OPINIONS

Student debt is a rising concern to students

As tuition costs continue to rise, Strath Haven students in particular have reason to be concerned over student debt. Would public college and university help alleviate the stress?

Luke Mandel ‘20 Online Editor

Student debt is a topic of rising importance in our time. According to the Washington Post, Americans are burdened with 1.6 trillion dollars of student debt, a debt which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says is spread among as many as 44.7 million Americans. Student debt has been shown to postpone marriage, discourage entrepreneurship, and impact many other life decisions. Because of this, it is no surprise that prospective college students, and especially Strath Haven students, should be concerned about the student debt they will have to assume to pay for college. Strath Haven students have particular cause to be concerned since approximately 95% of students pursue a two or four-year degree (10% and 85% respectively), while the other 5% enter the work force or military. In the Wallingford-Swarthmore school district these statistics are not surprising—there is a spoken and unspoken expectation that everyone will go to college. Just for example, look at the names of classes: College prep is the standard level class. The name implies preparation for college as our baseline. The reality is that Strath Haven’s rate is among the higher ones in the nation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 69.7% of American high school students enrolled in college in 2016. In other words, Strath Haven sends 136% the national rate to college. And, all these students have to find the means to finance their education. Perhaps parents have saved for college, maybe they pay as they go, or students take out loans. According to Mrs. Salvage, a guidance counselor at Strath Haven, student debt is becoming an increasing concern when discussing the application process with students. She gave the example of an anonymous student who chose a less expensive school over an Ivy League institution. When interviewed regarding his concerns about student debt, Senior and Student Council Vice President Michael Fergus shared his thoughts: “Yes, I’m looking at colleges, and it’s something I’m going to have to pay off.” He added that the cost of attending a college is a major factor in his search. Strath Haven students are concerned about student debt. The question is, what can students realistically do when trying to make such a major financial decision at the age of seventeen or eighteen? One option is to take on high levels of debt. Another option is to simply choose a cheaper school, although “cheaper” seems to have lost meaning when even the tuition of public colleges and universities has skyrocketed over the years. An online tool that can help with this decision is NitroScore, a website that projects the ability to pay off student loans based on college and major. However, this approach can put money before merit, an unfortunate reality for the foreseeable future. This reality can be altered. When asked if he would choose a public college or university over his first choice if it were tuition-free, Michael Fergus gave an emphatic, “Yes!” For example, just last year, 8% of the graduating class went to Penn State, and another 8.8% went to Delaware County Community College, both in the top five schools the class of 2019 attended, and both potentially benefiting from public funding. By eliminating the cost of attending such schools, nearly 17% of Strath Haven students would no longer have to worry about student loans for college. This figure does not take into account all of the students who go to other public colleges and universities who would also be helped by such a policy. In this decision, prospective college students have a choice. If you want tuition-free public college or university, then, in the words of President Barack Obama: “Don’t boo, vote!”

Americans are burdened with

$1.6 Trillion

in student loan debt.

Strath Haven High School sends 136% the national rate to college.

Yo Banana Boy! Here's aFUN FACT:

From 9/10/19 to 9/19/19 is National Palindrome Week. That means that every date reads the same backwards as it does forwards.

9.18.19

9.18.19 9.19.19

Rie Duncan, ‘20

End of an Era

Chrombook 1:1 Initiative brings change to Haven. Will it prove effective for students?

David Ren ‘21 Opinions Editor

The 2019 to 2020 Strath Haven High School school year began with the implementation of the Chromebook 1:1 Initiative, which aims to distribute Chromebooks to all the students of Strath Haven High School. But with such a major change coming into play, the question must be asked: how do Strath Haven students feel about the Chromebooks? The students of the Class of 2022 and 2023 will, I assume, have more positive feelings about the Chromebooks based on the simple fact that they had started their high school experience with Chromebooks. In other words, since they have had access to Chromebooks from Day 1, they are more likely to view the Chromebooks as a necessary part of their high school experience. On the other hand, the students of the Class of 2020 and 2021 may not share this mindset because of the exact opposite reason; they, unlike their younger counterparts, have made it through the majority of high school perfectly fine without Chromebooks. In addition to this, these students also have other reasons—such as the Chromebook’s limited rendering and computational speed—to justify their dislike of Chromebooks. Junior Abby Dinardo attests to the poor quality of Strath Haven Chromebooks: “Nothing works at home. Google Docs just says “reconnecting” and “trying to connect,” but if you go on a different website it works perfectly fine. A bunch of Wikipedia pictures about discontinuities are blocked and I can’t watch Khan Academy videos. I kinda just have given up on using the Chromebook unless I really need to.” And as for “nothing works at home,” the Chromebooks also exhibit problems while on Strath Haven campus—about half the students in my AP Calculus class (including Abby Dinardo and myself) were unable to access the College Board website, and other students have also complained about not having access to other educational sites, such as Quizlet. Frustrated Junior Brendan Deppen

has also stated: “This is ridiculous. My grandpa runs faster than my Chromebook.” Another major impact that the Chromebooks have had on Strath Haven students is the discontinuation of Strath Haven Agenda Books (which the Chromebooks have made “obsolete”). Furthermore, this year’s Agenda Book, in keeping with Strath Haven’s pursuit of a “more paperless atmosphere,” will not feature the Student Handbook; the Student Handbook will instead be uploaded to the internet. No more printed Student Handbooks this “This is ridiculous. year and no more AgenMy grandpa runs da Books the next? This faster than my is the end of an era. chromebook,” And to prevent this end, I propose the removal Brendan Deppen, ‘21 of the unnecessary parts of the Strath Haven Agenda Book, such as pages giving students advice about studying, the “August” section, and the Periodic Table, as opposed to the entire Agenda Book itself. This would adhere to Strath Haven’s pursuit of a “more paperless atmosphere” while still providing students with a school-information-giving and task-tracking booklet that has become fundamental to their education. But, in the end, Chromebooks might be the most cost-effective and sustainable form of technology available to Strath Haven High School. It provides a means of access to educational sites for students who are economically disadvantaged. It spurs the noble pursuit of a more paperless environment. And, following the removal of the library computers (which the Chromebooks have made obsolete), more students can study in the library at a more efficient pace. All in all, the Chromebook 1:1 Initiative will have a profound effect on Strath Haven High School. While it is likely to be a positive effect for the students of The Class of 2022 and 2023, whether or not that effect will be positive or negative for the students of the Class of 2020 and 2021 will depend on the Juniors’ and Seniors’ patience, and the availability of technical help. Let us all hope that the Chromebook 1:1 Initiative will be remembered as a success in the following school years.

SCHOOL START TIME STUDY BEGINS

Tahreem Faruque, ‘21 Staff Writer

Strath Haven faces a huge change: a later start time to the school day. The district home page features a message from the superintendent, Dr. Lisa A. Palmer, titled “WSSD Sleep & School Start Times.” The administration is beginning a study into adolescent sleep needs and school start times which will help make the best decision for Strath Haven. During the 2019-2020 year, a task force will be available to address issues, questions, and concerns brought up in meetings throughout the process. By February 2020, the task force plans to issue a recommendation regarding start times. By the time this issue of the Panther Press comes out, students, parents, and staff members will have heard from Dr. Wendy Troxel, a Sleep Researcher and Clinician speaking in the high school auditorium on Wednesday, September 11, during the school day and at 7 p.m.

Many voices will be heard by the committee, but this momentous change will greatly affect students the most.

We asked three current upperclassmen: Do students need a later start to the school day?

Jaydyn Thurmond

Junior

From personal experience and research, your body automatically feels better from waking up later. For example, if I went to bed at 12 am and woke up at 6 am, I am more tired than if I were to get up at 8 am. Classes will start later too. YES Some of my friends got their schedule changed because they had a core class first block and felt that it would be too early in the morning for them to be productive. It’s also easier to wake up when there is daylight because that signals your brain to begin its daytime functioning. I also prefer to wake up later despite whatever time I go to bed. I always feel like I’ve slept better.

Trinity Clow-McLaughlin

Junior

I’m really conflicted about the start time. On one hand, I would love to be able to sleep in later because we get up really early for school right now. On the other hand, if school starts later that means it ends later so everything is pushed back including after MAYBE school activities, sports, etc. The issue with that is we have less time at night to do homework which could mean staying up later to get it done. I think it comes down to how much time they push back the start time and if the school can find a healthy balance. Pushing the start time by 30-45 minutes wouldn’t really create too much of a difference but more than that might. I’m not sure how I feel yet.

Maeve Davis

Junior

It feels like it is going to do more harm than good. First off, when we are adults, we are going to have to wake up at around the same time we do now for work. Why delay having to do it when we can get used to doing it now? Also, with the sports and theater program, no one will want to be at school past 5 pm if we need to start everything later as well. If they get out late, parents will also have to change their own schedules to accommodate. Let’s not forget about people who have jobs after school. No one with an after school job will want to get out past 3:30 pm and have little time to rest before doing what they need to do. If I were to have a shift in which I needed to be there at 4, I would have 30 minutes to get home, dressed, and then go to work. I’d probably end up passing out after work.

NO

Alex Melley

Senior

Ifeel like it’s a good idea and there is science to back it up but at the same time it doesn’t really affect us because we are no longer going to be here next year. I mean, I have a sibling who will be a freshman so it affects her. It’s cool that we have an input but I guess we are pretty impartial because it doesn’t affect us. Other than that I feel like it should be left up to the people who will be more directly affected. I would say especially in the winter, getting up when it’s completely dark and then coming home when it is dark is so depressing.

MAYBE & YES

Haley Wuenschel

Senior

Ithink it’s definitely a good idea. I mean, even if say, people did go to bed a little bit later, it shouldn’t matter. I would think probably on average I get seven to eight hours which is okay but it’s definitely not as good as it should be. If I were to wake up at 7:30 am or 8:00 am instead of 6:30 to 7:00 am, even just a little bit would be easier to wake up when the sun is actually up. Maybe even 30 minutes later would make a difference.

What do the experts have to say?

Amanda Lawson, Psychology teacher at Strath Haven High School

“I have been discussing this research for the last twenty years. It’s not new information. We have known for awhile that the teenage brain works very differently from the adult brain. I think two things are happening. Brain research is more advanced and able to uncover many more mysteries and people are now paying attention to teen brains. We know so much more about just how different the teenage brain actually is in terms of development of the frontal lobe, the different affect certain neurotransmitters have for teens, and also the delicate balance of hormone release. So I’m not surprised that we are having this discussion as a nation. I’m just surprised it’s taken this long. As a teacher and also a community member with children in the district, I certainly have an opinion on the topic. For me personally, I don’t think it will change much about my day. But it could have drastic changes for our high school schedule and I hope those are carefully considered. Haven is a great place and we need to make sure it stays that way no matter what time the first bell rings.”

Where does your opinion fit? How will this issue impact you?

Dr. Wendy Troxel, Sleep Expert

Dr. Wendy Troxel came to Strath Haven on Wednesday, September 11 to address the school’s concerns with the possibility of new start times. In her presentation, she discussed key points about why teens need more sleep than what they are getting now and how that affects the body. Sleep is critical for teenagers. Adults need to get 7-9 hours while teens need 8-10 hours to stay in a healthy range. Only about 1 in 10 teenagers get the recommended amount of time. Sleep deprivation impacts important functions of the brain. The prefrontal area of the brain assists with reasoning, good judgement, and problem solving. The amygdala regulates emotions, impulses, and risky behavior. Sleep loss causes these areas to not function properly, and negatively impacts students school activity such as poorer grades and impared memory. When the student gets more sleep and feels refreshed, he or she can retain more information which brings grades up and improves memory. Outside of the classroom, athletes are more prone to increased injury and slower recovery. Teens can go to bed earlier but biologically the mind does not not agree. Melatonin is released around 11 pm, two hours later than adults. For teens, waking up at 6 am is equivalent to adults being up at 4 am. The biological delay makes going to bed early more difficult, combined with other factors such as homework. Some school districts have already implemented a later start time. Research shows in these schools teens are sleeping more, less tardy, have better standardized test scores, and get into fewer car accidents.