OC HIGH: STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS
OC High asks: If you were the principal, what’s the first thing you would change at your school?
“Instead of detention, students should be punished with janitorial labor.”
Daniel Hildebrandt, 16
junior, El Dorado
“I’d fix the bathrooms. They’d have soap; there would be two stalls in each bathroom with doors, toilet paper and toilets that flushed successfully.”
Kerrie Gipe, 15
sophomore, Westminster
“I would try to gather funds to purchase a second set of books for all students so that we could eliminate the lockers.”
Carrie Duffy, 16
junior, Fountain Valley
“I would decrease the number of people. It’s too crowded.”
Shannon Fais, 17
senior, Capistrano Valley
“I would offer more activities and organizations so that everyone can participate. I think the system could give more chances to those out there who are willing to participate, but just don’t know how to or just too shy.”
Jung Kim, 16
junior, Cypress
“I would make it a point to open all bathrooms--yes, even some of the teachers’ bathrooms--at lunch. We students are forced to wait in lines for 10 minutes, and, when you add that to time waiting in lunch lines, we have only a few hurried minutes to eat. At our school, only half the bathrooms are open, and lines always poke out the door.”
Allison Kenne, 16
junior, Loara
“I would purchase new books for the students and decrease class population to 20 students or less.”
Renee Weathers, 16
junior, Laguna Hills
“I would change some of the strict policies, such as not being able to have a Walkman and not having senior privileges.”
Chris Vargas, 17
senior, Valencia
“I’d make three-day weekends and shorter classes.”
Joanna Morgan, 14
sophomore,
Newport Harbor
“I’d get rid of the dress code. It doesn’t matter what people wear and what they don’t wear. Baggy pants won’t start a drive-by.”
Anthony Bell, 16
junior, Westminster
“Have more school-sponsored events that are off-campus. Also, I’d have more privileges for the seniors at the end of the year.”
Amanda Morris, 16
senior, Irvine
“I’d redecorate the classrooms so it doesn’t look like we’re in the ‘70s. And I’d introduce air conditioning.”
Masumi Patel
junior, Cornelia Connelly
“I would have metal detectors as you walk in the school doors. That way I won’t ever have to worry about people having weapons in school.”
Lucas Brightman, 17
senior, Sonora
“I would make a stricter dress code that would outlaw wearing gang-related clothing to (help) make other students feel comfortable when they are at school.”
Susan Tang, 17
senior, Villa Park
“The dress code, because it is too harsh. We can’t wear sport shirts or hats and have to tuck in our shirts. I
wouldn’t enforce tucking in our shirts because sometimes we look funny
with our shirts
tucked in.”
Christine Dang, 14
freshman, Saddleback
“I would end the teaching of such conventional subjects as math and science and instead place an emphasis on philosophy.”
Brian Gonsalves, 15
sophomore, Kennedy
“I would put more effort into beautification of the grounds. I would put in more plants, flowers and trees.”
Michele Muno, 16
junior, Fountain Valley
“I’d have an inter-district test for all the students that want to transfer from different cities into Brea.”
Randy Lim, 15
freshman, Brea Olinda
“I would put line dividers in the cafeteria to help with the long confusing lines at lunch.”
Joshua Pai, 15
sophomore, Troy
“I would have a rotating schedule so that I would have different classes at different times of the day. It gets boring, day after day, with the same schedule.”
Tricia Stough, 16
junior, Los Alamitos
“I would change the tardy policy. It would be more lenient to offenders. I would also change the policy for playing sports--no more physicals.”
Andy Park, 15
sophomore, Los Amigos
“I would make it so we had three-day weekends by extending class periods accordingly.”
Samir Singh, 15
sophomore, El Dorado
“I would attempt to abolish racism. Students should be more aware and know more about their peers’ background. I’d like to stop racism on school grounds, maybe even in our neighborhoods. The end to racism (could) decrease violence.”
Christine Vu, 15
sophomore, Los Amigos
“I’d be more involved with the students.”
Jessica Davis, 17
senior, San Clemente
“Change the curriculum to have a wider variety of classes, like zoology, Portuguese, radio broadcasting, guitar playing, shop--and PE with a trampoline.”
Emily Correa
senior, Cornelia Connelly
“I’d make the passing period longer.”
Kalani Sanders, 14
freshman, Kennedy
“Open campus at lunch.”
Geoff Oetting, 15
sophomore, Canyon
“I would change the no-hat rule.”
Pamela Melville, 17
senior, San Clemente
“I’d change the ‘no eating on the grass’ rule and make more food areas.”
Lisa Rober, 16
junior, Brea Olinda
“The cafeteria is inadequate; it will always be inadequate because it’s just too small. We need to open our campus back up. This (closed campus) was a capricious act of power by the school board.”
Randy Ingram
junior, Laguna Beach
“Reading period. I have nothing against reading, but I think those 15 minutes could be used better for study time. A lot of students work and could use that extra time for some last-minute studying.”
Sonia Rodriguez, 17
junior, Western
“I would let freshman and sophomores leave the campus for lunch along with the upperclassman.”
John Keeler, 14
freshman, Troy
“Some of the teachers.”
Devin McComber, 15
sophomore, Canyon
“I would change the color of the exterior to a more inviting and friendlier scheme. Maybe yellow and aqua.”
John Avery, 18
senior, Los Alamitos
“I would make a longer lunch period so the seniors would not have to risk getting a speeding ticket while racing back for fifth period.”
Jeremy Suola
senior, Foothill
“The dress code system, because I like to wear sports clothing, and most of that isn’t gang-related. Do you see ‘gang-bangers’ wearing Mighty Ducks shirts? I also hate to tuck in my shirt because I was never raised to do that before.”
Rudy Moreno, 18
senior, Saddleback
“I would hire more counselors. There are too many people and too few counselors.”
Stephanie Llerena, 14
freshman, Cypress
“I’d try to make school more advanced. Better classroom equipment--tables, chairs, computers and books. Even though the AP classes are college classes, they don’t have all the equipment to perform like one.”
Sadaf Ahmed, 16
junior, Loara
“If I were principal, I would make it a goal for each student to meet five new people every day. I would also allow all students to go off campus at lunch.”
Denise Ho, 16
junior, Laguna Hills
“I would put a rope line system in the cafeteria, because it’s a mob scene in there. And I would add a period for homework.”
Erik Patterson, 17
junior, Newport Harbor
“I would try to improve the relationship between students and teachers in terms of student activities because it’s really hard to get cooperation from the teacher for student activities, since most of the teachers only stress academics.”
James Balagot, 17
senior, Irvine
* Responses gathered by Linda Dao, Los Amigos; Gina Tercero, Cornelia Connelly; Aaron Cross, Kennedy; Sabrina Freidman, Canyon; Robert Wenzel, Irvine; Nicole Broussard, San Clemente; Amy Chen, Brea Olinda; Craig Hammill, Laguna Beach High; Lisa Lobo, Western; Corey Griffin, Troy; Amber Pierce, Los Alamitos; Dana Lenetz, Foothill; Michael Steinberger, El Dorado; Jennifer Tobkin, Villa Park; Michelle Tran, Saddleback; Tricia Michels, Fountain Valley; Roxanne McGraw, Cypress; Eve Winnick, Loara; Eva Joy Leavitt, Laguna Hills; Ling Lu, Valencia; Katrina Tangen, Newport Harbor; Joslin Gemsch, Capistrano Valley; Koreen Kalie, Westminster.
