OPINION By Alexi Allen & Maren McNees

At the close of the Simon Estes assembly on October 28, AHS vice principal Matt  Alexander addressed the student body about their behavior during the assembly. He said students’ actions were both disappointing and embarrassing. While the AHSneedle staff does not condone rude behavior to AHS guests and speakers, we feel several factors contributed to a less-than-ideal situation.

The first factor that may have contributed to misbehavior is that the majority of the student body did not sit with their sixth-period class. Math teacher Jessica Humpfer said, “I did not sit with my sixth-period class, as there was no direction given to the teachers.” Two-thirds of the teachers who responded to questions from AHSneedle said they did not sit with their class. Principal Heather McKay said that the teachers should always be aware that they are to sit with their students during an assembly, as it states in the teacher handbook.

A second factor contributing to the misbehavior may be that the audience was either misinformed or unprepared for the assembly.  Karen Vogl, a teacher at the CCEOC, said, “I heard (Estes)was going to provide a motivational speech and maybe sing to the group.” The e-mails the student body received regarding the assembly were contradicting. One e-mail said it would be a concert, and another referred to it as an assembly. Many students didn’t know any background information about the speaker or his message.

If students are informed and prepared for the content and expectations of an assembly, there is a better chance for the students to behave respectfully. Regarding assembly behavior, the student handbook says:

“Enter the auditorium with an attitude of respect. Enter quietly, do not yell to friends, and go directly to your seats. Give your attention to the speaker of the performing group on the stage. Those on stage are guests and to be treated with courtesy. The impression that a speaker or performing group has of Atlantic High School students will be expressed in many places. Sincere applause is the best way to express appreciation to the performers. Do not talk to others while a speaker is talking or when someone is performing.”

Ideally, students should behave in a respectful manner even if they aren’t fully educated about what is being presented or do not have strong interest in the content presented. The speaker was a 75-year-old opera singer, which may not appeal to all high schoolers. However, this does not give students a reason to act disrespectfully. Simon Etese had many points to his speech, and most people took something different from it. Math teacher Kathy Bradfield said that she received the message, “If you work hard….it is possible to achieve anything!” Freshman English teacher Elizabeth Huggins had the perspective that “Perseverance and trust can result in a wonderful life; bitterness and hate can prevent this result. Trust your teachers because they care about you.”

We understand that teachers carry a lot of weight on their shoulders and are responsible for a vast amount of things. However, we believe that the teachers did not play their part in stopping the behaviors that occurred at the assembly. Twelve of the seventeen teachers who responded to our survey said they addressed misbehaviors ranging from talking to sleeping. However, when asked if he thought teachers played their part in addressing misbehavior, Alexander said, “Honestly, no. I think that in some parts of the room staff members could have done a little more. I know a lot of the teachers were paying attention to the speaker, but it is their responsibility to do both.”

There was disrespectful behavior, but many students felt that the reaction of Alexander may have crossed the line, since not all teachers played their role is stopping this behavior. Alexander stated, “(Students’ actions) started off as high school behavior, but once the side conversations got loud, it became disrespectful behavior.”

Sometimes assemblies may not be interesting coming from a student’s standpoint, and we may not always find certain things as interesting as someone else does.  Even if students did not find the assembly beneficial or interesting we still need to be respectful towards the presenter. Weights teacher Nick Ross said, “Students should realize that not everything they do, or are a part of in life, will be fun, entertaining, and enjoyable. If they approach these things with a negative attitude and inappropriate behavior, failure will follow.”

Furthermore, many individuals believe that the behavior of the students at the Simon Estes assembly was inappropriate and unnecessary. It is expected by administration and teachers that students should behave in an appropriate manner no matter what the assembly entails. Although the students are taking the blame for this, teachers need to know that it isn’t all the students’ fault either. Teachers should sit with their classes. The audience should be well prepared for the content and purpose of all assemblies. If proper guidelines are followed, we can all work together to have successful behavior at assemblies at AHS.