to encourage students to attend school; it would be a good idea if the district gave the school its transportation back. At the end of the day, it should be about ensuring that students have what they need to be successful and giving them a better chance to graduate on time.