Opinion

There is no doubt that the growing financial problems that President Obama recently inherited have an effect on education all over the nation. Many schools are living with tighter budgets and insufficient funding for public schools. With less money for extra activities and programs, Saratoga High needs to be effective in innovating the classroom and other activities to launch students to college, jobs, and other opportunities after high school.

Extracurricular activities are an area where many students here excel. Through the school’s strong programs and departments, students can follow their interests that can lead to other opportunities, even if they are unrelated to academics.

It’s the day before finals and an anxious junior logs onto Aeries in hopes of checking his multitude of borderline grades. The student attempts to calculate the scores she needs on his semester exams to see how she should balance her study time for each of her subjects in order to secure grades that she finds acceptable. To her overwhelming dismay, the student discovers that Aeries is, in fact, entirely shut down.

The district has deemed it prudent to shut down Aeries one week before the end of each grading period, a decision that has led students to have numerous headaches and panic attacks, making it a dubious necessity at best. Many students who enter finals with borderline scores are unable to check their grades and determine what score they require on a given final exam. Unfortunately, despite numerous complaints, the administration has been unresponsive to student angst regarding Aeries.

In light of Caroline Kennedy’s recent resignation from the senatorial nomination for New York’s then-vacant Senate seat, it’s harder to satirize her situation. In recent weeks, N.Y. Gov. David Paterson named Rep. Kirsten Billibrand as the new senator, ending the drama. Nonetheless, it is tempting to remember her nepotism-laced race for the Senate seat. It was as if we had been told, “Ask not what your country could do for you, but feel free to bug your state governor for a seat in the Senate.”

In the recent Congressional debates, the “Big Three” bailout, a proposal to pump $14 billion into the American auto industry, has been heavily discussed. The Big Three auto companies, GM, Ford and Chrysler, announced that it wouldn’t be long before they had to declare bankruptcy. While an influx of government money could certainly postpone this crash, it is completely unnecessary when considering other, more cost-efficient methods to save the Big Three.

The U.S. News & World Report recently released their rankings of the Top 100 high schools in the nation. SHS fell eight spots from the 2007 ranking, coming in as 80th of all schools in the United States. The national rankings, however, were based on state-wide standings and students’ college-readiness, gauged by AP test scores and participation ratings, with complete disregard for the actual lived experiences of high schoolers.

10. I thought you had to be in good physical condition to be a police officer.

10. Lead the people
Obama’s charisma—and the fact that President Bush’s approval rating is a negative value—is what won him the election. Now, he must try to stay in the public’s good eye because if he’s liked, he won’t have to watch out for Iraqi television reporters armed with size 10 shoes. One way to start would be to get his daughters those puppies he promised.

9. Pick the right staff
A major issue during the election was Obama’s lack of experience. At least he didn’t pick George Bush for anything important…

8. Define torture

Sure, there have been disputes as to whether George W. Bush was “competent” or “intelligent,” but when it comes down to the wire, it is indisputable that United States is missing him dearly.

Barack Obama’s cabinet choices have received almost universal praise. He has been commended for his decisions to keep secretary of defense Robert Gates in office and for his hiring of a new and improved team of economic advisers to deal with the current crisis. There is one glaring exception, however: his choice of Hillary Clinton for secretary of state. Obama’s choice has been attacked as political appeasement rather than a choice based on talent. While many criticized his controversial choice, his biggest gamble is likely to pay off in the long run.

Forget teaching students biology or algebra, it’s time to go back to basics, back to when teachers had to remind students not to take other’s belongings and to tell the truth.