I hate advice columns. I think they are stupid. I cringe when I read them. Seriously, why should I listen to some random writer try to fix life’s problems who probably has more problems than their readers?

Advice columns come off as self-righteous and pompous, and they generally can be written by anyone. Which is why – you guessed it! – I am a perfect fit.

I have plenty of my own problems: I am very easily distracted; I can’t function without eating in the morning; I tend to kill a lot of jokes; some say I look like Joe Camel.

Here are my final thoughts as a Staples student as to what can make a great school even greater.

1. Bring power back to the students
Staples is special in that it gives students a considerable amount of independence, compared to other high schools in the U.S. From generally unrestricted free periods, to Student Assembly, to Arena (Oh, wait!), Staples clearly trusts its students. This creates a collaborative environment between students, the school, and teachers. Recently, however, this trust has been lessened.

Between cutting Arena and limiting off-campus visits, the school has taken power away from students, which in turn will only create more tension between the administration and students. While it can easily be argued that Arena was an outdated program, it was unique to Staples and a tradition that made the school distinct from its peers. I don’t expect Staples to bring back Arena, but it has to take steps to give students more independence.

The “closed campus” policy is a stupid one because no one respects it. Even with new restrictions, students are still smart enough to get around it and make a Robek’s run in the middle of a free period. The solution: make Staples an open campus. The same people will still be leaving school at the same time, but this policy gives students the proper independence to make decisions and smart choices.

2. Improve the AP system
I stirred up some controversy this year when I wrote a column saying that AP classes should be ditched at Staples. I can now admit that such an approach may be too unrealistic and perhaps unnecessary.

With that said, Advanced Placement classes at Staples still need to be altered to provide a better learning environment. I know that some steps have already been taken, but I think all AP teachers should take a “test-secondary” approach.

In other words, more focus should be given to real learning and less focus should be dedicated to teaching to the tests. Most students will get a 3, 4, or 5 anyway, and I maintain that teaching to a test gives AP students sub-par college preparation.

3. No More “Learning Commons”
I’m not really sure if this is the right context to put this mini-rant in, but I am going to do it anyway. The library has to take itself less seriously. Over my four years at Staples, the library has transformed from the library (Okay, I can deal with that) to the Library Media Center (Still makes sense, I guess) to the Library Learning Commons (What?). Memo to the librarians: No one knows what that means!

Those who work in the library take the rules so seriously that they have effectively made the “Commons” an intimidating place to learn. I do not doubt that the librarians at Staples are incredibly nice passionate people, but I am strongly questioning the new atmosphere in the LLC (That’s what it’s called, right?).

I’ve been kicked out of the library three times this year—once for doodling, once for laughing, and once for texting, during last period. It’s a joke. I should be allowed to doodle if I want to as long as I’m not disturbing anyone. I should be allowed to laugh if someone makes a joke. And I should definitely be able to send out a text during last period, when there are literally 10 people in the library, all of whom are probably texting themselves.

4. More school-sponsored activities
The Staples community is a great one, but we do not have enough school-sponsored community activities. The ones we do plan always seem to work (dodgeball!), and I believe that more of these types of fun activities could really benefit the school as a whole.

Maybe we can organize a school-wide community service trip, or maybe a Staples “American Idol?” I don’t know—these are things that should be easy to accomplish and can only add to the school. Just no homecoming dance, please.