Windsock

Shorts at EMHS: A Questionable Moral/Dress Code?

It’s official – EMHS has altered its dress code. For as long as I can remember (and presumably for as long as the school has been around) shorts of all types have been banned from the halls of the high school and middle school. Modesty and school appearance are generally the reasons I heard for the shorts dress code, and for years shorts have only been allowed on special days. As of January, this prohibition has been lifted  - on account of the amount of money the students raised during Fund-Drive.

I could scarcely believe it when I heard that this “earn money and we’ll change the rules” offer was being made again. In the 2003 Fund Drive, the school gave the kids the same option – but only lifting the school ban for a week if the students met the monetary goal. As I recall, there was a lot of disagreement among some of the teachers, parents and administration about this offer – a lot of people saw it to be in bad taste.

I’m afraid I’d have to agree with them. It seems to me that the message the school is sending here by altering the dress code is “we’ll lower our standards if you raise enough money.” Maybe the school had been planning to change this part of the dress code for a while, and was just looking for another way to spur the kids come Fund-Drive time. Maybe, as I’ve heard, it had more to do with current fashion than money, and the administration is just hoping that Bermuda shorts won’t be replaced by short-shorts anytime soon.

Don’t get me wrong – I don’t have a problem with shorts, and I’m not saying I was too in favor of the dress code to begin with. I suppose it’s good that students now have increased opportunities to express themselves through their clothes (not to mention, most of us will be glad to have something other than jeans to wear once the days start getting warmer).  I’ve also notice that once spring comes, a number of kids develop the habit of changing out of pants and into shorts the instant that 2:55 arrives, making me wonder about the purpose of the rule to begin with.

So, it’s not so much that I’m anti-shorts or anti-administration. It’s more that I wonder about the moral basis of the change. If you’re going to change the dress code, why not do it at the beginning of the year, separate from Fund Drive, instead of sending such a confusing, “earn more money” type of message? Perhaps the administration now regrets their choice, so I’ll try not to make anyone feel too bad. Next time, however, I’d prefer to see rule changes and fund raisers remain as far away from each other as possible.

- Whitney Showalter

Facebook "Censorship" Justified?

Do students have the right to say whatever they want about the school outside of it? This very question became a topic of debate recently, as a result of some controversial Facebook behavior. (I personally don’t have a Facebook account, so whether or not I even have a right to talk about it is at the discretion of the reader). As I understand it, some EMHS students created a few Facebook groups, some attacking teachers and some attacking the entire school. Once the administration found out, those who created the groups were told, by the school, to remove them, only to have a “We Have Opinions” group started in the aftermath.

I feel that the school was entirely justified in requesting the removal of the offending groups. Before you go pulling the First Amendment card, think for a second about what’s at stake. In a few years, when students are applying to colleges and getting jobs, the people looking over their resumes will, I promise you, Google their names. The price of all their offending comments back in their Facebooking days will become immediately obvious. I don’t think that the school should be so harshly criticized for making students remove something that will probably become a bane for them in the future.

For another, I personally don’t think that “freedom of speech” vindicates overtly publishing something that is offensive or hurtful, especially when the publishers are high school students. (As I pointed out already, just because we have the right to do something, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or that we should be allowed to do it – in the same way that a parent should stop a little child about to stick his finger in a light socket, even if the child knows what he’s doing). The school hasn’t stopped any students from forming or joining “Just War” groups or any other groups which may disagree with the school’s policy, so they can hardly be accused of infringing free speech or beating down those with differing opinions. Rather, the school stepped in when insensitive and immature things were being said.

Some of you may also scream “Public relations!” and accuse the school of only wanting the offending groups removed because they could hurt the school’s reputation. That’s one point I’ll give you – and “I Hate EMHS” group started by the students doesn’t say a lot in favor of our school. However, EMHS, more so than maybe most public schools, relies on its reputation to get funding, students, and a lot of what it needs to stay open. While requesting the removal of the Facebook groups for the sake of reputation might not have been the “right” thing to do, I doubt that it was the school’s only reason, and I’m willing to let it go.

In short, I’m not about to blame the school for its censoring. If the removal of an offensive Facebook group could indeed be considered a First Amendment violation, then perhaps I am a poor patriot. I certainly wouldn’t support the school if it decided to edit the Windsock before it was published or control what went into Eclectia. However, in the case of an “I Hate EMHS” Facebook group, I’m willing to give the administration some grace. –Whitney Showalter, Co-Editor

Flu Season is Here Already?: An Editorial

     This time of year is upon us once again – the time when chapel is disrupted a dozen or so times every morning by sneezes or coughs, the time when tissues are as valued as Orbit gum, and the time when teachers postpone tests in light of absences. Flu and cold seasons is back early and with a vengeance this year, and it’s no longer a question of if you’ll get sick – the question is when, and from whom.

      It’s easy to feel pretty, well, sick when you “catch a bug,” so to speak. Everyone knows that stuffy noses, lungs full of gunk and constant nausea aren’t exactly a day in Park Woods. To make matters worse, sick EMHSers are faced with two unpleasant choices. They can either come to school regardless of their symptoms, enduring their illness while attempting to learn something (or worse, try to take a test without dripping phlegm all over the paper). The alternative is to stay at home, stock up on legendarily strong cold medication, and try to feel better – while getting homework done between naps, coughs, and rushes to the bathroom.

     But wait! Since when has being sick become all bad? I remember (back in the good ol’ days) when being sick was like a vacation. I hope that I wasn’t the only fourth-grader who was always pleasantly surprised to wake up feeling a little under the weather. A sick day meant freedom from the drudgery of school, a day or two of grace from all assignments, and a day of being catered to by a concerned Mom or Dad. A sick day was like a snow day’s little brother – most of the benefits, but with a few hitches (such as, well, being sick). The occasional sneezing fit or mountain of used tissues next to the couch was always worth the one-day vacation and heart-warming “get well soon!” calls from friends.

     When you feel yourself getting ill this season (as you will, I promise) try not to curse cruel Fate too much. Take the much needed day off, and enjoy yourself. Do a dose of Nyquil and enjoy its psychedelic effects. Drag out the old Nintendo 64 and try to beat your Super Smash Brothers record. Ask your Mom or Dad to make you some chicken noodle soup, but specify that you’d like Goldfish crackers in it. Or, just stay in bed all day watching soap opera after soap opera, making bets about who will hate whom next. Being sick need not turn into a week-ruining event – it can be a much needed vacation from first quarter’s stifling stress. Who knows, you might actually find yourself a little sad when your symptoms pass.

-Whitney Showalter, Co-Editor

School Day Out

School Day Out means....hugs?  (Easy there, Mark)

Another year, another School Day Out. As far back as I can remember (or at least since I’ve entered high school), I’ve had fond memories of that day, late each summer, when we load the buses for Highland Retreat. This year, as I enjoyed my last School Day Out as a senior, I wasn’t disappointed. The day was hot and very humid, but most of us managed to forget our discomfort under the big awning as we sang hymns with Mr. Hartzler and listened to Mrs. Bixler speak. She stressed the importance of a good attitude in her chapel talk, using 1^st Corinthians 13 as a reference. The rest of the day was spent taking pleasure in different one and two hour activities (such as soccer, drawing, crayfishing, and what I hear was a very violent game of capture the flag).  In the afternoon each class spent time playing different “get-to-know-you games.” This was excluding the seniors, of course, who presumably knew each other well enough to cool off during the Senior Swim time (which was reputedly almost as violent as capture the flag, thanks to some swim noodles).

The younger generation enjoyed the day as well. Though some of the Middle Schoolers said that they would have preferred being at Highland, the day of Outdoor Ed. spent at Natural Bridge did not go unappreciated. The 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders spent some time at the nearby Wax Museum, where they had fun pretending to be wax figures and scaring their classmates. The day also featured a hike to a waterfall. At least a few students went swimming despite the cold water, not unlike their senior brethren back at the Retreat.

Mrs. Johnson and friend

Interesting lunchtime games (photo by Helen Furry)

Whitney Showalter