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The School Board Claims They Know How To Spend Money Wisely? 

      The School Board is the entity which manages the spending of money in the school district. It is they, not the ASB presidential candidates, who gets to decide when and if the bathrooms will be fixed, the chalkboards will be replaced and the cafeteria food will be "upgraded". The school board finances multimillion dollar programs. They are like a huge corporation, without the corporate bosses who have monetary investments at stake. They use money taken from hardworking taxpayers and put it to use in school and educational-related projects. With this kind of responsibility, wouldn't you think that the school board would know how to spend money wisely, that is, to get the best things for our schools for the least amount of money? 

      Well, responsible is exactly what the school board is not! A responsible organization will take time to look at all sides of the story before they proceed to use other people's money. The school board has a distinct problem in that they like to do things very hastily. Instead of seeing if something is a good deal or not, seeing if it will be the best option in the long run, or seeing if it will be the best start, the school board just wants to "get the ball rolling" and plow ahead blindly. Although this is good in some ways - it gets the job done, it often means exorbitant bills for very little work. Their obsession with getting a quick start on things ends up taking a lot more time later on when projects have to be reworked, and when more money has to be spent. In the least, they will end up paying a lot more for something because they did not search for a better deal. Examples of outrageous expenditures on the part of the school district include a whopping $1.2 million dollars for emergency exit signs. Yes, exit signs! Just what kind of jewel-encrusted exit signs do we need? Among other things, $1 million will be spent on window blinds alone! I want to know where the district could even find a contractor with the guts to charge $20,000 per classroom to repaint it. Oh and lets not forget to mention the $2.7 million dollars that are going into making plusher, larger offices for high-level administrators and a new board room. Nice to see that they did not forget to think about themselves too.

      The other problem with the school district is the amazing team spirit they display. Although it may not seem like it, this is a real problem. At almost all the board meetings, the votes are unanimous. Even board members who speak out against particular projects end up voting for them if that's what the rest of the members want them to do. Just what the hell is that about?!? What's the point of voting for something if all the votes are going to be same? Does that mean the board members are just trying to get the hell out of the meeting to get back home, or does it mean that they value cooperation more than success? No corporation can survive without criticism. Unless there are people on the board saying, "wait a minute" and analyzing motions for what they are, the board is forfeiting much of its power to bring about change for the better. If there's going to be a vote, then people should vote for what they believe is best, not what will get them home quicker and keep their colleagues happy. Clearly, the school board has quite a few problems to sort out. It would be the wisest course of action if they started now before more of our money is pointlessly wasted.

- Jim Moore

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ASB: If It's Going To Be Controlled, What's The Point?

      ASB - the Associated Student Body. A great idea, but a poor implementation. When I think of an elected student run governing body, I think of a democratic type forum where students can voice their opinions and have an impact on school policy. With ASB at Beverly, this just simply is not the case. ASB more closely resembles a dictatorial body in which student "representatives" are merely pawns to make it seem as if students in fact have a say in policy decisions. The reality of the matter is that ASB is more of a party planning class than a genuine governing body. The administration has the final word, so even if the student body wanted something and the administrators did not, it wouldn't happen. 

The problems with ASB are even greater, however. 

      Elections are rigged. When you vote for your candidate you are led to believe, and would hope, that the vote counts, but if an administrator doesn't want a candidate to win - he or she won't. This has happened before. When Mike Doyle won the ASB election last year, Ms. Rabin and Ms. Newman revoked his victory and gave it to his opponent Marisa Schneiderman, because, they said, Doyle violated the rules when he passed out unapproved stickers saying, "Marisa Schneiderman knows where Osama is and she's not telling us." What Ms. Rabin and Newman seem to not understand, however, is the constitution of the United States of America. Doyle's stickers were no more than a joke, and mandated pre-approval of campaign paraphernalia is completely illegal and unconstitutional. It wasn't until Doyle brought up the fact that such a rigged election was illegal that the school backed down and allowed the position of ASB president to be split. Even this, however, was not right - for Doyle won the election by (at the last announced count) 100 votes.

      This wasn't even an isolated incident! Ms. Rabin was mad at Brian Bensadigh during the last campaign speech assembly because he pronounced the name "Dick Chaney" in an inappropriate manner. They were considering penalizing him for the mispronunciation.

      ASB can be a great asset to the school and there are many dedicated students and staff who help, but until crooked administrators who try to control "democracy" are purged, this will not happen. ASB needs to have not only a say in school policy decisions, but they need a vote. It is time that disguised democracy be eliminated. Sure people can vote for ASB candidates, but if administrators don't want the candidate to win, then the votes are meaningless. Sure ASB members can vote to arrange events, but if the administrators disagree with ASB's actions, the actions will be overturned. Sure the student board member has a vote during the board of education meetings, but it is a "preferential" vote, which means it is meaningless and only officially notes the student board member's opinion - it doesn't go towards the final vote count. In final analysis, with such limited power and such controlled democracy, what's the point?

- Former ASB member

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STAR Testing Hurts Students' Education

      It happens every year. It's long, it's arduous, it's not so difficult - it's STAR testing. Students across the country take a week-long break from their education to do a standardized test. Every year we have to listen to the same old instructions. Every year we have to read the most drudging and prosaic passages. Every year we have to work out the same old math problems. Why is this so? Dr. Step and the teachers tell us that STAR testing is important because the school receives money if the students perform well (and also the Blue Ribbon award we are so proud of). We are also told that the test is important because it allows the school to see if we are really just struggling in an easy class and deserve to be advanced. Sure, those arguments seem valid but if you look closer you can see that the STAR test really isn't worth the damage it causes. Damage? Yes!

      STAR testing hurts students' education. When we have to take a week-long break from learning, that disrupts our learning. Furthermore, STAR testing is tiring and repetitive. Students get sick of taking the test as soon as it starts. This leaves them less energetic and unprepared for the rest of the school day. As for the school grants, there's really no reason that the state can't just give us shorter tests to determine abilities. Taking a week our of our time to learn is outrageous. It'd be even better if the state would actually inspect the school and the learning environment at the school in person to have an even better idea of just how deserving the school is of a grant. If you must have a test, why does it have to be so long? What does the 1-week STAR test accomplish that a 1-hour test cannot? Nothing but time out the students taking it. 

      The timing of these tests couldn't be more flawed either. They're right before the AP tests. We are already on a very tight schedule regarding AP classes because we have to finish an entire year of college level work. When the state forces students and teachers to detract from the curriculum, it puts a greater burden on the students and teachers to work harder and faster. 

      The STAR tests are tiring, interrupt students education, hurt AP scores, and they take a week to do what could be done in one hour. It's time the state come up with some method of testing students in a more concise manner.

- LSD

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You Should Enjoy AP and Finals Review!

      At the end of every semester it happens: finals. After much grueling study, the work culminates in a week of seemingly endless tests. Although most people hate studying for finals, and AP tests for that matter, this just simply should not be the case. We go through school not for a simple grade, but to learn. The entire point of school is to learn, and when one does so, he or she should feel proud of having learned something. That's where review comes in. At the end of each semester students get the priceless opportunity to recap on everything they learned throughout the semester. Review is a time to synthesize the material, and bring it back to your memory, hopefully for good. Now this mentality is not shared by many - because many (those who only see school as an opportunity to get into a good college) see finals review as a tedious process. Don't think that way, however. For every subject you review, think to yourself, "wow, I really learned a lot this semester - how great!" If you think that way, not only will you not mind studying for AP tests and finals, but you will find the entire experience to be quite rewarding. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself.

- Jack Davis

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