Gil Alon
Opinions Managing Editor
In case you missed these controversial issues from the summer in Newton and across the country, here is one opinion on each issue:
The pep rally is moved to October:
The Newton South administration decided to move the annual pep rally from November to October. The pep rally has been in recent years a symbol of excitement for students preparing for their Thanksgiving vacation. Additionally, the pep rally is filled with traditions and one of those tradition is the date: the day before Thanksgiving break. With Newton South lacking in tradition and school spirit, the pep rally is an integral part of South’s school spirit; however, now with the date changing, that sense of tradition diminishes and students are worried of more changes to come.
The main problem with the decision to move the pep rally to October was that the students were never asked their opinion. As an event that is geared toward students and that is partially organized by students, students should have been involved in the decision making process. This decision leaves students feeling less respected as their input was not even considered in the decision.
L Bench closed:
The administration also announced over the summer their decision to close the L Bench, a space usually reserved for the junior class. The school stated that the noise was disrupting classrooms nearby and hoped that closing the bench would improve the learning environment. Additionally, the administration cited an increase in enrollment as a contributor to the school’s decision.
The decision was met with backlash from juniors who were looking forward to finally getting a chance to sit on the bench. Traditions at Newton South are important for the students to enjoy their time at school and the L bench represents a tradition at South that is now being stripped away. Additionally, the problems at the L bench were of student behavior and those are not fixed by simply closing down the bench. Those students will meet somewhere else and the problems they bring will just move with them. Instead of punishing all students for a portion of students’ bad behavior, the school should have notified the student body and given them a chance to work with the administration and fix this issue.
The rise of white supremacy:
This summer my family and I visited a concentration camp from World War II outside of Prague. We walked around and saw where tens of thousands of jews were put to work and the cramped living conditions that sent many to their deaths. There I began to think of my home in Newton and the increase in protests for and against white supremacy, sparked by the horrific violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Some of the supporters for white supremacy identifed themselves as neo-nazis.
However, after seeing what the term “nazis” represents in real life, I doubt these people know what they are supporting. Yes, white supremacists are racist and hope to protect “white culture” as did the nazis. However, I doubt these people understand that they are supporting a genocide of millions of people and the extermination of full ethnicities. I hope that white supremacists at least take the time to educate themselves on their beliefs to fully understand the flag that some choose to wave in their protests.
