As we all know several times a year the school holds rallies and assemblies along with closed campus. However, most students do not have positive feelings about them.
A lot of the time rallies and such are mandatory. Teachers personally walk the students to the rallies so that students will not leave campus just to avoid the rally. Every once in a while the school holds events such as The Fall Harvest or The HOCO Rally, and because of these events they close the campus for lunch, bring food trucks, and serve food for the students. The clubs sometimes serve food as well. However, the food is not free like the normal school lunch. Students have to pay at the food trucks and the clubs to get food even though they can just go off campus and get the same thing at a lower price.
The rallies often interrupt the normal school schedule. While these rallies are intended to increase school spirit or give information to the students, it takes away valuable class time. The interruption could possibly affect the learning process. It also leaves less time to cover the important material that the students need to learn. For me, it makes me feel like I have less time to do assignments in class. This makes in-class assignments turn into homework which leads to more stress on me, which makes me unable to concentrate. Some other students I know also feel this way.
Mandatory participation can lead to feelings of resentment among students. Not everyone feels comfortable or even interested in attending the assemblies. Yet at times, they are required to attend. This can create a sense of frustration and disengagement in students. From personal experience, I feel annoyed and uninterested in the assemblies. Some staff often get upset at the students’ disengagement. But isn’t it reasonable when you’re forced to listen and watch something you really didn’t want to watch or hear? Many students often dislike the assemblies and ditch them because of this reason.
Closed campuses limit students’ freedom. Being unable to leave the school grounds during break can be annoying and infuriating for students who like to go off campus and enjoy their lunch break freedom. The restriction could also possibly lead to stress since students may feel confined in the school. This can cause social anxiety a lot in students. The school contains many students. So many students on one campus at the same time is a huge crowd. Especially if they’re all in one area. The environment feels overly controlled whenever these events happen. For me, my anxiety spikes due to how many people there are and how close they are. I know that I am not alone in this feeling.
However, these mandatory rallies, assemblies, and closed campuses can be good as well. It can promote school spirit and bring a sense of belonging to the students. It can make them feel engaged and informed. Closed campuses can enhance safety by monitoring the students by who leaves and enters. It encourages students to explore clubs and activities that might be overlooked. However, my point still stands. The assemblies and rallies should be optional rather than mandatory. Not many students like the idea of having to sit on the bleachers for an hour or more. It is the same thing with closed campus. Many students dislike the idea of not being able to leave campus. There should be no closed campuses whenever there’s a small event.
