Opinion: 9th Grade Students Should Have Building Leave
Source: friends-select.org
This year, students do not have access to the dining hall. This is how I, along with many others, have purchased food for years, but now, 9th graders must bring in their own lunch each day. Giving 9th grade students building leave privileges would make lunch more convenient and safe.
Can 9th graders be trusted to move safely around the city? Well, we already are. One of the P.E. options this year is an activity called “City Steps,” in which students walk through the city for roughly 2 miles as their exercise. According to P.E. teacher Danielle Norris, “students will either track their route on their cell phones or take a picture at the destination predetermined by the Upper School PE teachers. The destinations are about a mile away from FSS totaling a 2-mile walk during class time.” Students are trusted to walk on the city streets with caution and care.
I joined the City Steps group on a walk on October 9th to investigate the freedom granted to freshmen outside of the school building. We walked to the Philadelphia Tribune Building at the corner of Rodman and 16th streets, and then walked back to school. At any point on the walk, I could have stopped at a food truck, or popped into a Wawa and bought myself lunch.
An added bonus of allowing freshmen to leave the building for lunch is the safety of having fewer students around each other at any time. In addition to the safety brought by eating outside, having students leave the building will stagger the times when people are eating with their masks off. Students who bring in lunch will eat, and people who go on building leave will come back when many have finished eating.
Traditionally, 9th graders cannot earn building leave until the second semester. It is a rite of passage which requires demonstrated growth, independence, and maturity in the upper school. The freshmen have already shown this maturity in their ability to be attentive and safe in the school building through social distancing. This behavior makes me confident that we could practice the same safety on the city streets. This year, it makes more sense to grant it to the freshman class earlier. It is proven to be safer, more convenient, and in many ways, more important than ever before.
Anonymous • Oct 26, 2020 at 10:13 AM
I agree with this, I think some people have demonstrated the ability to be able to be safe in the city and one of the main things about our school is that we are in the city and that we use the city for school. So to me it only makes sense that we actually let people use the city to its fullest potential and I feel that 9th graders have definitely demonstrated the sense of maturity and safety that leaving the building requires. One of the things I think should have been focused on more is that this year is not a normal year it is very different from all the other school years and I feel that people have definitely just based upon their behavior this year to move on and learn in school and stay safe has demonstrated the fact that they should be able to leave the building. Another thing is like the article by Patrick says this year has made people change their lunch plans and I feel that some people are new to bringing their own lunch and that leaving the building would help things be more like a normal year despite making an important change. I think that the 9th graders will definitely be able to handle the responsibility of leaving the building and that some of the 9th graders even know the city as it is their home, and the place they walk or drive through every day it seems strange to invalidate their experience based upon grade. So in conclusion I believe that 9th graders should be given building leave as they have demonstrated responsibility and maturity and safety that makes it seem like they can handle building leave, I think that they have really proved that they can stay safe and on time if they get building leave. Thank you for reading this, please take into consideration the fact that the 9th graders have proved just like everyone else they can be responsible, safe and can adapt to change. Have a great day and I hope you enjoy it and may the rest of your days be filled with happiness and success.
Zoë Blatt • Oct 26, 2020 at 11:30 AM
Hi anonymous, we would love it if you would join The Falcon team! We meet Tuesdays at lunch in my zoom.