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Race to the Flop
The Race to the Top program mandates a new approach to educational assessment that will require the district to rate all teachers and administrators on a 100-point scale based, in part, on student test performance. These new requirements have come to the fore in a Waiting for Superman era with cries for teacher accountability. While [...]
School Rules?
Recent events have led to discussion of school control over students’ lives. In the cases of standards for extracurricular participation and college applications, Maroon favors less school intervention. Labor Day scuffle raises the question of control over students when they are outside of school. While Maroon agrees with the administration’s imposition of a “Code of [...]
(In)Tolerance
National news headlines have recently been filled with accounts of injustice—brutal attacks in the Bronx by the Latin King Goonies, the suicide of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, and the dismissal of Cub Scout Troop Leader Jon Langbert—all of which are the result of intolerance of homosexuality. At the same time, a landmark, pro-gay legislative victory [...]
Paper, Paper Everywhere
In the first month of school, SHS faculty members made approximately 200,000 photocopies. If the trend were to continue, almost 2 million photocopies would be made this school year. That is a lot of trees. Maroon believes that this conspicuous waste could be reduced by taking a few simple steps towards a paperless school. The [...]
QED Heaven
If you are having trouble evaluating the derivative of a function at a specific point, the Math Center is the perfect place to go. But if you are having trouble organizing an essay and your frees don’t coincide with those of your English teacher, where can you go? In Maroon’s view, the other academic centers [...]
Don’t Trade Grades
Many teachers preface the return of an exam or an essay with something along the lines of, “Please don’t discuss your grade with other students.” Some teachers put the grade on the last page of the test to keep the number for the test-taker’s eyes only. Others return tests face-down with the same goal in [...]
There’s a Club for That
In recent years at SHS, clubs have become nearly as numerous as iPhone apps. This explosion in extracurriculars would be acceptable, even warranted, if the newly founded clubs were both original in purpose and diligent in carrying out their stated missions; however, it appears that a fair number of SHS clubs are either redundant or [...]
Not-So-SMARTBoards
In the past several years, SMARTBoards have become fixtures in many SHS classrooms. In some cases, this chalkless technology has revolutionized faculty’s teaching style for the better. In others, the gizmos have functioned as little more than a traditional whiteboard; their high-tech features go almost entirely unused. Since the SMARTBoards carry a hefty price tag—approximately [...]
In Defense of Junior Olympics
At the beginning of every year, the administration and candidates for school government lament our notorious lack of school spirit; in fact, in recent years, spirit has waned to the extent that low attendance at the Homecoming Dance has prompted its cancellation. There is one event, however, that has historically been a zenith of school [...]
Better Vending
Obesity is a national epidemic that affects children, teenagers, and adults and leads to numerous health complications as well as a lower life expectancy. While there is no single cause for the startling rise in obesity in America, excessive caloric intake tops the list. Thoughtless consumption of calories, particularly in the form of sweetened beverages [...]
