I believe it’s time to finally acknowledge the elephant in the room that everyone has been skirting around. The main reason most students want to attend an academy is so they can get to attend a high school that has a better education system than the school they were previously zoned to. Having talked to a large amount of students, I have concluded that there are very few students who plan to attend the academy with the sole purpose for learning Global Studies etc. Being in an academy is hard work, with students having to take extra classes, extend additional activities, etc. but it is worth it overall as these students would be able to receive a better education. Heck, many students have even told me that if Clements offered an “Agricultural Academy”, that they would leap at the opportunity to apply. To believe so otherwise is to admit to a downright lie, as in the bottom of our hearts we all know the true underlying problem. So what’s the actual problem here? It’s just that parents of underachieving students and those students themselves accuse the academies of flooding their schools with “extremely smart students” that lower their rank. These students, with the mindset that their current house location grants them special privileges, need to understand a crucial lesson. GROW UP. Yes, high school is difficult, and yes there is a lot of competition, but it is in no way the academy’s fault. If these students could just work harder, study more, actually pay attention in class, stop procrastinating, etc., they could improve their rankings, instead of continuing to mope and blame others. Secondly, not all GSA students are extremely smart. I can tell you firsthand that many of them slack off in their classes like the rest of us, make B’s and C’s (oh God forbid), and even their knowledge of Global Studies is lacking. Many academy students can’t recall anything that’s happened on the news recently, can hardly tell me where countries are on a map, and stereotype cultures instead of having any sort of deep insight into them. In addition, there is something else to note. If you got rid of the 100 or so academy students in your grade, yes, your numerical rank might climb a bit, but my decreasing the pool of students in your class, your percentage would stay the same. Therefore, these students would add up exactly where they started. What would be the next step? Force all the GT students out of the school? Clearly, their viewpoints are shortsighted and irrational. So now let me tell you why the Academy should stay. Although I am a zoned Clements student myself, I feel no threat to my rank. Instead, I enjoy the friendly competitive nature of my school, and I strongly believe this competitive spirit helps to strengthen me, both as an individual and as a student. Yes, academy students do try a bit harder than the rest, but this should motivate the student body to try a bit harder as well. After all, what drives the Clements isn’t the just the teachers, but the students themselves. Having such a diverse and brilliant student body is what distinguishes Clements from other schools, and is the reason why our school name is both feared and revered. By moving the academy to Travis, you would cause a twofold problem. First, you would just pass on the problem of “bright students” to Travis. This would just move the discontent to another school. Also, move the academy to Travis would disincentive people to join the academy because the whole purpose of the GSA is SO NONZONED STUDENTS CAN GO TO CLEMENTS. Secondly, moving the Academy would leave Clements in a whole position than before. Academy students learn a lot of valuable lessons that would have otherwise passed over them. These students grow close to one another, building a community, learning to volunteer, to mature, to enjoy their time in an otherwise stressful high school career. However, benefits carry over to the school as well, in the form of friendship, events such as I-Fest, and a great language program that regular students can also attend. I think it’s time we open up our eyes to the actual problems at hand. Denying young bright minds the opportunity to receive a better education for purely selfish reasons is a short-term solution that could cause a lot of long term harms.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 03:58:50 +0000
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