When my mom was a senior in high school, she enjoyed every minute of it. She knew that her senior year was her last chance to make unforgettable memories. She wanted to remember all of the memories she had already made in her high school and with her classmates before she soon went off to college by herself. I wish I could feel more like my mom at the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a senior; there are advantages. However, I think that I could be having a more enjoyable last year of high school. Instead, I’m just happy to finally be getting out in time before more rules and ridiculous policies are put in to place. I’m not going to complain about why the school isn’t like it used to be. I’m just wondering why some students feel the same way as me, and why all of these new rules are suddenly coming into place. Did we, the students, do something wrong? Did we not behave the way a proper high school student should? I know there are exceptions, but for the most of us, I believe that we’ve been an enjoyable class for teachers. During the assembly for seniors, Principal Michael McGrory said, “I respect the students.” It’s wonderful that he said that, but he doesn’t treat us that way. I realize that being a senior, I will soon graduate and not have to come back. So why do I even care about what happens to this school in the future? My little brother is a freshman, and I want his high school experience to be the best he can get. So far, he’s entered a school where he is being treated no differently than how he was in middle school. How will he grow and learn? How will he prepare himself for college? At our school, it seems like students become very upset and offended by some of these new rules. However, most decide not to do anything about it. I want people to know that you can make a difference on how this school operates. There are approximately 1,600 students here – it’s not impossible for us to have opinions or take a stand for what we want or believe. In the future, don’t be afraid to write an editorial to the paper or start a petition, or talk to an advisor to get questions answered. Don’t just adjust to how things are made. To get my questions answered, I went to associate principal Dr. Michael Avise. I asked him his opinions of Ames High, and how he felt students were being treated. He agreed that rules could be better enforced and focused as their supposed to be, but it’s difficult to get them followed as they should. He recognizes the pattern of students being upset, but he knows that students adjust in the end. He doesn’t think the new cafeteria rules or the computer rules are a big deal because he knows students will either find a way to get around them or just simply adjust to them. Right now, the seniors are being faced with changes of traditions. Not only are they adding more school days, but they’re changing a part of our graduation ceremony. I can deal with the extra days of school. I understand that counting is a difficult thing – I didn’t expect the administration to get it correct on the first try. However, I’ve been thinking about commencement since I was a freshman. I’ve been so excited to share the moment with my best friend, but now the administration wants to change that. I understand that it’s probably a lot of work to pair everybody up like they have in the past, but I’m sure students wouldn’t mind helping. Students would have been happy to form a committee. Commencement is for the seniors, and it seems that they’re making everything easier and better for the administration and the parents. It’s our graduation, not anybody else’s. Also, walking by ourselves is not going to clear up any awkwardness; if anything, it will cause more. I just hope the administration becomes less lazy or starts thinking of better alternates rather than changing tradition on us at the last minute. I hope the administraion will listen to the students for this issue, and understand how big of a deal this is to us. If you search ‘unnecessary rules for students’ on Google.com, the first result will be an article from the Des Moines Register; in which Ames Schools are mentioned several times. In this article, it’s stated that if youth are pushed with rules to conform, then they will struggle later on in life with creativeness and critical thinking. If high school is supposed to prepare us for college and life, where does the rule “no checking e-mail” or “no walking in the halls without a pass” come into place? I hope, when I’m at college next year, that I have enough freedom to express my individuality.