Dear Editor,
I wanted to bring your attention to an issue I have been seeing throughout my career here at NDA. As a senior, there have been multiple instances where an assignment required a paper copy to be printed out, and a printer was needed. We currently only have one printer available to students in the library, and that is leading to long lines building up and a substantial amount of time wasted because of the lack of resources.
I appreciate very much that there is a printer available for students to use, but I encourage adding more than one to help avoid these problems in the future.
Sincerely,
Dom D’Angelo, senior
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Dear Editor:
As a student here at Notre Dame Academy, I have experienced many lunches. During lunch, students including myself often feel tired and would like to have a boost of energy to help us get through our afternoon classes. The addition of the Coffee Bar before school has proven to be a great success amongst students and staff at NDA as a way to get their minds working early in the morning.
I would like to propose the idea of opening the Coffee Bar during lunch, so that students and staff members can enjoy the thick foamy beverage, with the help of some caffeine to get their body ready for a few more hours of work. I appreciate all the staff members at NDA who helped in the creation of the Coffee Bar, and I believe it can become an even greater success by opening it during lunch.
Sincerely,
Andreas Schweiner, junior
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Dear Editor:
No-Tech Tuesday was a great idea for disconnecting students from using tech all the time, but we could benefit from the teachers participating as well. As a student, my classes weren’t that different without my computer. We spent the whole class time staring at a projection screen.
No-Tech Tuesday should include all tech, including projectors, with the exception of using your computer for attendance. This could be a great opportunity for teachers and students to try out some new learning techniques and take a break from the screens. Please consider this if we ever try No-Tech Tuesday again.
Sincerely,
Reagan Larson, sophomore
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Dear Editor:
As a fellow blond and short hair enthusiast, I can say that the sports haircut tradition at Notre Dame Academy is the craziest and ugliest thing I have ever seen. Sure, it’s tradition and fun for the boys, but most of them can not pull off blond hair. Plus their heads look like eggs or wispy tennis balls. Something I believe is a step up from the buzz cuts is when the boys only dye their hair. It does not always look terrible if they pick out the right shade because most of the time their hair is bright yellow. The Hockey and Football boys should think about their poor girlfriends before they butcher their hair in such crazy ways.
That all being said, the boys don’t have a lot of opportunities and options for their hair, so maybe it’s good that they can express themselves in fun and silly ways with hair dye and bald heads. Hair does grow back, no?
With passion,
Name Withheld Upon Request
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Dear Editor,
NDA has many traditions, but I feel one of the most school-wide enjoyed traditions is the state- bound sport players having fun haircuts to celebrate. I think that when people do this it brings more school pride and enjoyment to the games they play, especially when the whole team has bleached or buzzed hair, and it makes them feel more connected.
When the players get these haircuts, you can see in school people looking at them and getting to talking more about NDA sports. I think NDA staff should be supportive of the tradition instead of trying to get them in trouble or embarrassing them.
Sincerely,
Julia Jenquin, sophomore
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Dear Editor:
As a senior at NDA, I have seen the Academy Awards for many years. Right now, NDA is starting to organize this year’s Academy Awards and has voted and selected this year’s 15 contestants. Having seen the Academy Awards throughout the year, I’m overjoyed to see another.I have always loved the special effects and acts. The shows seem to get better and better with each year and the students show off their creativity.
I especially want to highlight those who work at the event. The sound and special effects had to time everything perfectly. For those who judge, I don’t always agree with their final decision, but I trust they consider everything and make a fair judgment. It’s always a joy to see freshmen and sophomores participating in a special and fun time for their upperclassmen. All the organizing and practicing don’t go unnoticed and make the show all that much better.
Sincerely,
Ally Paprocki, senior
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Dear Editor:
I’m a student at Notre Dame and have experienced many Walk of Champions. When they walk down the halls first period, it sets the day off well, and I think it’s a good way to celebrate the individuals or teams that make it to state. With the band in front of the athletes, it brings a sense of school spirit for the whole day. It’s also a great way for the band to show off and show everyone how they can play.
I appreciate the Walk of Champions to set the tone for the day. When you’re in the first period, you’re still waking up, and anything can determine your day. When it starts with the band playing and everyone clapping to the fight song, you’re happy for the rest of the day. I would never want Notre Dame to stop this tradition because it just has a certain energy.
Sincerely,
Molly Jenquin, sophomore
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Dear Editor:
As a freshman here at NDA, I was fortunate enough to know what Phone-a-Thon was due to Mrs. Brown being one of my teachers. Many freshmen did not know Phone-a-Thon was going on, let alone a thing. Even some upperclassmen were confused when asked about it.
For Phone-a-Thon being a top contender for NDA’s donations nobody seems to know what it is. The school should make it more known and teachers should provide extra credit for those who attend. It would also be beneficial if students knew it counted for service hours. Phone-a-Thon went on during a heavily filled season of sports which made it hard for those to attend. To make it known sooner, before it comes around, will provide the donation event with more volunteers.
Sincerely,
Payton LaViolette, freshman
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Dear Editor:
As a student of three years here at NDA, I have experienced the rules firsthand. One of the rules has been that you can not eat food in class. Having to experience this rule has not been pleasant because as a teenager, and I can speak for other teenage students too, I become quite hungry during the school day– even after having a fulfilling breakfast. Eating small portions every 2-3 hours is said to be a better nutritional diet than large portions every 5 hours. Also, some students don’t eat much at all before school and a supplement during the morning/day would benefit greatly. So I encourage the school to adjust those rules so students can not go hungry during the day and benefit more from being able to eat. If messes and infestations are the concern for food in classes, then a solution should be for students to clean all and any messes. If that is not met then, just like at lunch, they have to stay back to clean. If the mess is not cleaned up and they don’t come back, then carrying it out like any other punishment is justifiable.
Sincerely,
Ryker Thomas, junior
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Dear Editor,
As a student in the track and field program at Notre Dame, I have some praise to give. The coaches have always made every effort to make everyone included and make them try their best. The brand-new additions to the throwing slabs that were just installed last year were a great addition to the program. Throwers are often forgotten about, but we have some of the best throwing coaches in the state. Coach Peirce and Coach Flanigan are both excellent teachers of the skills they possess.
I joined the team not very interested in running but more in the field events and have found a love for throwing. The thing I love most about the track program is that the whole team is like a big family. At practice, we start as a big group and then split off, but everyone always cheers when someone gets a new personal best.
Sincerely,
Ryah Wasilkof, sophomore
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Dear Editor:
As a football and baseball player here at NDA, I encourage the school to redo the football field and put turf in our baseball field. Right now on our football field, our turf is molding, shrinking, as well as fading color. On the baseball field, on the infield dirt there are multiple divots, and the outfield grass is uneven with small hills.
If we turf the baseball field, it will no longer require high maintenance such as watering the dirt, cutting the grass, and chalking the base paths.
Sincerely,
Nick Felker
