My life has devolved into a homework-focused, hyper-scheduled, mind-numbing string of assignments and extracurricular projects, now that it's ISU season once again. In whatever time I'm not spending behind my laptop, I've begun to realize a few things. If the administration, teachers, student organizations and the student public can collaborate on five simple tasks, Innisdale could be a better place for everyone.
Firstly: WiFi access and Internet freedom. As I've mentioned in a previous column, it's unfair to the students of our school that our Internet freedom is so constricted. We've had Bess forced upon us, and the wonderful WiFi is no longer accessible. As students, we should have the right to police our own online time. Teachers should be over our shoulders, monitoring. Bess blocks some websites for no apparent reason, and restricts access to information for research. Also, allowing students to access the school's WiFi network would simplify research and open knowledge to even the most unusual of classrooms. Its return has been long-promised but has yet to arrive; it's time for it to come back.
Secondly: Bring local, organic food into the Caf, and kill the vending machines. Our cafeteria menu has benefitted greatly from the recent inclusion of a larger variety of foods, but further steps should be taken. The pitas and wraps are great; people ordered them so often that the caf ladies began a preorder program. Why, then, should they continue to offer such lovely items as the mystery-meat chicken burger? The caf should become a focus of the school: if they were to introduce more successful healthy items, and switch their ingredients list to include only organic foods. And it's time to kill off the vending machines. No matter how much money they pay the school each year, it's hypocritical to keep them around when the Ministry of Education continues on an anti-obesity rampage. Sell the junk food from one shelf in the ccaf; students will stop being price-gouged and buy less of the garbage.
Thirdly: Open quiet study space and computer labs to the students. It's impossible to do homework in the library with so many people talking. It's even harder to be productive during a lunch period because there are never any computers available to complete homework on. More computers should be reserved for student use during the day, and students need to be guaranteed study and work space. Back in the nineties, a room was set aside specifically for Grade 12s to complete their many ISUs; every student deserves the ability to lighten their workload during the day.
Fourthly: Simplify Innisdale's daily schedule. Having five different lunches is simply untenable. There's no way to manage supervision when students are randomly in any place at any time. It would be easier for everyone (teachers and administrators, especially) if our school went back to a unified third-period lunch or a third-fourth even split. Whether this would mean building an addition for the school or somehow finding capacity elsewhere, it would be worth it just to save headaches for everyone and allow clubs to meet during lunch, as they once did.
Fifthly and finally: Bring back the activity period. Once upon a time, everyone at Innisdale had the option to be involved. After school, there would be a standard-length period in which no courses were scheduled. Sports teams, clubs, and study halls would be available for everyone. Students would also have the option to take the city bus or get a ride home. Innisdale has a chronic lack of participation; with clubs and teams meeting after school, many students find it inconvenient to arrange their own rides. Keeping kids around the school a little bit longer couldn't hurt anyone, and would greatly strengthen our school culture.
I heartily believe that these five things would each have a great positive impact on Innisdale as a whole. Their implementation should be a goal of future Student Councils, student leaders, staff, and administrators. They could really do a whole lot of good.
