Taking Off the Hat Policy

By Michael Berghold Ed/Op Editor

Editorial/Opinion

October 14, 2011

I wanted to start this year with one of the more important issues we students face at our school, the hat policy. As the ever so informant SR&R video told us, hats are not allowed on our heads inside the school building. Is it really that big of a problem though that they have to be banned from our heads in school? I think that hats are a luxury that the student body should be allowed to enjoy. There are several reasons why we are prohibited from wearing hats in school. I think the most important reason why we arent allowed to wear them is because they can be associated with gangs. Personally I think this isnt the way to deal with this kind of problem. If someone has just joined a gang, I doubt that the fact that they cant wear a hat will change their decision on whether or not they would wear one. The hat rule doesnt solve any problems. A gang member could just as easily wear a symbolic shirt or pair of pants in place of a hat. The student would be accomplishing exactly the same thing except he wouldnt be wearing a hat. So basically if the school allowed us to wear hats, nothing would change because the original problems werent solved in the first place. One of the reasons why we arent allowed to wear hats is Photo by Rae Legine Rodrigues because the problems of not being able to identify people by Senior, Tre Moore, civilly disobeys the hat policy by wearing his own in the school hallways. Students around the school their face, especially in instances of duress and when rules are being broken. This is a valid point; however I think that wear their own in order to express thier own individuality. its not a realistic point. his hat, he held it directly over his face. Now he isnt break- stolen, and hidden whether theyre on your head or not. For one, if someone makes the decision to break a rule, ing two rules, and he can much easily hide his face from There are also a lot of other things like backpacks, pursI dont think they would decide to abide by the hat rule but any cameras that are watching. Doesnt that seem stupid? es, shoes, books etc. that are much more dangerous to be break another. So potentially, one of the purposes of not From a security standpoint, I dont think that wearing or thrown. The policy accomplishes nothing and doesnt even wearing hats has no purpose at all. not wearing hats changes much of anything. address some of the more serious problems. Theres also another thing I would like to highlight. This Another reason that the policy doesnt allow hats is the So I guess the main point Im trying to make is that the is a completely hypothetical situation of course, but lets disruption that it can cause in classrooms and in the hall- hat policy doesnt solve or change anything, so if you revoke imagine someone just broke a rule and there was a camera ways. People occasionally steal hats and throw them etc. the policy, nothing will happen except people will wear watching him. Now, wearing a hat you might be able to recI dont really understand this aspect of the policy; let me more hats. The school should revoke the hat policy and let ognize him, maybe not. He would be breaking another rule explain why. Students are allowed to bring hats to school, students sport their hat swag. though by wearing the hat. Now, lets say instead of wearing but not wear them. So the hats are still there to be thrown, Tweet us your opinions @SCCourier

By Flo Popal Staff Writer

The Young and the Reckless For Whom

not texting while drive so theyre more aware and alert. I understand that once you get your license, you have a lot more freedom, but with that freedom comes responsibility. In my opinion, you should drive with a parent or someone whos been driving for a long period of time within the first few months of getting your license. The reason why is because youll have more experience. Also, if you make a mistake youll have an experienced driver that will tell you what youre doing wrong and correct you. Its proven that teens are most likely not to get into an accident if they drive with their parents within the first couple months. Drunk driving is a big issue for teens that drive. You would think that a couple shots wont interfere with your driving but youll be surprised. 3,434 were killed in traffic crashes and 1,355 were a result of alcohol. Youre not thinking when youre driving drunk, therefore you dont know where youre going, when to stop, when to go, etc. Even worse, theres a good chance youll get pulled over. Alcohol is the cause of 60% of all teen deaths in car accidents. Thats ridiculous and very dangerous.

Teen drivers are 10 times more likely to be involved in a crash within their first year of driving. Crazy, huh? Drivers from the ages of 15-20 are accounted for 12 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes. 16 year olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age. Many teenagers think that once they get their license, they can get away with anything. Obviously, thats not true. Its sad to think that many of the crashes that were caused in 2008 were because of bad teenage drivers. Bad teen drivers should drive with a parent for the first couple of months of them getting their license, not drinking while driving and

The Bell Tolls

By Mariah Kushin Front/News Editor Waking up and getting to school on time is hard enough for students and teachers at the beginning of the school year. To make things worse, a new bell schedule that requires us to be in our first period earlier than in years past is creating an issue for some, including myself. Ten minutes may not seem like much, but this time modification is definitely interrupting the flow of the school day, especially in the mornings. Sure, there is an advantage, we are released from 7th period five minutes earlier, but does it really make a difference? The end of the school day has never been a problem. Our school has been trying very hard to make the kiss and ride not so jammed by adding a front entrance for parents dropping off their kids. It works effectively but with the schedule change, traffic is even more backed up. My dad drives me to school, and I have come to find that if you dont get to one of the lines before seven, you may be waiting a while to get out. Also, lets not forget to mention the traffic on Silverbrook Road. The buses, student drivers, and even people trying to get to work are all trying to leave their houses at the same time, so it creates problems for everyone. Its true, this change in schedule is inevitable, budget cuts were necessary. However, we could always work more diligently in trying to fix our policies to make our days run as smooth as possible. Thankfully, there will be an advantage to that coming in the next year. Since the middle school is being built, that will take out a huge amount of drop-offs which will free up both of the kiss and rides. All the main roads will not be as packed. As for right now, there doesnt seem to be a perfect solution, but find what works best for you. Weigh the time it takes you to get into the school, to your locker, and

Many teens shouldnt do this for their own safety but they still do, which is texting while driving. You may think its not really that big of a deal because you can still pay attention to the road but thats not true. A young girl by the name of Ashley got into a car accident just because she was reading a simple, useless text saying yeah by her sister. The statistics show that texting is more dangerous than talking on the phone and even drunk driving. That text that youre about to send or read can definitely wait. Overall, teens have a lot of learning to do when it comes to driving. Thats why parents should drive with their kids within the first couple months, not drink while drive or text while driving. Just listen when your parents give you tips because they will help you out in the future and prevent you from doing something stupid. If youre going to drink, at least have a designated driver with you. Just be safe and know what youre doing on the roads.

Political Cartoon by Prashant Bishwakarma