These past few weeks at Kingwood Oxford have been different without question. But, are all the precautions the school has taken been in the best interest of the members of the KO community?
Without a doubt, we all need to remain safe and healthy. However, it seems KO has gone overkill in certain situations. For example, wrapping a string around trees and putting laminated papers around them does not help anybody. This takes away from the classy and professional look of our campus. Students that have a hard time following the guidelines will not suddenly follow them because they are written on papers hanging on trees.
Another issue that I have is the signs on the tables. This is not as big of a deal as the trees because they are subtle and neatly attached to the tables. But, I do not think that putting these signs out there is going to help students follow the rules any better.
This time has been tough on students and teachers both, having to keep up with a rigorous curriculum and dealing with the challenges of mask-wearing all day. I think that instead of spending the time and money on printing paper, laminating it, and taping it down, the KO community has the opportunity to create a positive impact from this situation. With the money spent on creating and hanging the signs, it could’ve been spent elsewhere to benefit KO community members, just like the fall event that took place the other day. The pumpkin carving, hot cocoa, cider, and donuts allowed kids to bond (while socially distant), in a time where it is very important to do so. In the future, even if nothing physical is provided, just giving the KO community time to catch up with one another that’s not impacted by schoolwork, would be greatly appreciated by both teachers and students.
High school is a time to grow and mature as an individual. Yet, from personal experiences and overhearing those of my peers, it seems many students of the community are being talked down to regarding the COVID-19 policies. I believe both sides of the conversation deserve respect as if it were any other situation. It has been very hard to navigate throughout the day with many teachers implementing their regulations about coronavirus, which are not mentioned anywhere. If there was a rulebook available to students on the shared drive, it would make a common standard that everyone could follow and eliminate grey areas and confusion.
The recent additions of trash cans have improved the quality of the campus. There is now a place for students to throw snack wrappers and other waste products instead of the ground.
I commend the recent decision made by Dean of Students Krista Sahrbeck to ban eating on the turf. Having multiple lunch trays, cups, half-eaten food, and silverware being left out there is an act of disrespect towards our grounds team and campus. Leaving trash outside like this is unacceptable regardless of the pandemic; it’s no excuse to not throw away your garbage. Playing on the turf after school and seeing gum, pudding, and other gross foods stuck in it completely ruins the mood.
As a community, if we ask ourselves what signs, other displays, and which actions are necessary to have, and we get rid of some of the ones which take away from the professional image of our campus, we can return to some normality and overall classiness of the KO that we all know.
