Opinion

The headlines of newspapers around the world are all screaming one term: swine flu. Scientifically known as the H1N1 influenza virus, this disease is spreading around the world and is currently just one level below a full-blown pandemic according to the World Health Organization. More than 100 people have died from this new virus, yet many are not worried.

By now everybody (with the exception of some clueless Saratogans) has heard of the notorious Somali pirates and their increasingly daring exploits. Embarrassingly, this news is surprising to many.

Think about the situation as a whole for a second. Somalia has lacked a competent central government since as early as 1990 due to civil war.

At the crux of America is its plethora of cultural diversity that is sometimes referred to as a “melting pot” or “salad bowl.” However, surprisingly (or, perhaps,not so surprisingly), Texans of Chinese descent were recently faced with a dilemma that utterly contradicts this foundation of coexistent acceptance. These citizens were turned away from the polls because the names on their IDs did not correspond with those on the incompetently assembled voter lists.

When President Barack Obama went to Europe this year, he did so with a mission: to reconcile America and the European countries that have often been at odds in recent years. He said, “There have been times when America has shown arrogance and been dismissive…”. This, coupled with bowing to the Saudi Arabian king, has made it seem our president has set himself up for criticism from the country by looking weak in front of our allies.

However, Obama is doing the right thing. George W. Bush strained in Europe, as a result of his foreign policy. The U.S. is viewed as a bully, and that impression can be damaging.

For one day on March 17, a gym full of students connected on an emotional level—with none of the invisible barriers that usually fill the high school hallways. Students shared their deepest fears, insecurities and secrets with complete strangers. They formed bonds between former enemies. Students and staff empathized with one another on issues involving family problems, abuse and violence. They shed tears and tore down walls of human separation, revealing acceptance and love.

But do the effects of Challenge Day remain?

10. Houses get TPed…
the good ones get egged

9. Gender roles are reversed…
which can be very confusing.

For decades, students have been given massive textbooks, some to be carried back and forth between school and home, others left alone and forgot until June. Many of these books are old and damaged, the newer ones already deteriorating. It is time to think about replacing these with something more advanced and less destructible: digital textbooks.

In desperate attempts to solve the state’s long-term fiscal problems, lawmakers recently passed the 2009 state budget plan that involves cutting $2.6 billion from K-12 apportionments. These apportionments are what generally provide the support for local school districts throughout California and nearly 1/5 of the budget cuts are coming from reducing these funds. When all is said in done this leaves the educational community with a loss of $787 per student, according to the California Progress Report.

With the news of the budget cuts, districts all over California are struggling to scrap up what they can from what’s left of the budget. With the rapidly increasing California budget crisis, the district has decided that for the 2009-10 school year, they will increase class sizes to cope with the devastating financial limits.

For almost any other occupation across the country, good performance, not how many years spent on the job or number of degrees possessed, merits the bonuses or increased pay. The time has come for public education to follow this model as well. Merit pay is a bold idea—within public education—but everywhere else it’s taken as common sense.

“All you need is love,” sang the Beatles in one of their songs. And to make Challenge Day work in the days that follow, that’s exactly what we need.

On March 17, about 80 students joined together in the gym for a day to break down stereotypes and develop a community. After a whole morning of energetic icebreakers and cheesy dancing, students broke into small groups. For many, it was one of their first opportunities at school to simply talk about the troubles they had stacked on their plate.