Student Declaration of Independence

We the students of Grosse Pointe South High School find it necessary to band together in order to create a common stronghold, that united shall allow for the dissolution of silly rules and regulations imposed upon us by King Provenzano and the Grosse Pointe School District. It is with all due respect that we bring forth our opinions. It is in doing so that we hope to engage in a quicker absolution of the past and current administrations’ mistakes. Only then can we look to our future within this institution and see that it is bright and beautiful.

Let it be known that we are entitled to certain rights as high school students. Namely, we have the Right to Sanity, Happiness, Physical Well-Being, Expression and Proper Accommodations.  We have been held prisoners in this school for too long. It is as if we are hardened criminals that must do homework or blog until our hands are calloused or fall off.  We are chained to our rooms and not allowed to wander the halls, nor leave a social event for fear we may commit some crime.  Our happiness and physical well-being have been ignored. These administrators should realize that we, as teenagers require more sleep, adequate nutrition and longer lunch hours.  Let’s not forget about our much-needed happiness in order not to commit suicide or deal with depression.  Also, we suffer from inadequate facilities with no air conditioning, ventilation, and no free parking lot that is sufficient enough to accommodate all students. It is our right and duty to provide for all students the necessary elements in order to succeed at this institution of higher education. We must rid this place of old ideals usurped with pain, agony, and suffering which they have inflicted. Hence, we must abolish this fiefdom. We hereby submit as proof of our allegations the following testimony that we do solemnly swear to be the whole truth

<!--[if !supportLists]-->       I.           I.  <!--[endif]-->More Holiday Breaks

When someone who does not know the school walks it, they see hard work, but with that hard work, sleep deprived students and teachers. Sleep can fix many of the things the teachers have issues with the students. If the school introduces more regular holiday breaks, instead of longer holiday breaks. This would give the student body more time to understand the difficult concepts of life, say school has all of Friday Saturday Sunday off. More time to do homework would permit more time to actually understand those lessons. More breaks would permit a healthier school in general.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->    II.           II.  <!--[endif]-->Harmless Pranks Should be Allowed

During spirit week all staff is on the hunt for pranks. Such things as, writing 'senior' on underclassmen's arms. This does not inhibit their class performance in any way. The students are still able to get their books, get to class, and be able to pay attention. The same with Glitter-Bombing; it affects no actual school notion. All that does is make the underclassmen shine a little more. Those are just simple pranks to make the day a little more light hearted; everyone needs a little laughter.

<!--[if !supportLists]--> III.            III. <!--[endif]-->Less Strict Tardy Policies

The planner states that after seven unexcused tardies you fail the class. Instead of the concrete rule the rule should be circumstantial. There are situations that one cannot help, they were bound to happen anyway, there was just bad timing. The rules also permit teachers marking you down because you are tardy. That is not fair; the grade in any class should be based on homework, participation, and book smarts. The proof is in the pudding.
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> IV.  <!--[endif]-->S   IV. School Dance Restrictions

Dances are meant to be fun. However, even the simple task of buying a ticket for a dance is complicated by forms and ticket numbers and showing your school I.D. Although they are school run, dances should not be treated like a normal day at school. Those attending should not have to abide by the same strict dress code and above all else should not be forced to stay once they arrive. If you want to leave a dance you should be able to do so at any point during the night.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->    V.           V.  <!--[endif]-->Admission Fees

When attending school sporting events such as football games, students should not have to pay to get in. More students would attend games if admission were free. School teams need encouragement and this would get them a lot more support from the student body. Money would still be made from the cost of tickets for people who are not students or faculty. No admission fee would increase school spirit make games more enjoyable.

<!--[if !supportLists]--> VI.            VI. Attendance

Signing out in the attendance office before leaving school serves no purpose. If a parent must already call the student out there is no reason for that student to also have to go to the attendance office to sign out. This is an unnecessary step that does nothing but complicate a process that should be very simple. An absence should not be marked unexcused if the student did not sign out. Signing out is easy to forget and makes it easy for students to be punished unjustly.   

<!--[if !supportLists]-->VII.            VII. Respect From Teachers

If students must respect their teachers then teachers must also respect their students. Teachers should not be allowed to abuse their authority by mistreating their students. If a student were to disrespect a teacher it would not go unnoticed. However, it is commonly overlooked when a teacher is rude to a student or class. If respect is demanded of us, it should also be demanded of faculty.   

<!--[if !supportLists]-->VIII.          VIII.   <!--[endif]-->Dress Code  

We believe that the dress code is too Puritan at our school. Females should not be forced to wear clothes of a certain length to school. This is a hassle for the parents because they now have to take the student shopping. All this excess shopping can cause money problems for the family. Students should be allowed to wear what they wear outside of school to school.
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->IX.   Start and Dismissal Times                                                                                                                                         The time that school starts at Grosse Pointe South High School is too early. Also, the time school ends is too late. Most students attend extracurricular activities after school and must spend the remainder of their day completing their homework. This results in a late bedtime for students. Since school starts so early, the kids come to school sleep-deprived and they are not ready to learn. 
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->    X.            X.  <!--[endif]-->Parking

Parking spaces at this school are very limited. With such a large student body, we are in need of many more parking spots than we currently have. There are only two free lots at the school which can be far from classes and lockers and they can fill up very easily. The only convenient lot is only available for seniors and costs money. This is extremely inconvenient and causes students to be late for their classes.

Our complaints are very simple and clear.  They are what we require and what needs to change.  We need to be able to dress how we want and be able to leave a school dance when we want.  If we are always told to be independent and to embrace being different then it’s impossible when we have so many restrictions.  When we come home with hours of homework and have to do it all in one night then wake up and do it all over again with not enough time in the day to get our assignments done it get a little hard to do.  We spend hours and hours at our school, but when we go to see a two hour long sporting event we suddenly have to pay to see our peers play.  If you are a student, then you should not have to.  If you are sick and need to go home, but cannot get a hold of your parents you cannot leave.  The fact that you have to get called in is ridiculous; we are in high school, not kindergarten.  A day does not go by when we all feel disrespected by teachers.  If we are not supposed to be sassy to you, then you cannot be sassy to us.  Being yelled at and told what to do and when to do it if when we say one thing back we are simply again yelled at.  Going to school is like working with more pressure so when a holiday is present we should get it off.  This gives us more time to do homework and catch up on sleep that is lost because of school starting to soon.  When we do not turn in an assignment on time, our grade goes down.  When teachers do not grade a paper on time, we deal with it.  When we do not get to class on time, our grade goes down.  When teachers are late, we deal with it. The balance in this school is not fair for one class to be treated over the other.  During spirit week, we want to show our spirit and seniority.  But when we are told that doing this could cause suspension, it changes our harmless game.  If we want to feel like we are actually people and have real rights, then we should be able to do what we want.  We should not have other people bossing us around like salves and having these restrictions makes us become less than what we are.