* The 2014-2015 senior student signature series features area senior class students – and their own “signature” outlooks on a topic of their choice. A new outlook will be posted on Cross-Counties Connect each Friday. The series opens with point of view comments by seniors from Mountain Lake Public High School. The opinions can be found by clicking on the Family & Faith link on the website’s header, and scrolling down to, and clicking on, Outlook. Their teachers are Brenda Feil, Kim Syverson and Debby Jass.
New Updates to MLPS
Safety, comfort, and use of technology are three areas in the Mountain Lake Public School (MLPS) that need some attention. As a current student, I am thoroughly aware of the needs of the students and what is the best environment for learning. MLPS has been a great place to learn and grow up in; however, the school could use a little updating to make the students’ experiences even better.
The first area in our school that needs improvement is safety. The school has many secondary entrances, which can be very dangerous, especially when students leave the doors open or prop them open with a cone or a rock. Bill Strom, Superintendent of Mountain Lake Public School, says a “school security vestibule” would be safer because people could not get in from secondary doors without an alarm going off, forcing people to go through only the main entrance of the school. If students or guests would come in while school is in session, they would have to be buzzed into our school by people in the offices. I believe this is a very smart way to keep Mountain Lake students and staff safe.
Another area in our school that needs some updating is the technology. We have many computers, but when too many students are online at one time our internet is extremely slow, making it hard to get a lot of work done in school, and some students do not have internet access at home to do their homework. According to Digital Learning Now.com, only seventy-seven percent of households own their own computer. To help those students without a computer, the school should let students check out chromebooks so that they can do homework at home.
An equally important thing students need is to feel comfortable at school, but it is hard to be comfortable and focused when the temperature is uncontrolled. In the old part of the school, the temperature is scorching hot in the beginning of the school year and freezing in the winter. When the school is hot, rooms smell like seventh grade boys who just came from gym class. During the winter, rooms are so cold that students have to wear coats in some of the classrooms because the heater is not working properly. It is hard for students to learn when they are shivering and their hands are so numb that they cannot feel their pencils. Air conditioning and a good heating system in our school would help staff and students stay comfortable, making it easier for us to learn.
To sum it all up, Mountain Lake Public School is a safe environment for students and staff, but there is always room for improvement. Mountain Lake Public School is like a second home to me, and I want other students to feel like it is a place of comfort and safety by upgrading our school a little more. All in all, shaping these three areas in the school would better help our students, our staff, and our learning abilities.