High Life : A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Would-Be Principals for Day List Agendas

“Rules are made to be broken.” Or so the saying goes, but what if you were the one making the rules?

Somebody has to be in charge at your high school and make the tough day-to-day decisions that affect not only the teachers and students, but also the community.

Hot Topics wonders, “If you could be principal at your school for one day, what would you do?”

“Reduce classroom sizes and get additional help for new students.” Shannon Smith, 16, junior, Santiago

“Go around school and videotape everyone’s complaints and send them to the governor to show him what the budget cuts have done to the school.” Amanda Napier, 16, senior, Santa Ana Valley

“Let everyone take whatever class they wanted all day in whatever environment they wanted--like have history class in a museum.” Amanda Gaide, 16, senior, Troy

“Abolish status symbols and force everyone to wear their natural hair color.” Caroline Lynch, 15, sophomore, Mater Dei

“Get out of school every day at noon. Get every Friday off.” Mollie Caplan, 15, junior, Los Alamitos

“Suspend all the students who have car alarms that go off during class.” Jane Cheng, 17, senior, University

“Organize an all-school field trip to the beach.” Eric Beck, 16, senior, Villa Park

“Have music in the halls during break and lunch.” Steve Genera, 17, senior, Sonora

“Give the teachers a raise by cutting my own paycheck.” Tom Armacost, 17, senior, Irvine

“Talk about rules, gangs . . . no guns, no weapons . . . the people who want to learn, come; the people who don’t, stay home.” Earl Coke, 17, senior, Katella

“Let students swap classes just to experience different ones.” Josh Dale, 16, junior, Esperanza

“Have off-campus lunch.” Geoff Akins, 16, junior, Santa Margarita

“Get the whole school into the auditorium and show the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy.” Tony Garcia, 17, senior, Fullerton

“Get rid of the stupid dress code. After that, I’d just spend the rest of the day riding the golf cart and yelling at freshmen.” Cphi Lee, 17, senior, El Toro

“Walk around campus and meet freshmen all day.” Jason Hogan, 15, sophomore, Laguna Hills

“Have students teach classes and help run the school.” Eileen Rana, 16, senior, Connelly

“Charge $1 admission and $5 for parking.” Bernadette Cuyugan, 17, senior, Valencia

“Have detention for everyone I didn’t like.” Eric Rackley, 15, sophomore, Orange

“Try to teach students the importance of an education and the value of good morals.” Maria Jose Castillo, 15, junior, Savanna

“Get a substitute and go surfing.” Tim Dickenson, 15, sophomore, Calvary Chapel

“Switch the faculty with all the students for the entire day.” Jay Cecil, 16, junior, St. Margaret’s

“Work at earning students’ respect, because if the students don’t trust you, you can’t run a successful school.” Missy Cutler, 14, freshman, Pacifica

“Get rid of the teachers that don’t teach.” Fred Marsh, 17, senior, Troy

“Rule against the dress code, the way they said that you can’t wear some kinds of hats or certain kinds of jackets.” Van Mai, 17, senior, Tustin

“Get better lunches and get more snack-food machines.” Linda Anthonsen, 15, freshman, Bolsa Grande

“Take away money from education and give more of it to athletics.” Colin Travioli, 15, sophomore, Woodbridge

Next Week’s Hot Topic: How much money do you get for a weekly allowance and what do you have to do for that money?