Emma Sassouni
Writer '20
Annually, Mr. Kaplan writes an email to all parents discouraging the allowance of teenagers from creating Spring Break vacation plans in which there will not be parental supervision. This is the last break of the school year, allowing time for students to enjoy themselves before being badgered by school work once again. So should Mr. Kaplan interfere with Spring Break plans that he has no say in? Spring Break is an out-of-school activity, which means Mr. Kaplan can promote students to not go on vacation. Along with possibly not staying safe, most students find it excusable to miss sports practices. This is a big problem in the school and must be addressed.
Mr. Kaplan is principal of the school, making him responsible for all the students in the school even when they are not in the building. As the principal, he has every right to watch out for students, in order to ensure their safety. Contrary to the popular belief of more than 50 Great Neck North High School students surveyed, 85% of students believe that Mr. Kaplan should not interfere with Spring Break vacation plans. Beyond this point, 78.4% of the students believe that it is okay for students to miss practice over the break. Clearly these students are not committed to extra curricular activities and really should not even join a team if it is realized that practices and games will be more challenging to attend over break. Practices and games are not just for the fun of it during break, they should be treated the same as every other scheduled event. It is unfair for other athletes on the team to work hard and show up during break, while other students on the team are relaxing on a tropical island. Even more unfair, student athletes are not penalized for missing practice and games. Surprisingly, of the 50 people surveyed, only 63.9% of the students plan to go on vacation. This means that either some students just do not care that student athletes do not attend practice and games, or the students resent that Mr. Kaplan “buts in.” All in all, if students go on vacation over break, they might as well stay safe.
To make parents and administration more comfortable with this situation, action must be taken upon. Most students surveyed believe that students should make use of the break, even if away. Freshman Vera Cho says, “Students can study on their own time for upcoming exams… while on vacation and still have fun. Students should tell their coaches ahead of time they will not be in town and prepare to train on their own, too. If teachers give students more prep material ahead of time then parents can be reassured that their children are prepared for their exams.” This makes total sense, as students are to take responsibility for the preparation leading up to Spring Break. This is a great option to consider in preparation for vacation time. Other students took the approach to say that there should be no practices or games. Freshman Elizabeth Bokser wants a breaks from “Sports because kids need time to disengage with school stress and sports.” In agreement, Freshman Jordan Peiser thinks that there should be a maximum of three practices over break. Spring break is a time to relax and enjoy a break from school, but students still need to take responsibility for their actions regarding going on vacation.
Overall, students should not go on vacation if they are part of extracurricular activities. Students are responsible for their prior commitments.
Writer '20
Annually, Mr. Kaplan writes an email to all parents discouraging the allowance of teenagers from creating Spring Break vacation plans in which there will not be parental supervision. This is the last break of the school year, allowing time for students to enjoy themselves before being badgered by school work once again. So should Mr. Kaplan interfere with Spring Break plans that he has no say in? Spring Break is an out-of-school activity, which means Mr. Kaplan can promote students to not go on vacation. Along with possibly not staying safe, most students find it excusable to miss sports practices. This is a big problem in the school and must be addressed.
Mr. Kaplan is principal of the school, making him responsible for all the students in the school even when they are not in the building. As the principal, he has every right to watch out for students, in order to ensure their safety. Contrary to the popular belief of more than 50 Great Neck North High School students surveyed, 85% of students believe that Mr. Kaplan should not interfere with Spring Break vacation plans. Beyond this point, 78.4% of the students believe that it is okay for students to miss practice over the break. Clearly these students are not committed to extra curricular activities and really should not even join a team if it is realized that practices and games will be more challenging to attend over break. Practices and games are not just for the fun of it during break, they should be treated the same as every other scheduled event. It is unfair for other athletes on the team to work hard and show up during break, while other students on the team are relaxing on a tropical island. Even more unfair, student athletes are not penalized for missing practice and games. Surprisingly, of the 50 people surveyed, only 63.9% of the students plan to go on vacation. This means that either some students just do not care that student athletes do not attend practice and games, or the students resent that Mr. Kaplan “buts in.” All in all, if students go on vacation over break, they might as well stay safe.
To make parents and administration more comfortable with this situation, action must be taken upon. Most students surveyed believe that students should make use of the break, even if away. Freshman Vera Cho says, “Students can study on their own time for upcoming exams… while on vacation and still have fun. Students should tell their coaches ahead of time they will not be in town and prepare to train on their own, too. If teachers give students more prep material ahead of time then parents can be reassured that their children are prepared for their exams.” This makes total sense, as students are to take responsibility for the preparation leading up to Spring Break. This is a great option to consider in preparation for vacation time. Other students took the approach to say that there should be no practices or games. Freshman Elizabeth Bokser wants a breaks from “Sports because kids need time to disengage with school stress and sports.” In agreement, Freshman Jordan Peiser thinks that there should be a maximum of three practices over break. Spring break is a time to relax and enjoy a break from school, but students still need to take responsibility for their actions regarding going on vacation.
Overall, students should not go on vacation if they are part of extracurricular activities. Students are responsible for their prior commitments.