In order to keep speed to a minimum on school grounds, speed bumps have been installed on the roads near the parking lots for years. However, recently, more traffic calming devices have been put in place. Without the harsh bumps, there would likely be a lot more unintelligent choices made while driving. They are pedestrians’ god-given solace and speeders’ worst nightmares. As most drivers at the school who aren’t seniors are in driver’s ed, it can be a good reminder to slow down and not act like they’re in “Fast and Furious” at 6:00 in the morning. Three new bumps have been added, more harsh than the previous bumps (unless you suddenly decided to drive in the bus lot, that is), and are located near the crosswalk. Drivers entering the visitor lot have a few extra hurdles to overcome before they can enter or exit.
After school hours, students (especially student athletes) love to speed through the back of the school. Speed bumps being put in to regulate that is no shock, and they were plenty visible before daylight savings time. Now that mornings are darker, the unmarked speed bumps are a consistent wake-up call to those making their way to the teacher lot. Teachers have commented that it would be much appreciated if the speed bumps were marked, like the yellow painted bump that they were well acquainted with before. These aggravating bumps seem to have appeared out of nowhere on an early weekday and have become yet another thing that blends into the background of the mind. Because of visibility issues, there has been discussion of additional lighting at the crosswalk for safer navigation around the lot.
There’s always new maintenance going on to keep the school up to date, and some rumors have floated by with bathroom construction. Not about the routine maintenance that was witnessed in early March, but actual major changes to the upstairs bathroom as a whole. New stalls and updated sinks are in the near future for Terrace. The two bathrooms near the Terraceum would be removed and replaced by a singular gender agnostic bathroom. This planned bathroom would have a total of eight individual stalls and a wash basin area. If you were to be walking by, all eight stalls would be visible to the hallway. Easier monitoring for the teachers, and no more waiting in lines! A similar design was put into Cedar Way Elementary and has so far worked out well. This addition to the school would mean the basketball trophy case would have to be removed from that section and rehoused against a new wall.
The adjustments to the school don’t stop there, as underclassmen see changes to the old registration process. This update was long overdue, even if it lengthened the amount of time spent. Say goodbye to the 40-slide presentation on class choices that students drone out anyway, and say hello to a more thorough multi-day introduction to different class options. Math, science, and all mandatory course options followed by elective options. Things have taken a shift towards a slower, deliberate way so students can properly think through what they are signing up for. In an interview with the principal, he discussed the addition of a parent sign-off. “Parents need to know what is happening and need to talk with their kids to understand the ramifications and commitments,” he said. This prevents students from taking on more than they can handle or classes beyond their skill level at that moment. One too many times, students sign up for an AP class and wish to drop halfway through the year, which causes the general classes to enlarge beyond their designed capacity. Reducing the number of students facing that level of stress is what this adjustment is aiming for come next school year.
Considering the fact that our theater is often rented out to other schools and programs, maintenance has been planned for the near future crawling closer. Around half a million dollars has been set aside in funding for updating the theater’s lighting systems. State-of-the-art LED lights will find a home in our very own MTHS theater. They’re much safer, less power hungry by a mile, smaller, easier to move around and have an infinite color range. Technicians will have a much more manageable time, and lighting designers will have more creative opportunities with the new range. The curtains will be next in line for a refresh, especially since they need to be fire-retardant to be up to code. Incoming students will hopefully be given better space and storage for props and such items needed to make performances come to life. These changes are necessary for the creative community to thrive instead of struggling with not up-to-date equipment.
Don’t be tardy! New policy
Recently, in advisory, a video was shared with the students – a message from the principal about an incoming shift in the school’s culture and policy that would go into effect on Monday, March 16th. For students who are chronically late, tardy, or like to take the pass and skip out on lessons, now are facing more ramifications and consequences. Office hours are officially going into effect to make up for time lost. Teens owe that time back to themself and need to come back to the class they left on their own time to make it up.
“Students should recognize that they need to be in class. Learning doesn’t happen in the office, it doesn’t happen in the HUB, or the bathroom. Learning happens in the classroom,” commented Principal David Friedle.
Mountlake Terrace High School is currently below the Edmonds School District’s average attendance rate. Currently, the school has all students in class 75% of the time. The goal for this new policy is to have all students in class 90% of the time. That means in theory a student could miss one day every two weeks. Because of the school’s current attendance rate, there is a higher failure rate. When students aren’t in class, they aren’t absorbing the content and getting closer to their graduation goals. There are more kids who aren’t on track to graduate because of the rise in absences seen across the district. This addition of office hours, while it may add to the teachers’ workload, shouldn’t push them to do more than they are contractually able to. Each teacher will choose four days out of the last 12 weeks of school to have open office hours for students with detentions.
How do you prep for competitions?
With all these changes, the stress of March is one thing that remains the same. In this stressful month, many students have to grapple with another event to prepare for beyond regular schooling. It’s no wonder that March has gained a reputation as one of the more demanding times for terrace students. So, how do people juggle and prepare for their individual club events outside of school? While it depends heavily on what the competition or event may be, there are some overall recurring themes in how students and groups formulate in anticipation.
With teachers stressing out students beyond their limits and harsh deadlines, one of the most important things students forget is self-care. Nothing should be prioritized over physical and mental well-being. While that all-nighter may look tempting, it won’t do you any good to swing a curve ball at the body and mind and expect good results. There is a balance to everything after all, and while it can be especially hard to find in the depths of high school stress, it is there. So if you feel like collapsing into burnout or crawling into a ball and never coming back out, your body is overdue for a well-deserved break. When discussing competition season and offering advice to others, Marisa Henriques said, “Don’t forget your self-care – take care of yourself because no one else will.”
Principal David Friedle’s advice for students: “I think competition is one of the best teaching tools there is. You get the best out of someone when there is a competitive nature to it. I would like students not to take how they do in their competition as a mark of who they are. Their competition is just a marker in time as to where their skill happens to be right now. But it isn’t defining who they are. (or their worth) I want to take away some of the anxiety. They should enjoy the moment. This is a really great thing to participate in. Any anxiety you have should be directed to juggling your work, not how well you do.”
