Fenn Can Be Improved With Cooperation
05/25/2020
Fenn Can Be Improved
Students and Teachers are Able to Work Together
“The Maker Space cost 30 million dollars”
-Fenn School Annual Report
The Fenn School is known as one of the best around. But even the School itself is far from perfect. It’s traditions are being torn to shreds, it is being changed for the worst. Inside of it’s annoying and blinding white walls, are some serious problems. These problems can only be solved if the two major factions within Fenn cooperate. The Faculty and Staff, who do all of the governing and administration of the school, and the much larger student body. Which is the life blood of Fenn, and are what keeps it running with their massive tuitions that their rich parents pay. These to factions have the power to change Fenn for the better, but only if they can cooperate.
I may be biased here, since I am a member of the student body, but I think that in general, the Faculty can influence change at Fenn more than the student body, and they haven’t been doing this enough recently. They stood by as heaps of tuition, about 30 million, was spent on a new maker space, which, as it turns out, wasn’t worth it at all. Less than 10 students use it regularly, and the old maker space, which was much smaller, and cost less than 1% of the new one, was used more than this new, expensive monstrosity. We students hate to see our tuition go to waste like this, instead, we should have knocked down the schoolhouse, and built a new, air conditioned building in it’s place. But it was the teachers that never voiced their concerns, not us. Even those who teach in the schoolhouse, a dilapidated hovel, which looks like it came out of a Wild West movie, didn’t complain as their classrooms were neglected for a much less important one. If the teachers and students had worked together, the campus center would have been worth it, and we would have two new buildings instead of one, where half of it is never used.
Another, even more pressing concern, is the new disciplinary rules. This academic year (2019-2020) new policies have been rolled out by the upper class at Fenn (not going to name any names) they didn’t do this because they wanted to, they did this because the parents and board told them to. But let me tell you, the members of the board and the parents don’t go to Fenn 9 hours a day 5 days a week do they? Unless they are a teacher, the answer is no. “The Fenn School song”, the unofficial anthem of Fenn, has been censored to the point of no return. The parents and board members may have had a problem with the song’s third verse, but I can guarantee that over 90% of the students had no issue at all. Almost as worse, is the fact that the Final line “Victory For Fenn, Down with Fay!” Was changed to “Victory for Fenn Seize the day!” This blatant suppression of free speech, and human rights will not stand. But it will, since the Faculty isn’t standing up for themselves and the students. If we can cooperate, we can pressure the Board and parents will change their mind.
If the teachers get off of their high horse, and help the students, then there is hope for Fenn, but if they can’t I fear that the basic human rights of its students will be stripped away, especially when it comes to iPads. Already a new policy has been put in place, that makes it so Fenn legally owns the ipads, and so the students can’t legally gave on them even at home, this will not stand with us. Even the teachers should realize that this is degrading and dehumanizing. Once again, if we work together, we can get our legal rights to the iPad back.
Fenn is a good school, but it is gradually getting worse, we, the students and teachers, are the only ones who can change this. If we can come together, set aside our differences, and unite. Then we can restore Fenn’s old traditions, and make it what it used to be. A great school.