Opinion

Years ago, when students’ parents were in high school, the valedictorian of their class would have had a “perfect 4.0.” Nowadays that seems strange, since many students carry GPAs of 4.0 or higher after the implementation of “weighted” GPAs and the five-point scale.

Fearing the first few weeks of May, juniors and seniors brace themselves for approaching AP exams. They purchase preparation books, review old notes and form study groups. A whole year of effort and concentration culminates in this period of heightened tension.

The savior of America will sweep across the nation in an ill-fitting sweater vest, his speech as eloquent as his coiffure. His entire campaign screams “red, white and blue”: anti-education, anti-secularism and pro-discrimination. Get ready, America, for a nation run by Rick Santorum.

A furlough day? Sounds fantastic for the students who are elated to skip a day of school. However, to teachers, it means something different: less instructional time, a rushed curriculum and an indicator of a school that is struggling for monetary support, not to mention a day without pay when they are probably grading tests or preparing for upcoming lessons.

It sometimes seems that there is no entity more ubiquitous in the lives of students than the College Board, the giant that runs the SAT, SAT subject tests and AP exams. Now, in a surprising rule change effective this year, the College Board is trying to prevent the inevitable.

Nature vs. nurture. Scientists have long debated which factor is most responsible for the persona, and most importantly, the intelligence of an individual. Was Einstein simply born brilliant? Or were there other factors, such as his schooling, that allowed him to become one of the most intelligent individuals in history? The results from the latest Intel Science Talent Search competition seem like a strong argument for the latter.

During a lunch period in late February, senior Viraj Parmar parked his car in the second row of the section of the parking lot traditionally reserved for seniors. He noticed that a car in an adjacent parking spot contained a green parking permit, the mark of a junior vehicle. Parmar began speaking to a student who had ridden in the car, informing him that this was the senior parking lot. The junior (who Parmar could not identify by name), to the astonishment of Parmar, swore at him.

Ever since the ratification of the Bill of Rights on Dec. 15, 1791, Americans have enjoyed the freedom to assemble peacefully and lawfully. Despite this precedent, the government is undermining this basic Constitutional right of the people by outlawing peaceful protests under certain circumstances.