What i would change about my high school 

8:34 PM on Wednesday, March 20th, 2019 (Claremont, CA)

Currently there are something like 60 or so days until I graduate from high school, and it has got me reflecting about my past 4 years. While there are a lot of things I liked(maybe that will go into another post), there are a lot of things that I didn’t like, or found odd. I think I will only discuss the 2 changes I would make that are the most prevalent in my mind right now, which are that of computer science education, and recycling.

1.Computer Science Education

To understand why the lack of what is above aggravates me so much, you need to understand the Tech Ed requirement that exists at Claremont High School. It is a requirement that can be fulfilled either through a semester-long course, a challenge exam, or a summer course. Its essential purpose is to teach students how to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. However, this is pointless because students are already proficient in how to use these programs before they get to the high school because they have been using iPads since the 7th grade(and now as early or earlier than the 3rd grade for the students below my grade level). In addition to this, most of their work will be done using Google Drive which depends on Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets, which are essentially the free versions of the aforementioned Microsoft programs, that are far more intuitive to use. Finally, many students fulfill this requirement by doing the challenge exam, which consists of formatting information using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in a timed period. Essentially, it is just a hoop for graduates to jump through, and I would argue it is a needless one.

A far more effective use of students’ time that would actually give them a skill they need would be a computer science requirement. By learning the basics of algorithmic thinking and computation, students would learn the basics of how the technology they use everyday is powered, and would be able to take what they learn and apply it to their other classes. In my own experience, after taking a computer science course, I was able to grasp more complex problems, because coding had adapted my brain into a mode in which it could think critically and attack these issues. When I didn’t understand a concept in math or my science classes, I would write a program to carry it out because sorting through the steps I needed to take in real life with code helped me dissect a problem in a way I could understand it(such as with the Chi Square Test program I made to help me get through AP Biology). Besides the learning benefits, learning to code can also increase student productivity, because they can automate certain tasks. The benefits go beyond STEM subjects as well; students interested the arts can use code to animate or draw things. I could go on and on, but my point is this: computer science is a key component of the future, and the skills it entails would greatly help the students at CHS.

So, what I propose is this: a computer science requirement that can be satisfied by a semester-long or summer course. Half of the course would be done in Scratch, and would cover basic concepts such as loops, if-else statements, and functions. Then, the last half would be taught in Python, and would expand upon what the students learned in Scratch. The course would end with the completion of a final project, that shows algorithmic thinking and accomplishes a task that the student chooses. Python and Scratch are perfect languages to begin with because they are not syntax-heavy, but are both capable of complex things. Lastly, this course structure already mimics that of the 1st semester of the Computer Science course already offered at CHS, so it would be easy to implement.

2. Recycling

While the school continually argues that they cannot implement a recycling program due to a lack of funds, I think that a recycling program is a vital necessity that CHS needs. And, while I know the distribution of funds is probably more complex than this, I found it comical when they built a steel shack near the library that houses snacks and vending machines instead of spending that money on a recycling program. Climate change is coming for us very quickly, and everyone needs to begin to do their part. Not only is CHS producing an alarming amount of waste(disposable lunches, papers, greenwaste), we are not efficiently disposing of it. This is particularly scary because our school has not reduced its level of consumption, and even refuses to recycle or reuse. With 2000 or so students, CHS has the opportunity to reduce the strain we are putting on our planet, and yet they continually deflect our requests to reduce our carbon footprint.

If CHS began to implement both of this initiatives, I think we would be on a better path for the future and help students perform at a higher level.