The Absurdity of our School

Lately, I have begun to feel quite suffocated by the way our school is run. I believe that we students, especially seniors, deserve much more freedom than we that amount what are allowed. For example, today during commons, I was studying for a test which happened to be the following period. I realized that I did not have the necessary book, so I quickly left the cafeteria in a swift power-walk to my locker in order to save as much time as possible. However, behind me, I heard Mrs. E yelling "JAAAACKIE, JAAAACKIE". I knew right away that she was talking to me because she never has been able to tell us apart. Each time she sees either one of us, we are both referred to as "Jackie". I

guess this method of attempting to tell us apart is easier than the Meghan or Jackie guessing game? Although it was probably disrespectful of me to continue walking down the hallway, I was, after all, in a very big hurry to get to my locker. She finally caught on and realized that my name is Meghan and said, "Oh. Meghan, Im sorry honey, but you cannot leave without a hall pass". Inside, I was screaming. First of all, I have never in my 3.75 years at CFHS have been stopped in the hallway for not carrying a pass. Second, I am almost eighteen years old. Why can't I not be trusted to walk about 100 feet down the hallway to my locker? She then forced me back into the commons and made me wait for the bell to ring in ten minutes. I did not have the time nor patience to obey this rule, so I quickly went to the bathroom in order for her to wait to turn her back. Once she turned her back, I took off running and reached my locker in about thirty seconds without her noticing me.

Looking back on that moment, I laugh thinking about how sneaky I had to be in order to enable myself to study for a difficult upcoming test. It makes me realize how little trust most of the administrators have in the students. Does anybody feel the same way?

My Inspiration

With lacrosse pre-season already in full-swing, I can hardly contain my excitement for the first game and the rest of the season. Our favorite assistant coach from last year, K.C White is now our head coach. She brought with her Coach Gus, a new, odd, yet energetic and optimistic assistant varsity coach. Beginning monday, their coaching quote for the week is "pain is fear leaving the body". This quote exemplifies our grueling conditioning and muscle soreness as a result of our hard work. However, none of us have experienced as much pain and setbacks as Coach White.

She was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF),an inherited disease that causes thick, sticky mucous to build up in the lungs and digestive tract. It is one of the most common chronic lung diseases in children and young adults, and may result in early death. This mucous builds up in the breathing passages of the lungs and in the pancreas, the organ that helps break down and absorb food. This collection of sticky mucous results in life-threatening lung infections and serious digestion problems. Millions of Americans carry the defective gene but do not have any symptoms, It is the most common, deadly, inherited disorder affecting caucasians in the United States.

Each day, Coach White spends about three hours on a machine which vibrates her lungs to loosen up the mucous build-up. She lives a life of uncertainty, not knowing when there will be a cure, or how much longer she has to live. Her positive outlook on life has really impacted me. She really puts life in perspective for me, because I often take my life for granted and fail to realize how lucky I am to be healthy.