To
ban or not to ban: Colorado school yearbook says ‘no’ to
student portrait
By Karli Michael, Opinion Editor
A Colorado high school showed that a good reputation is important to them
when they wouldn’t allow a provocative picture of a senior to be
her senior portrait in the yearbook.
A yearbook is a lasting memory for every student, especially a graduating
senior, so it is important to the yearbook staff to make a great yearbook
that students enjoy looking back on. Even though the senior argued it was “artistic” and
a good representation of her personality, the yearbook staff voted against
it because it violated school dress code. 
Many yearbooks are a part of competition so it is important for the yearbook
to be a good representation of the school and to follow the school code
of conduct. While parents are allowed to pay for senior advertisements,
they are encouraged to send in appropriate pictures of their child.
What
I wish I knew freshman year
Daniella Theodosiou
Entering high school, I was filled with expectations,
concerns, and nerves. I often think back to these moments and wish I was
able to tell my past jittery self, “It’s fine. Don’t
be nervous. You’ll make friends, and you’ll work hard.” Knowing
I can’t convey these messages to myself, I still think of what I
wish I’d known my freshman year.
Tools such as a map of the school and a guidebook to getting
on teachers’ good sides would’ve been so helpful. I can sometimes
imagine how my first few days could’ve been different if I’d
known these things.
For example, I have learned that the stairwell is like
a road. You drive on the right side of the road unless there are multiple
lanes. So when you’re calmly climbing up or down the stairs, someone
going the opposite, wrong, way collides with you and messes up the whole
system. That’s something that would’ve been extremely and endlessly
helpful.
I also wish I’d known that it doesn’t matter
what you wear in school, how you fix your hair, etc.— it’s
the actual learning part! It took me far too long to let go of the other
things taking up my school time. Fixing your hair really doesn’t
matter when you’re taking a math test!
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Letter grade drop not necessarily a catastrophe
By Annalise Wershoven, Editor-in-Chief
Following the recent announcement that Pompano’s school letter grade had
dropped from an A to a B, many students were angry and disappointed, since Pompano
has maintained an A rating for the last eight years. Many made comments about
feeling embarrassed and blamed the underclassmen for not scoring high enough
on the FCAT. Others were upset that Ely, previously a C school, is now an “A.”
However, the negative attitude is really unwarranted. This year, the system
for school grading changed, for instance, placing less emphasis on Advanced
Placement
enrollment and more on students’ improvement. Pompano still ranks as the
top high school in Broward, receiving 1,392 out of 1,600 points, more than any
other middle or high school in the county.
What the school’s actual grade came down to was the improvement on
the FCAT of the lower-achieving quartile of students, which, in a magnet
school comprised
of high-performing students, is tough to change. At other schools that don’t
have a minimum FCAT score requirement for acceptance, it is much easier to
work with students who receive low scores and help them improve.
While it is hard to accept the fact that school grade has
dropped, there is no need to lose pride in the school altogether, especially
since it is
still
the
county’s best. The underclassmen are not at fault; they just need to take
this as a sign to keep working harder. And still, Pompano consistently has one
of the highest graduation rates, some of the highest passing rates in the country
for many AP exams, and some of the most high-achieving and talented students.
And that’s quite enough to be proud of.
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Rising
tuition rates change college options
By Annalise Wershoven
College isn’t something you can save for in a piggy bank anymore.
With recent cuts to merit scholarships, such as Bright Futures, and the rise
in
tuition rates, many students have to search for alternatives to their
dream university.
According to College Board, 28 percent of students attend a private college
or university that charges $36,000 or more per year. And public tuition rates
increased 7.9% from 2009 to 2010.
With all these expenses in such a fragile economy, it may seem as though
seniors’ dreams are being crushed. But instead of thinking of options
as being limited, alternatives to expensive colleges can actually become
opportunities that weren’t explored before. For instance, I wanted
to attend University of Miami’s Rosentiel School
of Marine Science until I learned that tuition is around $37,000 a year.
Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic’s tuition is only around $5,500 a year.
Schools closer to home can be just as good as schools out of state, but
without the out-of-state tuition price tag. While Florida’s public
grade school system may rank low, its state university system is truly amazing.
University of Florida is, overall, one of the top universities in the nation,
Florida Atlantic University is home to the nation’s premier ocean engineering
program, and University of West Florida has one of the leading archaeology
programs in the country, just to name a few examples.
And even in-state schools can get expensive. Many students are now choosing
to go to a community college for two years and then transfer to a university.
Choosing a pricey college won’t just affect your wallet now: many student
loans take years to pay off and have sky-high interest rates, impeding future
opportunities such as study-abroad programs and advanced degrees.
It’s not academically disgraceful or socially embarrassing to choose
a college close to home or within financial means. It’s smart. Actually,
statistics show that the majority of employers are less concerned with where
you got your degree, and more concerned with how you performed in college
courses and the type of skills you learned.
To me, the only big difference in a marine biology degree from UM and one
from FAU is approximately thirty thousand dollars.
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