Commentary: Bus transportation needed for GSA students

by: Amber Lillard

GSA needs buses. Every school should have the option of having bus transportation to and from school.

Kelcey Lee, a junior at GSA, agrees that the school needs buses. She doesn’t think it’s right that some schools have buses and some do not.

“Sometimes you can’t rely on a parent or guardian to get you to school and back home everyday. Parents work,” Lee said.

Jakob Nagl, a junior at GSA, agrees that the school needs buses. With parents working morning to night, it can be difficult for them to take their kids to and from school.

“With having buses, the attendance at GSA could go up a great amount,” Nagl said.

Peyton Otis, a junior at GSA, agrees that the school needs buses. It can be hard for her mom to take her to school, because Otis has a little brother and sister. It gets very tricky trying to wake the little ones up, help get them ready and be out the door by 7:25 in the morning.

“Buses would be a great weight off of parents shoulders, because they wouldn’t have to rush in the morning and worry about their kids being late to school,” Otis said.

Nikki Lujan, a junior at GSA, agrees that the school needs buses. Even though she now has a car she said she remembers what it was like always being late because her dad held her up in the mornings.

“It’s not always the kids fault for being late, but we always have to serve the consequence for it,” Lujan said.

Morgan Kobermann, a junior at GSA, is neutral about the school needing buses. She said that she has her own car, so she doesn’t depend on her mom or dad to take her to school anymore.

“Even if we did have buses I wouldn’t want to ride in them,” Kobermann said confidently. “I would rather drive myself to school.”

Chris Mason, a junior at GSA, strongly agrees that the school is in need of buses. Since Mason lives rather far from school it is very hard for him to wake up early and be at school at a decent time so he is not counted tardy.

Savannah Anic, a sophomore at GSA, is neutral about the school needing buses. Anic said that she has her own car but sometimes she gets it taken away when her mom gets mad at her. Even though her mom would take away her car, she still wouldn’t take the bus to school, Anic said. She would just have her mom take her.

“I will not ride the bus to school,” Anic said with sass. “I either have my own car or my mom can take me.”

Commentary: No Phones. No Headphones. No Food. No Fun!

by: Madi Monti

Gateway Science Academy has finally decided to crack down on headphones and cell phone use in school as well as food out of the cafeteria. Some students have been getting out of hand. People will refuse to give their phone up when they get caught on it. Also, students try to sneak their headphones in during a teacher’s class multiple times after the teacher has told students to put them away. Most teachers are very nice about it. Most just tell you to put your phone or headphones away versus them taking it and giving it to administration. Some students will push their limits with the teachers, which has caused the GSA administration to ban all electronics in the classroom and food outside the cafeteria. I do not think this is right. I do agree that some students took advantage of all three items, but why punish all students? Why not punish those who continually do the wrong thing like a school is suppose to do? Punishing a school will make them want to rebel even more. It is going to make people more sneaky about it.

Bre Belvin, a junior at Gateway Science Academy, does not agree with the ban. Belvin arrives at school at 7:45 a.m. That is enough time to put her stuff away and get breakfast to eat in the first period class. She has Algebra 2 with Mr. Flaherty and he has never had a problem with Belvin’s daily routine. She does an exceptional job in his class. She never disturbs anyone while eating and she always cleans up after herself. Now, due to other kids’ mistakes, she can’t continue her daily routine.

“Why do certain students have to suffer from other students abusing the rules,” Belvin asked.

Felix Jones, a junior at Gateway Science Academy, also is not in favor of this ban. He mostly disagrees with the banning of food out of the cafeteria.

“We pretty much have vending machines in the hallway for nothing,” Jones said. “Some students may not have food at home. They could come to school depending on school food or the snacks from the vending machine. It’s not fair that we have to suffer from mass punishment,” Jones stated.

Jacob Thole, a sophomore at Gateway Science Academy also strongly disagrees with the new enforcements. He mostly disagrees with the cracking down on headphones.

“Music helps some people think, work, and concentrate better because they aren’t distracted by classmates, like myself,” Thole admitted.

Thole and many other students would agree with his argument. Some people need silence to work better. Some need music to work better. Why deny a student a way to better their own work atmosphere?

I asked all three students what they would do to fix this problem if they were a teacher or part of administration.

“Don’t give warnings. Just give a punishment at the time of the crime. Giving students a warning gives them another chance to break the rule,” Belvin stated.

“Limit the phone use instead of taking it away,” Jones said. “Some teachers will plan student phone use into their lesson. We should be able to use the phone then, but other than that, lock it up in the locker.”

“I think if it is that big of a deal, they should go back to taking away the phone when they see it and giving the student a detention right then,” Thole said.

Commentary: GSA students should be allowed to use electronic devices during school hours

by: Amber Lillard

Technology has improved so much throughout history and has become the center of attention. Depending on how you look at it, it can be a good or bad thing. GSA should recognize the good in technology and let students use electronic devices during school.

Morgan Kobermann, a junior at GSA, is in favor of students using electronic devices during school hours. She thinks it could help improve students academically.

“Using electronic devices could sky rocket the students grades,” Kobermann stated with enthusiasm. “The teachers would be crazy not to be for this great idea.”

Mary Ellen Villarreal, a sophomore at GSA, is iffy about letting students use electronic devices. She feels that school should be a way to escape from the social media world, even if she does like the idea of using electronic devices to help her academically.

“I feel as if school wouldn’t be like school anymore because of the drama on social media sites,” Villarreal said. “I really am not ready for that to be in my school environment.”

Savannah Anic, a sophomore at GSA is for the use of electronic devices during school hours.

“I am always asking questions about the work I receive,” Anic said. “Sometimes, I would like to google it and look further into the work.”

She does agree that she might be on her phone a little too much if that rule passed but it wouldn’t be to the point where her grades totally fall apart.

Taylor Owens, a junior as GSA is also in favor of using electronic devices during school hours. She likes the idea of being able to pull out her phone and use it as an extra resource other than her teachers’ or friends’ words.

“I like to have more than just one resource,” Owens said. “I always feel the need to double check my work and make sure I have facts to back up my work, and by being able to use an electronic device during school hours would be a great reliable source to use.”

Adam Decker, a junior at GSA is for the use of electronic devices during school hours. He thinks students, if given the freedom to use devices, would self-limit the use of social media sites. But since students seem to always be on their phones, they aren’t proving they’re capable to GSA administrators.

“I would like to be able to use my phone for a question but that won’t be happening anytime soon…people can’t seem to stay off of Facebook, Instagram or Twitter,” Decker said.

Students should be able to use electronic devices during the day for projects, homework help, studying and class work. I do think that students are sometimes on their phones too much. I am a victim of that, too. Students should find ways to escape social media sites during the school hours. If students can prove they’re capable of this, then maybe school administrators will give them more freedom.

Commentary: Half days for seniors are a good thing

by: Nicole Lujan

High Schools like Mehlville High School and Carnahan High School offer half days to seniors who have enough credits. According to GSA College Counselor Nazife Aktas, GSA will offer half days to eligible seniors next year.

“This way they can go to work or take challenging courses from local community colleges during the afternoon,” Aktas said.

GSA has developed a plan to offer senior classes in the morning and allow them to leave school after lunch. To be eligible for half days, students must have completed at least 23 of the required 28 credits by the end of their junior year, Aktas stated.

“I hope we have half days next year, so I can focus more on soccer and my job,” said Adin Mulasalihovic, a GSA junior. “I have enough credits, so I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to leave early.”

The GSA Class of 2016 will be the high school’s first graduating class and deserves things that other schools have, such as half days, Senior Night, student parking, prom, homecoming, as well as fundraisers like car washes.

“Seniors should have half days next year because they’ve been busting their butts to get enough credits the past three years for their senior year,” said Amber Hodge, a GSA sophomore. “Only the students who have the required amount of credits should be able to have the half days next year.”

As a teenager with a job I know how hard it is to go to school, work, and play sports. But, somehow I make it happen. Half days next year will help me earn more money so I can pay for my future apartment and car.

Currently, I wouldn’t be able to afford monthly rent for an apartment and a car because I don’t get enough hours working at McDonald’s. The half days will allow me to work more and earn more money.

GSA needs early graduation for seniors

by: Morgan Kobermann

Early graduation is offered at most high schools such as Affton High School and Gateway STEM High School to seniors who have reached their credit requirements. Those students worked extra hard for the chance to get out of school early. They still walk across the stage with their fellow classmates, they just don’t have to attend school all the way until graduation. Gateway Science Academy should offer early graduation for their senior class next year.`

Amber Lillard, a junior, is currently above her credits, and strongly approves of early graduation. She thinks it would be very beneficial for students and teachers.

“Not every student would be eligible, so it would push students to work harder and they would have a goal to push towards, which would make the school grades sky rocket,” Lillard said.

John Schimmel is GSA’s Dean of Students and he agreed that early graduation can be a good thing.

“Yes, if students meet the requirements then there is no reason for them to stay [at GSA],” Schimmel said.

“The grade requirements would be about a 3.5 GPA and the credit requirements would be 28 credits,” Schimmel noted.

Mary-Ellen Villarreal, a sophomore, also agreed that early graduation would be very beneficial for the students as well as GSA’s reputation.

Villarreal said she feels like GSA would have a lot less drama if some of the seniors left, because the closer they get to graduating the ruder and more stuck up they become to the younger grades.

“You guys deserve to graduate early if you work hard enough,” Villarreal said. “But, I will miss you a lot.”

Sports Commentary – Which boys’ basketball team will be on top at the end of the season?

by: Austin LaRue

Sports teams are playing more of a vital role in GSA’s activities. During the winter, basketball reigns king. Currently, GSA has two boys’ basketball teams, the Varsity team and the “C” Team (Junior Varsity). So, which one has performed better in their respective division?

With C Team having a current record of 6-4, and the Varsity team a record of 8-6, both teams have won two more games than they have lost. According to Adin Mulasalihovic, a player on C Team who has also played with Varsity in a handful of games, he believes the teams in the varsity division “were significantly better and more difficult to beat.”

Does the Varsity have a better team chemistry than C Team? The majority of varsity players have been on a team together since freshman year, while C Team is a first-year team composed of freshmen, sophomores and juniors. This concoction of players can be a good thing, as well as a bad one. On one hand, you have a mix of new players who all have individual skills still to be discovered. On the flip side, you have a mix of kids who are not used to playing with each other, and haven’t had as much time to develop a strong, team bond.

During the teams’ practices, some of the C Team players have earned a great deal of respect from Varsity players, enough that some of them have earned spots playing in a varsity games.

With many games left in the season, ending February 17th, it is difficult to tell the true outcome for each team. Yet, there are enough games under both teams’ belts that it’s undeniable to admit, for such a small and young school, both teams are doing extremely well.

Commentary. Generation A: the danger of grades

by: Amber Hodge

Alfie Kohn, a high school teacher, published an article in his high school newspaper in 1999 titled, “From Degrading to De-grading.” The paper discussed some of the negative impacts of giving students letter grades: reducing student interest in learning and challenging tasks and the quality of student thinking. The overarching question here is this: how truly dangerously can letter grades impact students, including GSA students?

One section of the paper was titled, “Grades encourage cheating.” As a high school sophomore, I can say there is definitely some validity to this statement. At least once or twice a day I hear from students, ‘Did you do the English homework? Let me get it.’ I’m sure that students would turn it in a day late, if it didn’t mean there was a possibility of it dropping their grade a whole letter. Teachers can’t be completely blind to this. It wasn’t too long ago they were in the same position of trying to keep their grade up in every class. From the point of view of a student taking all honors courses and maintaining a 4.7 GPA, I can tell you dropping a letter grade is a big deal. For most nights, it’s either staying up till three to do homework, or turning it in a day late and watching my grades fall apart, because as these late assignments slowly start to add up, the lower your grade gets.

To wrap this up, how truly dangerous is it for a student to have an “A” verse an “F”? The answer is more than you probably think. Teachers and parents are always wondering why we can’t wait until summer vacation – because that’s is the only time we don’t have grades to worry about. Take a look at us, how is it fair to say that a 15-year-old is only worth an “A” or an “F”? It shouldn’t be considered fair, but today’s education system has told us that is all we’re worth.