THE GOOD:

Walking around in the halls of AHS, I’m always hearing other students complain about things they dislike about the school. I transferred here this year from a very strict school district in Louisville, Kentucky and I want to share all the things I love and that I didn’t have back at my old school.

CHAT: I feel like CHAT is one of the most complained-about topics, whether it’s from kids wishing it was longer, quieter and less hectic or teachers complaining its not being used correctly and too much trouble anymore. CHAT is by far my favorite thing about Albemarle; it gives kids the chance to go and make up missed work and just relax for a bit. No one’s really ever happy going from each class just sitting and learning for seven hours straight. We need a break that’s longer than five minutes or else we will go insane.

Computers: Even though I also had laptops in my old school, Albemarle has the privilege to allow students to have personally school assigned laptops to do school work on. My former school assigned Chromebooks, but they didn’t have nearly as many programs, were constantly breaking, and the cameras were somehow disconnected. The laptops we have here are much nicer and allow us to do more work more easily.

WiFi: People complain about how slow the wifi is, or how they always have trouble with it, but at least we have access to free wifi. It helps out a lot for kids who don’t have access at home and lets them be able to finish all that online work teachers assign us. Most schools (my last one especially) don’t let students use it as freely as Albemarle does. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and even Wikipedia were all blocked on the school’s network.

No Lockers: I love not having lockers. Being able to carry all your stuff from class to class is so convenient because you won’t have to continuously leave class to go to your locker for things you forgot. The schools I’ve been to never allowed carrying bags to class; we always had to use a locker or carry all our books in our arms. Taking out the lockers also opened up areas for people to charge their laptops during CHAT and makes the school look more open.

Senior Lunch: My previous school used to allow students to do this in the ‘90s, but I guess they stopped trusting the kids… probably for good reason. It’s great that AHS gives the seniors a little extra freedom, which is definitely deserved. Plus, it’s pretty awesome when they bring me back food.

In all, I think people should just stop complaining so much and realize what they actually have and not take advantage of it.

THE BAD:

Being in my fourth year of attendance at Albemarle, I, along with input from my fellow students, have figured out and compiled a list of  the bad things here at our school.

Bathrooms: The bathrooms are a terrible place throughout the school. They progressively get worse throughout the school day and contain a smell that spreads into the halls. Guys, just flush the urinals, okay? The fixtures are also outdated, and most of the boys’ bathrooms also do not contain any mirrors, while the girls bathrooms do.

Guidance Counselors: Students have been having a hard time trying to see their guidance counselors. Leaving notes and emails do not seem to work. The Guidance Department instructs teachers not to let their students go to see their counselors during class, and instead to schedule an appointment. Students can’t schedule their emotional breakdowns. It seems that over the years their job description has strayed away from helping the students. Don’t get me wrong, some of the counselors are just outstanding and are such a help to students.

Lunches: AHS should have CHAT every day. Students deserve a break from just constantly learning for 7.5-8 hours a day. Not only would it give students a break, but it would also give teachers a break from teaching. Some teachers and administration believe that there would be an increase in fights if there was a CHAT lunch every day, but that may not be the case. CHAT every day could decrease the overall stress that students have, which could decrease the urge to fight.  Seniors should also be allowed to leave for lunch on both CHAT days. It does not seem necessary for seniors to have to stay in school for lunch on Thursdays, and they are forced then to either pack a lunch or eat the cafeteria food, which is just horrible, inedible, and needs to be changed.

Attendance: The attendance office has become much stricter this year. The rules concerning what is an excused vs. an unexcused absence seem unclear and inconsistently applied. Why are some parents questioned about their child’s symptoms while others are simply accepted at face value.  Why must a note signed by the parent or doctor sometimes be sent in as well? Students would like to verify their absence correctly, but have a hard and confusing time trying to do so.

Slow Walkers: They are the worst. They take up the whole hallway and make people unable to walk around them. This is very irritating as it slows everyone down..If they feel like they want to walk slowly, they should take up minimal space, not take up the hallway. Also, hallways are for walking; NOT STANDING or sitting. If you want to stand, go to the breezeway. There are too many people at this school for students to be blocking the hallway.

Internet: The school has decided to dictate our internet usage. They have blocked Snapchat, Instagram, and other apps that they deemed unproductive. Students want to be able to talk to each other throughout the day when they are not in class. I think that both teachers and students need to reach a good compromise on when it is okay to use their phone and when it is not.