Longer lunch would lead to better student performance
I was reading your article about Greeley West and I was like “That’s a pretty good article” although I wish Greeley West would add longer lunches. I believe Greeley West should add longer lunches because we barely have enough time to eat mostly due to the long lunches and then they close the other gates and add restrictions which cause it to be longer to get lunch and even discourage students from getting and eating lunch. There wouldn’t be such a drastic change just to loosen the line’s rules a bit and handle the lunch procedures better and open more lines,while also giving the students more time for lunch. I’m not asking for complete chaos in the lunchroom nor am I asking for a whole day in the lunchroom just to cut the class times A BIT just so lunch can have the same time as the time we spend in a classroom. Rushing lunch doesn’t just make school feel like a hellhole of constant work but could affect students’ focus in class, students slowly lose motivation and courage in the classroom environment which often leads to students sleeping in classrooms and their grades lacking. The school could shorten each class time by 3-5 mins which would add up for the lunch time while also shortening the classroom time. This could lead to better student performance and mood enhancements while also increasing productivity due to no wasted time in classrooms.
Benny Saldivar Cruz
10th Grader
Student suggests starting a scholarship class to assist in earning money for college
Dear Editor:
On the recent AVID college trip (AVID juniors benefits of Nuggets Leadership Conferences), I listened to older students sharing how AVID helped shape their futures. I believe there should be a class mainly focusing on scholarships for students to request. Going back to the AVID college trip, one person talked about how they kept applying for scholarships after scholarships until they earned a full ride. That story inspired me, and I wanted to start applying for scholarships, but I’m unsure where to start.
AVID teaches us how to stay organized, take notes, prepare for college, and have a choice to go to college, but I believe we also need guidance on finding and applying for scholarships early.
Our principal occasionally sends Gmail announcements about scholarships, which is helpful. However, many students do not check those emails regularly or do not realize how important scholarships can be. For example, some people don’t know there’s scholarships for having bifocals or being a wisp person (being a wisp person is to be very thin or small).
Some students already have to deal with responsibilities at home, have a job, or doing homework, which is why I believe our school should offer an elective focused entirely on scholarships. This class could teach students how to find legitimate opportunities, write strong essays, meet deadlines, and stay organized. Instead of feeling overwhelmed or confused in our personal time, where we would have guidance during the school day.
I am an AVID student and we do Socratic Seminars about an article. The most recent one talked about colleges proving their investments. While we talked and asked questions to each other, I realized how most of us are prepared to go to college but not confident when it comes to the price and if it’s worth it to go to college. With clearer support for offering a class focusing on scholarships, more students could turn their determination into real financial success.
Me Meh,
11th Grader
Personal connection between students and administration is necessary
Dear Editor,
I don’t think that it is a secret that the administration here is not very well liked. Whilst I don’t personally have anything against any one of them, I have heard many different stories from people who do and I think that their thoughts are far too overheard.
The one thing that I have learned in my entire high school life is the fact that in order to maintain a good professional relationship in any sense there needs to be a personal connection between the people in it. I’ve seen this time and time again with various teachers: I’ve argued with Falter about J Dilla, I’ve learned where Pace buys his groceries, I’ve bought a painting by Krause, and both Mr. Suarez and Mr. Garcia have inspired me to two different career paths; yet I feel as though this personal connection is missing between students and the administration.
I am certain that there are a plethora of reasons as to why this personal connection does not exist, but I don’t think that it is something that is so far beyond the capability of the school that it cannot be helped; especially since the admin is the number one aspect of the school that prepares students for their life after secondary education.
I can remember that the other topic on January 30th everyone was talking about was the strictness that the admin had shown at the end of the assembly that day, and it had showcased to me what I feel is a nearly universal outlook that the students of Greeley West have. What I simply want to see is some kind of addressing of this issue, instead of the hand-waving treatment that I feel many students get.
Sincerely,
Corbin Baxter
Senior
Letters to the editor, guest columns, and story ideas are accepted in Room A107 by anyone in the Greeley West community – students, graduates, faculty, parents, etc. Letters must be 300 words or less. You may submit letters or feedback to dfalter@greeleyschools. Opinions expressed on the Viewpoints page are those of the editorialist and are not those of the West Word, Greeley West High School, District 6, or its faculty and staff.
