Welcome to the Altoid...

Welcome to the Altoid. For those of you who do not know me I am Preston Patillo, senior at Mishawaka High School. I have always felt that the school needed an alternative newspaper to speak the word of what really goes on at Mishawaka High School. With the power of the internet and blogging of 2005 that becomes possible. So here is christened the Altoid where the stupidity and outrageousness of Mishawaka High School can be discussed on a public forum for the world to see.

In my first post I would like to address the seminar issue. The fact that we are being punished because of the abuses of a few is asinine. Three twenty minute periods in place of being able to speak to every teacher that you would need to speak to in nintey minutes is just stupid. Not to mention the twenty minutes that we have to spend reading silently for the first seminar of the week. How old are we? Really people come on. I really do not know what the administration is doing about the situation nor do I really want to anymore. Last year the issue came about. Ex-Student Council President Hope Grame took charge to defend the rights of the students and the academic time allotted to them to work. Student Council President Rachael Roggeman's attempts to protect the students of Mishawaka, her duty and obligation in that position, has been shot down over the summer by Dr. George Marzotto, his administration, and a select group of teachers for numerous excuse after excuse. This leaves the students; best hope with their hands tied and little hope left for a change in the Administrations policies. Petitions could be started. Parents could phone the school. There are many other options left to rectify this problem but it up to the remainder of the student body to take action and unite in a front to free seminar for what it was originally intended. One must keep in mind that it becomes increasingly difficult to defend seminar being used for academic purposes when there are those few abusers. That is just that though. There are few abusers of the privilege. I ask now for Dr. Marzotto and the Administration of Mishawaka High School to review its seminar policy. Though the few that do abuse the time allotted are the ones that are seen take a look into the classrooms of the individuals that are using the time as it was set forth by your predecessors. They are the ones that are being hurt by this policy. Not the ones that forced you to make this decision.

I call for each student to let their opinion and voice be heard here. It is our only chance.

That is the first post for the Altoid. I hope to recruit more writers as time goes on because this needs to be in place as students and as Americans. Thank you for reading.

Preston