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Students need lockers to ease their heavy load
I attend Roosevelt High School and until now, I've been very pleased with the school. I recently transferred to Roosevelt from Bullard High School to be a part of Roosevelt's School of the Arts magnet program.
At the beginning of the year, I was surprised to see that there were no lockers for students. I have a very heavy class load and when I say heavy, I literally mean heavy: AP Biology, AP Language and Composition, AP U.S. History, Honors Trigonometry/Precalculus and French III, all needing their own binder, textbook and journal.
How is a student supposed to bring books to school and be prepared for class when, if we carry everything, it would weigh more than 35 pounds? There needs to be a safe place on campus for students to store books so they have them when needed.
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Inspiration is lacking
The inspiration to learn and arrive to class on time at Roosevelt High School is fairly low. The apathy is apparent throughout the school, in our yearly state test scores and in the students' daily performance.
It is frightening and makes me wonder why. What is causing the lack of inspiration? Perhaps there are troubles at home that many students are constantly dealing with; however, they should surely exercise the idea of "parking their troubles at the door" and simply give themselves the opportunity to learn while they can.
I can say that three-fourths of the students of Roosevelt High do not care about their education. The majority of the students skip classes and hang out in the halls or out on the campus. Plus, more than half the time, the administrators do not take much action to prevent it. This kind of behavior here on campus makes me worry for the school, the students and their future.
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Editorial: Editorial: Mourn victims first
As these words are written on Monday, just hours after the bloodshed ended, the name of Virginia Tech already has been added to a heartbreaking roll call. It is the latest entry in the list of schools and universities where some crazed gunman has unleashed a deadly rampage.
The death toll at the Virginia campus stands at 33 (including the gunman) and counting. It eclipses Columbine, the Colorado high school where a teacher and 12 students were gunned down in 1999 by two classmates, and the University of Texas where in 1966, a lone gunman killed 16, the previous most lethal campus shooting spree before this event. It is, in fact, the worst mass shooting incident in the nation's history.
The details of this latest tragedy remain sketchy. What we know now is that 32 students were killed by a gunman wielding two handguns. The gunman is dead, too, although it is not clear whether he died by his own hand. That detail, along with his identity, his history and motives will be picked apart over the coming weeks
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Inaccurate view
I am a Roosevelt High School student, and I am appalled by the recent letter [Dec. 12] from one of our own students. Where is the pride in her school and fellow classmates? Khaty Xiong talks about the lack of inspiration and that students don't care about their education, yet classrooms are full and teachers always have papers to grade.
If it were true that students are not being motivated and three-fourths of us are out of class, the halls would be flooded with students.
Khaty would have to talk to a lot of students to know that most aren't motivated. There are always students who want extra credit to help their grade or stay after school in teachers' rooms or in the library to study or get help on things they don't understand.
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Speaking softly
The Theodore Roosevelt High School TR Foundation is seeking volunteers and alumni to help change the learning and cultural environment at the school. Alumni of Roosevelt High are encouraged to contact our TR Foundation and help us link the past with the present.
We need alumni help in providing our students the opportunity to have success. We are asking the community and alumni to step forward and stand by our sides as we change the environment of Roosevelt High.
Every journey starts and ends with one small step. We ask everyone to take the small step with us. Please call 253-5290 and ask for the TR Foundation.
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