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The Morgan PawPrint

The Student News Site of The Morgan School

The Morgan PawPrint

The Student News Site of The Morgan School

The Morgan PawPrint

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A Chance to Begin Again

+I+want+nice+locker+rooms+and+a+sky+roof.+says+Savannah+Skidmore.
” I want nice locker rooms and a sky roof.” says Savannah Skidmore.

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by Maina Carey & Judy Chicoine|

In April of this year, a referendum was passed in favor of constructing a new high school, here in Clinton. For the freshmen, this is very exciting since they will be the first to graduate in the new school, and the teachers are ecstatic about the long-awaited change! But we don’t want to just copy and paste our scrappy furniture and unreliable technology into a new school. This time, we have a chance to better our experience here in Morgan, and we’re going to take advantage of it.

Change can be one of the hardest pills to swallow, but the outcome is always great; as a community and as a school, we’re ready to see the new Morgan. The faculty here at Morgan has mixed opinions on the emotional toll of leaving Morgan. When I asked Mr. Zawadski if he would miss Morgan or if he’s happy to see it go, he responded, “both, seeing as I went here for four years as a student, and I’ve taught here for about ten years; so it will seem weird not pulling into the same driveway.” Ms. Frydenborg seems to be waiting for the move into the new school, but it’s definitely understandable, considering what she told me. “Morgan has bad air quality –especially in the English wing- and leaky roofs. When it rains, it’s also impossible to hear.” It’s clear that something needs to be done as soon as possible. As Ms. Frydenborg said, “kids should feel better about where they go to school, and we all deserve to work in a safe, healthy environment.” We should feel proud of Morgan, not ashamed by its condition.

The layout for the new Morgan school suggests that it will have two floors (and a food court is also in the works!). I asked Mrs. Shugrue what she would like to see in the new Morgan school, and she said, “I would like to see a better facility, better technology, and more organization.” I couldn’t agree more! Mrs. Robinson made a great point, too –“I don’t want to see as many brick walls.” Mr. Zawadski mentioned wanting more lockable closet space, and Ms. Frydenborg requested more bookshelves. Other faculty members mentioned that they would like to see more connection between departments. Hopefully, the new Morgan school will meet these demands.

The major component of our school is the students; therefore, students should always have a say about what goes into the school. Others think that students can be a little unrealistic, which is true, but many students actually had great ideas that would not be silly or overly costly to include.

“I hope we get a food court inside the lunchroom,” Devin Bornstein says. This is a big issue among our peers. The majority of interviewed students claimed they really wanted a food court. Our budget could not purchase a host of stores like malls, but two or three would be sufficient. When asked what stores they would like included, lots of people said Starbucks. In high school, it’s safe to say that mostly everyone drinks coffee, so a Starbucks would generate thousands of dollars each year. This would be a convenient addition because at the new location, we are no longer within three minutes’ walking distance from Dunkin’ Donuts. To support our school’s health program, nutritious fast food programs such as Panera Bread and Chipolte should be contenders.

Another key concern is the technology. Obviously, the inhabitants of Morgan do not want any of the current technology to step foot into the new school. The problem? Well, there are many. The computers are rendered useless because whether they function or not is questionable. A necessity in the new school is reliable technology. Although the current computers do support new, easier programs for creating videos, which is a regular medium in the world of academics, our outdated computer operating system (XP) doesn’t allow it. Vinny Carafeno suggested getting Mac computers, since PC’s are not that great. The opinion is arguable, but it could be considered.

It is only fair that some luxuries should be stitched into our new high school. Tess Hallowell says, “A rooftop garden would be awesome. Also, in our lockers, shelves would be helpful.” A tranquil garden on top of our school would be great. Science classes could grow multicolored flowers up there, and even some herbs; how pretty would that look? Aside from adding beauty to our school, we should also focus on better organization. Shelves in lockers would provide a place for our books or lunch bag. It would have many other purposes as well. I myself have about four books, a lot of folders, some binders, and some notebooks, and it gets pretty messy inside my locker.

Improvements need to be made, but when the faculty was asked what they wouldn’t change about Morgan, they all agreed: “The students.” It’s true! When you walk into Morgan, you feel a sense of community among all of the commotion. Morgan will be greatly missed, but the students and faculty are excited to see what’s next. After all, all great things must come to an end, but then again, the end is a brand new beginning.

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