Veto Sports Rejection!     Brett Bowman

          No school in the whole world should have the audacity to cut sports out of their program.  Can one envision a school with no sports?  Cutting sports out just because of money issues is the craziest thing I have ever heard.  There are all kinds of different ways to earn money and reasons to keep sports in school.

          First of all, not all students can get into colleges with just their grades occasionally.  If they take part in sports they might have a chance to earn some scholarship money to a college.  Scouts come to games all the time to look at players that stand out from the rest and play extra good.  Scouts are hired officials that journey from sport to sport looking for exceptional players that catch their eye.  If they play sports they can get recognized by college scouts and get recruited to that certain college. 

          In addition, sports can prevent kids from getting in nuisance and give them a superb exercise.  It gives them something to do besides just going home and being lazy.  Sitting on the couch the entire time is bad on a juvenile’s health.  They will have practice on a daily basis, and they will have games on various nights.  Sports can award a great deal of discipline with all the running and working out that takes place within the team.  Whenever they have games, all the other students arrive and cheer them on.  With that comes a lot of interaction and student bonding on the game nights. 

          Ultimately, the games can bring in all kinds of riches through charging for admission. Experts’ say over 50% of the students go and spectate or engage in sports. All my friends play various sports throughout the school year.  One of my friends exclaimed, “Sports are life. Go big or go home!” On game nights the entire town comes to watch, and they show respect by paying to get in.  A quantity of the students and staff work a concession stand in the stadium and collect money there from food, drinks, and candy.  The athletes raise money through many fundraisers throughout the school year by selling anything from candles to candy.

          I can’t suppose a school would ever think of not having sports in their facility.  Saving money may be the most awful excuse I have ever heard.  There would be no attractions to even attend the school if there are no sports, because not everyone is a bookworm like the others.  Everybody likes a modest bit of action someplace in the picture.  Sports do not injure anything within a school system, so just keep them going and no troubles shall exist.

I Think I’ll just Go Naked!       Keifer Helle

            Think about wearing the same style of clothing everyday for the rest of your school life. Just thinking that even sounds miserable. Some say wearing school uniforms will be an extraordinary ending to bullying, gang violence, and all other sorts of crimes in schools. Mainly wearing school uniforms will dismiss our lack of freedom, and our obligation to express ourselves. School uniforms will make each and everyone miserable and very, very upset.

            It seems to me that each generation on down the school years has had their own sense of style of clothing. Think about back in the 70s, bell-bottom pants with the hilltop boots. Now, think about the 80s, the ripped up pants with the Converse shoes. Now the 90s, MC Hammer made a big style of the parachute pants. What is our style going to be? A nice pair of brown, sandy pants with a nice shirt and tie. Woo, that sounds exciting. Almost 4/5 of the students at Greeneville High School say that wearing school uniforms would be a total and complete mistake. Style is a very important part of one's self and can show a lot about that person. Someone’s sense of style can tell us before hand how that student will act and behave. Style can show who is going to be naughty, or who is going to be nice.   

Adding to style, the lack of freedom uniforms cause will be a horrible mistake. When an authoritive figure can tell us what to wear and when to wear our school uniforms, he will be trying to control our sense of ability and ethics. We will be learning about freedom in our history classes, but how can it seem free if we can’t even choose what underwear to put on! Freedom is a major part about oneself, and we should keep it that way by holding the control of choosing what we can wear.

            Mainly, personality is the key of expressing oneself. Someone’s personality cannot be tamed under the fancy clothes we will be wearing. Principals and teachers say gang violence and drugs can be halted to a stop if we switch to a more formidable style of clothing. Clothing isn’t going to affect that person; though, if you throw me in a pink ballerina outfit, it will probably affect me. They think that if we toss someone, who gets in a lot of fights, into a shirt and tie, it will hold him back from ever fighting again. WRONG! If that person wants to fight, he will just keep fighting, clothes or no clothes. If everyone in the school is dressed the same way with nice clothing, then how will we know whom to watch out for? Think about a teacher who is starting a brand new school year, and someone walks in with a nice clean shirt, and his pants are pulled up with a belt at the waist, then the teacher suspect him as a good student. Then another kid walks in, he is slouched down and wearing all black. If I was that teacher, I would be really suspicious about that kid. Clothing is a great way of knowing the personality of a person, and everyone says that, so why should we abolish our clothing.          

            Wearing the same clothes everyday would be a serious downfall to my school life. My style, freedom, and expressions are all conjured together in what I wear. Clothing should be a freewill to all of us. Do you think we should have school uniforms in school? I know I don’t.                       

Accidents Are Bad!  Zachary Ptlacek

        Forty percent of teen deaths are due to automobile accidents. If minors were better educated and more experienced, the people of Tennessee would become safer. In the town I lived in, Orlando, Florida, there were always reports of automobile accidents involving minors. Some even resulted in death. For this reason, the graduated license system would be beneficial to employ in the state of Tennessee.

        To begin, with more time to learn, teens will become more experienced and better prepared on the road in their adult lives. Four out of five adults in America do not believe that teens have adequate preparation for driving on their own. The graduated license system, with four levels of licenses, allows the student to take time to become more experienced and learn what not to do by observing others on the road. Also, although they may not take the opportunity, the graduated system allows students time to get a better education of the laws and rules of the road. With this in mind, we can assume that students will be better educated and, therefore, safer on the road.

        In addition, as we age, we mature and become more responsible, as do teens. On the road, caution and patience will come with experience and growth. Megan Collier, a student at ETSU, stated “If I had started driving at sixteen, I would have had an accident!”  For example, with more caution, teens will be less likely to drive recklessly and cause injury to themselves or others. Furthermore, as teens take on greater responsibilities at home and in school, they will take heed in what others say and do. Also, they will observe and learn the correct way to drive. Power requires responsibility and people in cars have the power to take the lives of others.

        In summation, safety is our nation’s prime concern. We are even willing to give up our primary freedoms for the mere illusion of safety. Will the nation’s children really be safe if they are put behind the wheel of a car unsupervised and unprepared at sixteen? With this in mind, consider that with the required drivers’ education course and more time to become prepared for driving, the amount of accidents involving minors would be reduced.  Therefore, more of the next generation will live on. Experts agree that the graduated license system will vastly improve safety in the state of Tennessee. Also, with the restrictions employed by the graduated system with fewer passengers in the vehicle, there would be less chance of distractions. Safety is of utmost importance, and the graduated system certainly keeps America’s youth safer and happier.

        In conclusion, using the graduated system in Tennessee would benefit all. Tennessee youths would receive a better driving education in which we would all be confident and proud. If Tennessee’s youth found better driving education, we would all be safe and content. All in all, do you think that forty percent of teen deaths would be attributed to accidents if the graduated system were engaged? I think not.

Jordan Dunbar

Many new students choose a school because of its athletic program. Greeneville city schools have proposed saving money by cutting sports programs. Taking away sports would severely hurt our school, and would not benefit the school budget. There is no doubt sports will be better left in school.

To begin sports bring in very large amounts of money for their school they support. Concessions are just one way people spend money at sporting events. There are all kinds of different foods and drinks to choose from. Not to mention all the merchandise that is sold because of fans favorite players or teams. There are also large amounts of money made in ticket sales alone. A spectator can even buy a season ticket, which allows them to enter every game thereafter. It is undoubtedly certain that sports bring in more money than they use.

Not only do sports bring in money they also keep the community happy. However many adults don’t have kids that attend the certain school they are watching.  Although every parent that has a child attending the school in the event always goes to support their school. In addition some people go to sporting events just to have fun socializing. Therefore everyone that attends the sporting events has fun no matter if they are part of the school or not.

Furthermore, sports keep kids out of trouble. The more time kids spend after school in a sports program the less time they have to get into trouble. Experts say that, most crimes happen between the hours of 3 p.m. and 12 p.m., this is no coincidence. The students that have nothing to do after school are the ones getting into trouble with the law. There is no way that a student will be more likely to succeed in school without sports.

Without sports the school budget and reputation with the community would be injured. School sports bring in money, help raise reputation with the community, and keep kids out of trouble. Wouldn’t you rather have your son or daughter in a sport program than in prison?

Seth Sayler   Vote No Uniforms or DIE!

          Do you like what you wear to school? Exactly why do you like it? Is it because of your fashion, maybe your independence or maybe it’s because you can convey yourself? In most minds and in mine, I am against to school uniforms. Keep reading this paper and you will see why school uniforms are not the best choice for this generation.

          From my point of view, style is one of the key things you are looked at when you are in school. Each generation has its own style, in the same way that in the 70’s bellbottoms were in style; likewise, Nikes are the shoes of choice in my generation. Giving students of any grade level uniforms is not such a good thing because it gives them the impression that everyone is the same. Experts say that students in high school with uniforms do not perform as well as students in schools that do not have uniforms. Instead of giving students uniforms let so wear what we want and stop cramping our style.

          It seems to me that giving high school or middle school students for that matter, limits their freedom. Why would you want to put a limit on what we can wear? One student, Bryce Ball, stated that “school uniforms suck”. Parents want their children to grow up and start making some choices on their own. A recent survey taken at a local stated that 95% of students were against school uniforms. Let us have the rights as young adults to choose what we want to wear instead of limiting our freedom and making us wear school uniforms.

          It is my believe, that the biggest reason not to have school uniforms is that it takes away young adults a chance to express themselves in what they wear. School uniforms take away my chance to be different, my chance to be an individual, and wear what I want to wear. Kids need to have the feeling that when they come to school they do not have to worry about looking like everyone else and know that they will be diverse. In fact, 4 out of 5 doctors say that kids that are in school without school uniforms tend to pay more aware in class. Without a doubt kids like the fact knowing that they can come to school and wear what they want, so why fight the fact the no one wants school uniforms.

In conclusion, do you like what wear to school? Is it because of the style you wear, the independence of knowing you can wear what you want, or that you want to know you can convey yourself in the way that you want to? In any case it is my choice to be against school uniforms.

Deidra Gray

            How would you feel if someone tried to take your individuality away from you? Well, that is exactly what the school board is trying to do. The school board is trying to make the students wear school uniforms. They say that it is going to keep the gang violence from increasing as it has been, stop stealing, and stop discipline problems.

            To begin with, when they make students wear school uniforms, it is going to be taking our individuality away from us. If we can’t wear what we want then what else is there for us to do to be our own individuals? I do not think they should institute this policy.

            In spite of what they may think, there is probably going to be even more violence and disciplinary problems if they make the students wear school uniforms. There will be no way for the students to express themselves. Therefore, they will think that they have to act out and show everyone who they are and what their attitude is.

            Furthermore, making the students wear school uniforms is not going to stop gang violence either. Gang violence is not caused by what we wear in school. We are not allowed to wear bandannas or anything gang related anyways. I also don’t think that people stealing is caused by the way we dress either. The reason why people steal is because they see the opportunity to do so. Even if we have school uniforms, people are still going to be carrying purses and backpacks.

            In conclusion, I completely disagree with the school board instituting the policy of school uniforms. I think they have their reasons all wrong. If they are going to do anything about gang violence, they should prosecute. If they are going to do anything about people stealing, then they need to stop just sending them home. They need to take them to court. Also, in order to stop discipline problems, they need to do something a little harsher than just telling them not to do that! In other words, instituting a school uniform policy is going to do more harm than good!