Student Declaration of Independence

As students of the Grosse Pointe public school districts, we the students have certain rights. These rights have been repeatedly infringed upon, and we have deemed it necessary to form an alliance together to stand up against the oppressors once and for all to declare our independence. This document will ensure that the students and teachers alike can work in harmony to produce a healthy and fun atmosphere for learning.  Whether the matter is health conditions or pertaining to the respect of the administrators, all of the items listed below have been deemed as basic rights that every student in the Grosse Pointe districts should hold

Teachers should respect students. This goes the same for students respecting teachers of course, but as long as the students are paying due amount of reverence towards the teacher, he or she should receive the same. Stupid questions do not exist. Teachers should not be able to disregard a question ever, even if has already been asked. Students can’t be expected to be listening 100% of the time.  On a related note, students should be allowed to have extra help as needed. Teachers should be willing to give up there lunch hour to assist students, or, at the very least, direct them to another student for help. Another basic right is the right to choose your schedule. Choosing classes is a key right, as this allows students more freedom in choices and helps decide what career path to go down. Having the best technology possible is a clear basic right for students. The school district should be doing everything in their power to provide students with technology that allows them to learn better and faster. A commonly overlooked, but essential, right is the right to have good, clean water. The water fountains at South are completely disgusting and are probably violating some sort of health code. They taste like metal and blood and should be fixed immediately.  As well as all of these other examples, the most important one by far is the right to feel safe in the school environment. Whether it be from internal or external forces, no student should have to go to school feeling like they are in danger there. The administration should always be doing everything in their power not only to keep the students safe, but to also make them feel safe. 

I.                    Instead of thirty six minute lunches, South has to provide an hour and fifteen minutes.  This is students’ only free time of the day, and thirty-six minutes is barely sufficient to eat.  Lunch should be a time to relax, and rushing to finish eating is not exactly relaxing.  It is the only break in the long seven hour school day.  This time should be spent doing whatever students’ wish, whether it’s walking to Farms Market and getting some fresh air, or just relaxing in the commons and socializing with friends.  Whatever kids chose, lunch should be a complete mental break.  A full seventy-five minute period would allow students to return to class rejuvenated and ready to focus, which would increase productivity.  Grosse Pointe South students demand a longer lunch period. 

II.                  Grosse Pointe South must supply laptops to each student for use in school and at home.  In almost every class, note taking is used by teaches.   This is a very effective method of teaching, yet can be time consuming.  Note taking would be a great deal faster if students had access to laptops, and could type their notes on a Word document.  Laptops that students could carry from class to class would also allow internet research to be done in class.   This would undoubtedly increase the efficiency of students in class. Also, because most assignments that require computers are completed at home, the access to them in class could reduce the amount of homework.   And for those students who don’t always have a computer available to them at their house, because of financial issues or having to share with siblings, the ability to take a laptop home would be greatly beneficial.  Students at Grosse Pointe South need to have laptops both in and outside the classroom to increase overall productivity. 

III.               There needs to be one full hour designated for nap taking.  In classes, countless students are always falling asleep because of exhaustion.  Research shows that teenagers need 9-11 hours of sleep to be fully rested, but that number is rarely reached because of many factors.  A demanding schedule, caused by loads of homework, sports, and other activities, leads to many students getting less than the adequate amount of sleep.  Since school contributes to the large quantity of homework that keeps students up late at night, it is only fair they provide an hour to let kids catch up.  An extra hour of sleep every day would lead to increased productivity, mood, and energy of the students at Grosse Pointe South.  This would make for an improved learning environment. 

IV.               Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays, and for the most part is loved by all. Many families put a lot of time and preparation into its celebration. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year to have long periods of family time, and some wish that this did not have to last for only one day. Considering this, it is our suggestion that an entire week of school be given off for its celebration.

V.                  Being as far north as it is, our home state of Michigan can often have very extreme winter weather conditions. The snow can often pile high enough to make even walking on the sidewalk a hassle, and temperatures can easily drop to the point that frostbite is something to worry about. Our district’s reason for having so few snow days is that Grosse Pointe is a walking district, but the majority of South’s students either get a ride from their parents or drive themselves to school. Even the kids that walk often have to deal with extremely low temperatures and very deep snow. Therefore, it is our belief that South should have more days off because of extreme winter weather conditions.

VI.               One of the things that South’s students look forward to the most is holidays. They are an excellent time to relax and take a nice break from school. Because of this, one of the most disappointing things is when there is a holiday but students still have to go to school. Sadly, there are a few holidays out of the year that South does not give even one day off school for. We have the opinion that this should be changed, and that for every holiday, no matter how obscure, at least one day of school should be given off for its celebration.

VII.             The purpose of a school is to provide a child with the best education possible.  Each individual varies from his or her peers.   The option of block scheduling can allow for a more personalized schedule focused on each student’s individual needs.  It allows students to select classes and times that will better stimulate their learning process.  Block scheduling allows for breaks between classes for instance you might have math on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, this allows for breaks which helps students alleviate stress and keeps grades high.  This would also to give students assignments spanning over the break, which can help the student’s time management skills.  Those who have had block scheduling have remarked that the change in scheduling keeps your days from being boring so you tend to be more alert in class. Block scheduling allows for students to be more alert and have classes and schedules that fit their needs thus improving the Childs educations, which is after all, the main goal of the school system.

VIII.          Good grades and an attentive attitude is important to ones high school career.  To maintain grades and stay alert it is important that students come to school with their best mindset, which is why it is important to have breaks on holidays.  Students should have a half-day on Halloween and the day after off.  This will allow students to have a short break to alleviate stress and to enjoy the holiday.   Halloween is a national holiday that should be recognized by the Grosse Pointe Public School System with a day and a half off for the students and staff.  Many students in all three stages of school are out late on the night of October 31, Halloween, and would not be attentive at school the next day.  Giving students a short Halloween break will keep them on track and attentive during school.

IX.                High School is a very important segment of ones school career. It is also one of the more stressful and demanding.  For this reason High School students should not have homework on weekends.  The abolishing of weekend homework will allow for students to rejuvenate over the break and to recharge for the coming school week.  Without homework encumbering the student’s weekend, students will have more time to study for test or review materials covered in class.  This will raise students grades exponentially, students will be more relaxed, attentive, and better prepared for class which will result in higher test scores and grades; which will drastically improve students resumes come time to apply for collegiate study. Abolishing weekend homework will help Grosse Pointe students drastically. 

X.                  School should be adjusted to 4 days a week; the weekend spanning Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  2 days for weekends simply does not suffice for the amount of homework and rest students need.  The week of a typical high school student is extremely stressful and exhausting. The weekend is needed to recover.  Teachers tend to assign more homework on the weekends, though, knowing students will have more time.  This leads to the whole weekend being spent completing schoolwork.  Weekends are needed to relax and rejuvinate, and doing homework all weekend is neither of those things.  The weekends are also a sacred time to be spent with family or friends, seeing as though during the week, students are simply too busy.  Three days for a weekend would allow time for schoolwork, as well as friends, family, and rest. 

We, the students of Grosse Pointe South High School, hereby declare our independence from the Grosse Pointe Public School System. We only asked that we receive the treatment that we by our rights deserved, the treatment that we were neglected when a part of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. If we don’t receive our independence, there will be severe consequences. We may be peaceful and civil; we may boycott classes or organize a sit out on the lawn. Protest what we believe to be a corrupt establishment.  Hold strong to what we want and receive it in a peaceful manner. Or, we may be violent, vandalize the school. Rip doors off their hinges and graffiti the hallways. Break the windows of every educational institution, and yell blood curdling battle cries of freedom that even the bravest soul could not bear to hear. Though we are only students, we will crash board meetings. We will disrupt the very foundation that this educational system is based upon and wreak havoc among the board members, never faltering in doing so until our demands are met. Planting fear in every adult’s heart, because independence is a basic right; all students are naturally born with freedom in their blood. The students’ actions to take control of their independence are unpredictable yet organized, extreme yet understandable. It is best that the students receive independence and no other actions are put in place to stop the progression. By this time, there are no measures that can be taken to reconcile both the students and educational program. In no way can the ties between the two be bonded back together, and form a united assembly once again. Independence has spread to the very heart of the matter and no act can be taken to stop it. Independence will rise, and the Grosse Pointe School System should be prepared to fall.

Epilogue of Mr. Parris

The Epilogue of Reverend Parris

            The Witch Trials are finally over; Salem is once again a quiet, peaceful town, but that is really the only thing that hasn’t changed since before. The judges from Boston have departed, their pride somewhat diminished. Even the instigator of all the hysteria, the one who caused the dramatic shift in power, has fled, destroying all credibility of her stories for most. It seems as if every citizen of Salem had at least one friend or family member get hanged for witchcraft. Because of this, the majority of the people who still reside there have a simmering anger towards anyone or anything who was a supporter of the girls who did most of the accusing. One of these people is the former Reverend Parris. Before he could be chased out of Salem by angry townspeople, Mr. Parris left on his own, giving no warning to any family or friends.

            Before he was robbed and driven from his position of power, Mr. Parris was relatively content with his life and thus a fairly peaceful man. However, after being driven from his home and robbed of his power and reputation, Parris has focused most of his newfound rage at the people whose fault he believes it to be; John Proctor and Abigail Williams. If John had done what Mr. Parris, Reverend Hale and Danforth wanted him to and confessed, then Parris’s reputation would have been mostly restored and everyone would have believed that all of the accused really were witches. But John chose to keep that from happening and denied the charges until he was hanged. Towards the end of the Witch Trials, Abigail stole all of Mr. Parris’s fortune and fled with Mercy Lewis, rumor having it that they traveled to Boston. Now penniless and powerless, Parris has decided his best course now that he has been kicked out of his hometown is to kill two birds with one stone by tracking down his niece, Abigail. His first desire is to have vengeance on the deceptive girl who ruined his life, and his second is to reacquire his fortune that she stole.

Following the rumors that surrounded the girl who cried witch, Parris managed to follow Abigail’s trail to the nearest big city, Boston. Upon his arrival, Mr. Parris saw just how daunting his task would be hunting down one girl in this huge city. For a few days he searched relentlessly, searching every crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of his niece, but eventually he realized that it was very likely hopeless. Having no desire to return to the town in which he was so despised, Mr. Parris decided to settle in Boston and found employment as an innkeeper. For weeks he lived peacefully, always keeping an eye out for his despised niece and her companion. Strangely, Parris’s anger over what happened increased over time instead of diminishing. He came to blame Abigail for everything that happened during the Witch Trials up to where he left. Eventually he bought a pistol, and then started going out and roving the city every night searching for her. One early morning Mr. Parris was making a short stop at the market to pick up some more food for the inn. Because of the hour very few people were also out wandering the streets. As luck would have it, Parris glanced into the window of another inn while talking with a merchant and caught a brief glimpse of a familiar face.

            Mr. Parris’s eyes widened, then filled with excitement as he rushed up to the door of the inn. Throwing it wide, he quickly glanced around the room and found it to be empty save for the barkeeper. He rushed upstairs, drawing his pistol as he did so, and began throwing open doors in search of her. Suddenly, in the last room of the hallway, he threw open a door and found her. Abigail looked at him, and the look of recognition in her eyes quickly turned to fear as she took in the pistol and the look of rage in Parris’s eyes. With seemingly no hesitation, he pulled the trigger, muttering that she should not have so ruined his life as he did so. Feverishly he searched her room afterwards, and found his fortune stashed inside of a drawer. Only about half of it was remaining, but for Parris, that was enough. With a shout of victory, he quickly scrambled out the window and sprinted to collect his belongings from his old inn. Feeling elated at his weeks of searching being worth it, Mr. Parris quickly packed his belongings and left the state of Massachusetts forever.

The Crucible Essay

            Although the Salem Witch Trials can mostly be blamed on the lack of common sense in the majority of the people living in Salem, there were a few individuals that caused the original rumors of witchcraft. If they had not played the roles they did, no hysterical fear of the Devil would have raged all throughout Salem and the surrounding land. Unwittingly or not, there were three individuals who started the snowball effect of fear and accusations that led to dozens of hangings. The three people most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials were Abigail Williams, Reverend Hale and Betty.

            The very first scene of The Crucible, which is a mostly true play about the Witch Trials, is of Betty lying sick in bed, seemingly asleep and not able to wake as if she is in a coma. However, the local doctor cannot seem to find a single thing wrong with her. This was happening shortly after her father, Reverend Parris, had discovered Betty and many other girls of the village dancing in the woods. Dancing was very frowned upon in Puritan society. Because of the strangeness of a bunch of girls dancing in the woods around a campfire, and there seeming to be no natural cause of Betty’s condition, people began to whisper that it could possibly be from unnatural causes, and rumors of witchcraft began to spread. Now, considering the fact that witchcraft is not real, it is apparent that Betty must have been pretending to be unable to wake, for whatever reason. When Betty first woke up in the presence of the other girls who danced, she began speaking of suspicious things that happened the night before besides dancing. “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor” (Miller 19)! Abigail was the one who originally led the girls into the woods to dance. After Reverend Hale seemed to cure Betty of her apparently magical affliction, she went on to accuse many citizens of Salem to be associating with the Devil, and so played a big part in starting the hunt for witches in Salem.

            Revered Hale arrived on the scene the morning after the girls were found dancing in the woods. Upon his arrival, he made a half-hearted attempt to wake Betty from her slumber, and then began to question the girls and Mr. Parris about the events of the night before. After Mr. Hale began to seem somewhat suspicious, Abigail tried to push the blame onto Tituba. Mr. Hale started to viciously drill Tituba with questions and accusations, and that was essentially when Reverend Parris started the policy of confess when accused of witchcraft or die. “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba” (Miller 44)! The two reverends had gotten the first actual confession out of someone in Salem concerning consorting with the Devil. This seemed important because for most people it erased all doubt of whether or not there were witches in Salem, because why would someone confess if they are innocent? Now what really got the witch hunts started was when Tituba confirmed that yes, there were other witches in Salem other than herself. Reverend Hale was the one who first got someone to confess to dealing with the Devil, and this led to the belief that anyone in town could be a witch.

            Although Reverend Hale and Betty did indeed play a large part in starting the Witch Trials, Abigail played the biggest role. Not only was she the one who led the girls out into the woods to dance, which was the single event from which the rumors began, she confessed to having sold her soul to the Devil shortly after Tituba did. After seeing that Hale asked Tituba who she had seen with the Devil and seeing him believe her, Abigail saw an opportunity to seize some power for herself and quickly stepped forward, confessed to having consorted with the Devil, and immediately began to accuse others in Salem of doing the same. “I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Good Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 48)! It didn’t help that Betty quickly awoke and began to shout out the names of more townspeople. Abigail was successful in her grab for power, and went on to lead the rest of the apparently formerly possessed girls in accusing dozens of citizens of Salem of working various forms of hellish magic.

            After reading the play, it is obvious that every single person in Salem who believed in witches contributed in some small way to the hysteria. But the start of all the madness can be blamed on the one who first pretended to be bewitched, the person who first forced a confession of witchcraft out of someone, and the person who confessed second and made more accusations than anyone. Abigail, Reverend Hale and Betty were the three people most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials.

The Crucible Beliefs Post

Although for the most part I try hard to stick to my beliefs, if the consequence for doing so is death then I would most certainly tell people that I believe whatever they want me to believe in order to survive. If  Proctor had told Hale that he did not believe in witches, he probably would have been hauled off to jail along with his wife, and possibly faced a hanging with her. It's true that sticking to your beliefs is important, but another belief of mine is that it is okay to stray from that in order to save your life. Ordinarily I would tell people the truth about what I believe, even if it would result in me being shunned or harassed, but Proctor faced imprisonment and possible death if he told Hale the truth. At first I thought that Elizabeth was somewhat stupid for telling Hale she did not believe in witches, because it only made her situation worse. But then I realized that they were taking her to jail anyway so she really had nothing to lose in telling the truth. I know that if I had been in the situation that Elizabeth and John were in, I would have done the same thing as John.