Southfield High School prides itself on being an exemplary school, as evidenced by the huge white lettered sign on the front of the school.
We can consider ourselves exemplary in a few ways. For instance, the band has more accolades than bees have honey. The track team and the radio station are top-notch, and the teachers care and have an actual hand in students’ education.
But. But. But. What have we done for ourselves lately? We are resting on the laurels of an honor earned in 1983-84 and again in 1988-89. That was before the age of CD’s, cell phones, and digital photography. The freshman class was still in diapers the last time the school earned that honor.
To be worthy of the honor again, SHS needs to focus on getting the freshmen in shape and straightening out its priorities.
The average grade point for the 563 members of the Class of 2007 after the first card marking is a 1.887, which is just below a C average, according to Counseling Center statistics. Freshman year is the beginning of it all. If a student messes up freshman year, it does not bode well for the following three years of high school.
But The Board of Education asked for these low grades by eliminating seminar last June. Some students used seminar as a study hall and a period to get extra help from not only teachers but peers as well. Now the students’ grades are suffering partly because that needed time is not there.
To help pull the average freshman grade point average up, SHS needs to offer tutoring every day after school because obviously the National Honor Society tutoring on Tuesdays isn’t enough.
The school also needs to get the parents involved in their children’s education. Teachers can’t do it all. And it wouldn’t hurt to hire more teachers. But then again, teachers aren’t the first priority at SHS, money is.
Last year SHS lost eight teachers because seminar was cut and also because of money. Yet we spent $1.4 million on the football field. Football should not come before teachers.
That is only one way that SHS mismanaged money terribly. For example, bathrooms often are not equipped with the proper amenities, there is poor heating flow in the school and there’s no central air in most of the classrooms. For some classes there aren’t enough books, so students can’t take their textbooks home to study.
Here’s the equation: proper facilities plus books, plus teachers equals learning. SHS should follow that equation.
When SHS can improve on these inconsequential details, then it can be called a national exemplary school again, but until then, it’s just like any other average school.