Why Take Away Something So Good?
By Keith Zimmer

 A couple of weeks ago I heard through the grapevine that at the end of this year Owego Free Academy would be taking away most of the privileges given to the seniors of the school. These privileges that will be taken away include senior study hall, which is an unrestricted study hall where the seniors are allowed to leave their regular study halls and go sit on the senior benches, the other new restriction will be that the seniors will no longer be able to leave for lunch which means OFA will be a "closed campus." 

 I bet everyone who knows me is saying "well why does he care he is already a senior this year and will not have to deal with the new senior restrictions."  It is very simple why I care; I care because I know how much easier these privileges make your senior year. 

 The freedom of being able to leave for lunch and being able to sit on the senior benches during study halls without teacher supervision gives us seniors a sense of feeling important; like we are the "top dogs" so to speak. In my case having the freedom to leave for lunch has relieved a lot of the normal school day stress, it is a daily break where the load can be lifted off of my shoulders if even only for a short time. No matter how bad the day is going I know that everyday at lunchtime I can get away from all the problems of school for just under an hour and have fun with my buddies at a local fast food restaurant.  

 Even though my opinion on this differs from the Owego-Apalachin School District I do see their point of view on this issue. I do know that a select few students have gotten in trouble with the police for something like speeding and there was one small car accident—but you do not get rid of the whole orchard if you find a couple bad apples. 

 The higher-ups within OFA need to take a look at the fact that the under classmen had nothing to do with the few minor incidents that happened this year and in previous years—so why should they be punished for something that they had no part in? They shouldn't! Not only does this affect the seniors of next year it impacts all the classes of the next generation in a sad--spiteful way of punishing the OFA students for past mistakes.

 To all of you underclassmen, if you want these freedoms to stay intact you are going to have to fight for it. I know most of you think it is useless to try to change the minds of OFA's higher-ups—but if you want it bad enough that is what you are going to have to do—and do it soon. I would suggest starting a petition. Getting the signatures of most of the underclassmen and even current seniors would show that you want these freedoms and are working to get your voices heard. 

 E-mail our superintendent Dr. Willion at willonm@oagw.stier.org. Tell him your thoughts and express that this is general consensus of your whole class. Do this in a professional, courteous, and honest way, and he will listen. 

 Lastly, if this issue is addressed at a school board meeting, go to the meeting. Demand in an orderly and professional manner that your voice be heard. Take the petitions and written complaints to the meeting and present it to the school board in a respectable way—if you do this they will listen. 

 A lot people have complained about this, now if you want it to change then do something about it; everyone complained about the dress code being put into place but when it came down to the final board meeting where it was discussed only three members of the student body showed up to fight it, three people can not win a fight for 800 people. So if you want these privileges it will be an uphill battle, but as the old saying goes "anything is possible."

 In closing the OFA higher-ups really need to take the students point of view into consideration here. They need to remember when they were students and even if they did not have an "open campus" back then they need to realize how much they would have wanted one just like we do. It allows the seniors freedoms that they should have after three years of struggle and hard work. In all honesty it makes us seniors feel like we have accomplished something—it gives the underclassmen a goal to strive for. With all of these points I presented I now got to ask the OFA higher-ups why would you take away something so good? 

 If you have any questions or comments about this article, e-mail Keith at  keithzimmer@yahoo.com