By Aidan Bahrain, Staff Writer
Every day, as students throughout the school get settled into their third period, morning announcements are a normal routine. Our school’s morning announcement system is a vital tool for communicating important information to students and staff. These announcements inform students about future events and other important things such as club meetings, days off, and pep rallies. But do students even listen to these announcements? Are they beneficial to anyone in the school?
Among the students, there appears to be one common answer: “I usually don’t pay attention to these announcements.” Sophomore Aaron Zhong states, “Yeah I usually do not pay attention to the announcements, I usually just use the time to study.”
Why is this the case within the student body? The low level of interest in morning announcements is one of the main problems. Students are more likely to be absorbed in other things, especially their devices. Another issue could be a lack of relevance. Sophomore Justin Choi says “I think the announcements are pretty annoying, half the time I can’t even hear them.”
It’s possible that a sizable percentage of students are not affected by many of the morning announcements. Others may not relate to extracurricular activities or particular grade levels. Because they believe the material does not directly affect them, students may easily lose interest in this material, they also may not hear these announcements at all.
However, there are some students who appreciate the morning announcements. Freshman Wasif Khalid states “I love these announcements, they are beneficial and I think they help the entire student body, you just need to listen and pay attention.” Another freshman, Kian Solimani, states, “I like these announcements, I think they cover a lot of information, but they are hard to listen to. I hate when people talk during these.” A major problem within these announcements seems to be other students being disruptive or distracted by other things during these announcements.
Though there are many problems with these announcements, there are also many solutions. A student suggested that the school could introduce a digital platform or app. This would be available to the entire school where updates and announcements can be uploaded. Students can access this material at their convenience. This will also save a lot of time in the mornings as the announcements can take up a few minutes of the third-period teachers’ time.
Sophomore Ishaan Maratha states, “I wish there was an easier way to pick up all this information without having to intensely listen to a small TV.” The Coordinator of the morning announcements, Mr. Ahr, says, “I agree that a lot of students do not even hear these announcements, some of my colleagues do not turn them on at all, also it is a burden for teachers to quiet down students every day for minutes at a time so they can listen to announcements.” Many teachers do not turn these announcements on at all, this in turn stops a lot of information from going through to students. Students also play a huge role in these as many can’t hear or talk while they are going on.
If we were to implement these solutions, it would accommodate the needs of many students across the school without taking up time. It would remove the constraints linked to conventional morning announcements and help the school into a more organized and successful atmosphere.