OC HIGH / Student News and Views : Assembly Lines : OC High asks: Are school assemblies worthwhile? What’s the best or worst one you’ve ever been to?

“Yes, since we get to miss class and just sit and talk.”

Dave Peters, 15

freshman, Huntington Beach

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“No, they’re not worthwhile. We just had a drunk-driving one. The idea behind it was good, but just using the gory slides didn’t get the point across.”

Michele Johnson, 17

junior, Dana Hills

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“The best assemblies are when groups at our school, like the dance team, perform. They look professional and provide a nice variety.”

Sam Ng, 15

sophomore, Fountain Valley

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“They have their moments. They introduce you to sports, current events and dance court nominations. The worst one I’ve ever seen was when they planned to have a laser show and the people they hired messed up.”

Samir Singh, 16

sophomore, El Dorado

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“They are lame and boring. They don’t really have anything that keeps the students interested. The people in charge look like kindergartners running around.”

Alex Vanderweid, 16

junior, El Toro

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“The elf dance, Valentine’s Day and homecoming assemblies were the best this year. Assemblies that don’t have a theme or a point are the worst.”

Kelley Thayer, 15

sophomore, Troy

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“The best ones are the lip-sync assemblies; the worst ones are the ones where they just talk about sports and don’t do anything else.”

Erica Medrano, 16

junior, Loara

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“Assemblies are worthless. I don’t know which ones are good or bad--I usually don’t go.”

Jasmine Pachnanda, 16

junior, Irvine

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“Yes, because you get to know what’s going on in student life and hang out with your friends. The best one I’ve been to is when the captain of the cheer squad did a rock concert-type of thing--with all her friends in tie-dye.”

Leah Handy, 14

freshman, El Toro

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“They make me feel full of school spirit.”

Victor Hu, 15, Foothill

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“The worst one was our homecoming assembly. It was really boring. . . . The only people that had fun were the seniors. I think that the most worthwhile assembly was the Red Ribbon week assembly, because the speaker addressed everyone and had something meaningful to say, unlike most other school assemblies.”

Heather Pauley, 15

freshman, Huntington Beach

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“The worst one this year was the Power Pull. The sound was off; people were making a mess of the gym floor, and it’s banned forever. The best one . . . well nothing really stands out.”

Tara O’Connell, 17

senior, Laguna Beach

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“Yes, because it gives people something fun to do at snack. The best was the ‘Brady Bunch’ skit.”

Kerrie Smith, 17

junior, Mission Viejo

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“I especially like assemblies with guest speakers who can be role models to us as high school students.”

Sonia Chin, 15

sophomore, Villa Park

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“Sometimes the football pep rallies are the best because they pump everybody up.”

Beth Merkle, 17

senior, Mission Viejo

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“I’ve never been to one.”

Debbie Kim, 16

junior, Woodbridge

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“I guess they are worthwhile because they get us into the school spirit. The most exciting pep assembly was when the cross-country girls made one of the guys into a human sundae.”

Kelly Kovanda, 18

senior, Los Alamitos

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“They are pointless and stupid. They waste my time on stuff I already know.”

Shane Owen, 17

senior, Bolsa Grande

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“I think school assemblies are very worthwhile ‘cause the students listen to speakers, but they have fun at the same time. The best one I’ve been to is the Marine choir. That assembly kept me laughing all day.”

Victoria Dang, 15

sophomore, Santiago

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“Yes, they’re entertaining and a great way to inform the student about who is participating in sports teams and school activities. Assemblies unite the students with cultural awareness.”

Joy Wong, 17

junior, Fountain Valley

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“Yes, because they bring the school together, and you get to meet other classmen. The best one was when we played the dating game and seniors sang.”

Julie Denton, 15

sophomore, Troy

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“The ones with a positive message are worthwhile, but assemblies that don’t relate to anybody aren’t worthwhile. In junior high, I went to an assembly where four people performed skits, and it wasn’t relevant to anybody.”

Alyssia Wagner, 16

sophomore, Irvine

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“They boost everyone’s spirits. The best ones are the Powder Puff assemblies [where guys dress up as cheerleaders] because they’re so hilarious.”

Nancy Nguyen, 18

senior, Loara

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“The best one I ever went to was when Dr. Piper Mandy talked about culture and racism. The worst one is all the tiny pep assemblies in between. They’re not very well organized. If they were, I think I would enjoy them more.”

Skye Thomsen, 17

senior, Laguna Beach

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“Most of them are worthwhile. My freshman year we saw Dr. Piper Mandy speak. It was worthwhile because she was speaking out against racism. It got to a lot of people.”

Geetu Dhillon, 17

junior, Los Alamitos

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“They are worthwhile because they take up school time and promote school spirit at the same time. My favorite assemblies are the ones that promote school athletics.”

Kimber Davis, 15

sophomore, Villa Park

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“They’re worthwhile because you get out of class. The best one is probably the pep assemblies, because the sports teams are recognized.”

Juan Colchado, 19

senior, Saddleback

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“It brings the student body as a whole together. Students can find a commonality between each other, and school spirit is also helped. Assemblies also serve as an informational thing, as well as something to ‘let loose’ from the stresses of school life.”

Chester Kuei, 18

senior, El Dorado

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“It’s only worthwhile if we have good speakers. The best assembly is usually homecoming, when everyone is very spirited.”

Vivathana Phaphouampheng, 18

senior, Saddleback

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“The football assembly is the only one I go to; the rest are a waste of time.”

Thuy Nugyen, 15

sophomore, Bolsa Grande

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“They’re not ever worthwhile. If they had more people telling their own personal experiences it would be much more effective. Instead of witnesses, it should be people that were the victims.”

Morgon Hamlen, 17

junior, Dana Hills

* Responses gathered by Tricia Michels, Fountain Valley; Corey Griffin, Troy; Robert Wenzel, Irvine; Alison Wynia, El Toro; Dana Lenetz, Foothill; Lei Shen, Loara; Amy Woo, Huntington Beach; Craig Hammill, Laguna Beach; Jennifer Tobkin, Villa Park; Michelle Tran, Saddleback; Dan Nieto, Mission Viejo; Mike Steinberger, El Dorado; Elaine Park, Woodbridge; Amber Pierce, Los Alamitos; Kelly Maakestad, Bolsa Grande; Leeza Duong, Santiago; Lindsey Blenkhorn, Dana Hills.