Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2008

Creating options for academic challenges

In high school, it cannot be denied: sports reign supreme. This is not without good reason, of course.

A good sports season can bring the school attention, promote happiness and a sense of unity among students. It also can influence other athletes to look into attending the school and can bring in funds.

Sports programs in high schools show people that students have the right amount of drive and ambition, not to mention physical coordination, and the ability to whip a crowd into a frenzy.

At Windsor Academy, it has been a great year for sports. Our football team went to state, our wrestling team won state and softball won region.

I wouldn't be surprised if parents with rising athletes have thought of enrolling their children in Windsor, getting them involved and strengthening the athletic program. Our athletic achievements are definitely something worth commending.

As a student with very little physical coordination, I admire those that can achieve what our teams have this year. In lieu of any of those particular talents, I always have relied on my intellect to help me excel.

To me school always has been, as novel as this sounds, a place for academic and intellectual growth.

However, as Windsor is a fairly small school, our opportunities to compete academically have been on a smaller scale. That is why I was so surprised while leafing through one of the older yearbooks, the 1997 Windsor Chevalier.

I was amazed at how much the academic participation had changed within the past 10 years at Windsor. Windsor was once home to a French Club, a Spanish Club, Students Against Drunk Driving, Mu Alpha Theta and Drama Club, among others. To larger schools, this may not seem like that much, but by the time I started high school French was no longer offered as a foreign language, and recently we have lost our Latin teacher as well. A Windsor student has the riveting choice of Spanish or Espa–ol for their required two years of foreign language.

I would love for there to be more elective course choices, but understand that in order for that to happen teachers would have to be hired. Also, there would need to be an interest in these courses generated among the students.

However, I believe resources could be tapped among teachers who already are employed, and perhaps even a survey sent out to the students asking what courses they would most like to see added.

Also, as an avid art student, there are a few injustices that need to be rectified within the art department. Art supplies are expensive, and cheap art supplies are hardly worth the effort.

I feel it is only fair to ask the students to pay a supply fee at the beginning of the year.

However, without a base art fund to cover part of the expenses, students would have to pay nearly double the supply fee in order to buy everything needed.

It is left up to the art teacher to make up the difference, which is an unjust and unproductive practice. It is unreasonable to ask teachers to spend their salaries in order to perform their job to the best of their abilities.

I believe there should be a budget set aside for the arts. Any extra funding that might be needed could be provided through student fees and fundraisers.

Teachers should not be expected to spend their paychecks in order to teach the course.

There have been many improvements in the academic course at Windsor, such as the Advanced Placement course in British literature. Calculus continues to be a course offered to students who wish to be challenged.

Still, it is my belief that improvements could be made to return Windsor to the academic standard we had in 1997. In addition to considering offering more language courses, Windsor could ask experienced teachers if they would be interested in teaching an AP class. Students would be given the opportunity to earn more than just one credit for college and would be offered a more challenging curriculum. As our standard for athletic ability rises, I believe our academic standards should rise as well.

It could serve to add to the pride that Windsor students have in their abilities to succeed - both on and off the field.

Tiffany Stevens is a senior at Windsor Academy.