Open Campus Essay, Research Paper
Westview High School is a closed campus school, which limits the freedom and
movement of students through out the day. While millions of other students around
the country enjoy a open campus. We are trapped in the same routine day after day.
We see the same people everyday, eat the same caritiria food, and walk the same
crowded halls.
First off Westview, like many other schools, is full of kids who get too stressed
out by the long days, and sometimes just feel the need to take a break from their
hectic day. They want to escape away from the same environment they have been
coped up in since the beginning of the year. Open campus can give them the
opportunity to leave for their hour lunch period to recoup, at home, or at a near by
restaurant or where ever else they choose. I do recognize that they could take
advantage of this privilege very easily. However I think it can also be a privilege that
can control their urges to skip.
Where they go while using their open campus brings me to my next point. Most
kids choose to go to their local restaurant, fast food, grocery store, or cafe. This helps
the economy in a big way. Teens play a huge role in the economy. Especially teens of
the baby boomers who are the widest rage of people who take part in our economy.
Students do have many responsibilities that they need to accomplish, and some
just can’t succeed at school. As distractions get in the way, and at home they feel
better taking care of their obligations. I think as growing adults we should be given the
freedom and privilege to have the opportunity to go places to get our responsibilities
done.
Of greatest significance Westview High School is a estimated amount of about
2,300 students, and staff of about 250. The school building itself can’t even fit this
many people, so much that we have brought in 19 portables over the growing years. I
know there is many of us who cant even stand the sight of a crowd. For some people it
makes them anxious and irritable. Open campus would clear out the halls, and
eliminate the traffic of students crawling into the student center, making school a
more comfortable habitat.
I do see a down side of this is students staying out too long possibly missing
classes, being late to class or even just takeing advantage of open campus and
skipping. This causes a problem, but they will pay the consequences of their poor
judgment and behavior and learn. It’s something they will have to get used to in life,
and just another responsibility they will have to take on.
As you can see I feel strongly about the argument of Westview having open
campus. This is the best way for students to explore during a school day bringing
better income to local businesses, and learning how to become responsible people.
Remember taking away a student’s right to leave a place that he or she came to by
choice is a dangerous threat to liberty and goes against the very foundation that this
country was founded on. The dangers incurred by having too much liberty seem trivial
when measured against the horrible travesty of a lack of liberty. Thomas Jefferson
said it best “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much
liberty than those attending too small a degree of it”.