Though I doubt all of the administrative members will have the time to sit down and read this (they do have jobs to do, after all), I want to voice my concerns about the direction North Mecklenburg High School is headed. For those who don't want to read paragraphs of text, I'll summarize: I believe that as the years progress, students at this school will slowly become worse. Yes, I know the wording is harsh, but let me explain.
As of 2022, North Mecklenburg is ranked 18th in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools 253rd in North Carolina. Most of us know that CMS schools like Ardrey Kell, Myers Park, and Providence outperform us academically, but these differences aren't just grade-related. It's our culture. North Meck has a reputation, and it's not a very good one. My friends and acquaintances from other CMS schools do not see North Meck as the place to be. Sure, we're better than Turning Point, but we're seen as a fighting school. If there's not a fight happening, it's being planned. I would rather we not fight each other on campus (or at all, for that matter), but I cannot stop people from doing whatever they want to do. But guess who can? The administration.
The people who run the school and influence the rules we students have to follow. The people who regulate what the teachers do. The people who dictate what North Meck becomes. And yet, it's almost as if nothing has changed. I've seen my fair share of chaos and disruption as a junior attending the school. But I have yet to think of an instance where the administrators showed their power and sliced through the nonsense. I know it can be hard to discipline other people's children, and often the unruly behavior stems from their upbringing, but how can we possibly act like this is normal?
The smell of vape in the bathrooms is unpleasant, the crowds of kids standing in front of doors are irritating, and the lack of discipline is disappointing. The rules we have to follow don't make sense, and they don't do anything. Restricted movement is more inconvenience than anything, and the kids that plan on skipping school aren't deterred by it. And the teachers who deal with unruly students the most aren't appreciated or valued enough.
I know most of the issues are more of a CMS responsibility than a North Meck one. Still, if we're going to force our teachers to stay up late grading at the end of the quarter and covering for other classes during their planning period, the least we could do is make their jobs easier by giving them less work to do. The teachers should not have to waste time checking stamps or dealing with uncooperative technology. Why don’t we work to help the teachers that students rely on?
I want to avoid causing a burden of proof fallacy here, so I'll bring up some possible solutions. Are they foolproof? Absolutely not. But it's clear that what we have right now isn't helping anyone.
Stop acting like high school is this super serious place. Yes, the curriculum is challenging, and we should be preparing for that with challenging work. But acting like we're young adults one minute and treating us like toddlers the next isn't very responsible. There are some very immature students at North, but the others shouldn't be babied around. If you want to treat us like young adults, treat us like young adults. And more often than not, the immaturity of students can often be solved with a mentor figure.
That leads to my next suggestion: get the guidance counselors more involved. Most students don't even know who their counselor is, and if they do, they rarely visit them. I didn't realize how valuable my counselor was until I finally started seeing him and speaking about life after high school. If you can put the whole school on restricted movement after two kids fight, you probably have the power to assign days and times for students to meet with their counselors. This would be best for students with recommendations from their teachers, as we shouldn't overload the counselors with work. If a kid feels lost and thinks high school is a waste of time, a visit to their counselor could help them find their passion.
Lastly, take some time to consider what makes a school prosper. I'm not a school official, nor do I plan on going into education, so I don't think I could ever comprehend the work that goes into running a campus as big as ours. But I know a strong community is united, compassionate, and reliant on each other for growth. If we are a Viking family, we should, at the very least, have those qualities. There will always be kids that act up and cause chaos, but if the norm becomes positive, the urge to be malignant will decline over time.
In 2024, I'll leave this school behind and go to college. I wonder if I'll ever come back. I don't know if I'd ever want to. If North Meck continues down this path of chaos and self-destruction, this would not be a school I'd claim. I'd probably lie and say I was homeschooled. However, I'd rather not lie to that extent — I'm not a very good liar. 🆅
The opinions expressed within this piece are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of North Mecklenburg High School or the Viking Voice.