New attendance poli-
ctes baffle students
Emily Keith
Reporter
Yet again the Grimsley ad
ministration is attempting to sing
the students of Grimsley asleep
with the new attendance policy.
Over the summer 1 heard a
rumor that there would be no
limit to the numbers of absences
a student could have. “Great” 1
thought. No more sprints back
and forth from the Student
Health Care Center to explain
my 10.2 absences.
1 ran an errand for a teacher
of mine the other day and was
completely floored by the num
ber of students that were just
aimlessly walking the hall in
search of an absence note. It’s
ridiculous. Let’s say a student
skips Algebra, no reason, just
skips. This charming individual
then reports to Algebra the next
day (without a note, obviously)
he or she is then excused from
the class to go and “find a note.”
1 find that absolutely intolerable.
Hypothetically speaking one
could be “finding a note” all
year. Given, skipping is wrong
and always will be, but this year
if a student skips he or she gets
a bonus. Just let the students into
class. If it gets out of hand, take
action.
It was brought to my atten
tion that the tardy policy has
gone a little haywire this year. I
decided to venture out in too
early lunch to find out what
some students had to say. Dylan
Thurston, a junior, says,
“After flooring it from Weaver
to first period, I was counted
tardy. I think that’s bologna!”
All this makes me wonder that
if a student is going to be tardy
why don’t they just skip. . . it
would mean another day with
out class and the consequences
are practically the same.
Many policies at Grimsley
are very hard to regulate and al
ter, many things are wrong
with Grimsley that are prob
ably wrong with most high
schools, I do not see the atten
dance policy as something that
can really respected or even
taken seriously. There are so
many other serious problems at
Grimsley that really could ben
efit from some of the wasted
energy that is being pumped
into the attendance and tardy
policies. Unfortunately, all
these problems will have to
wait until attendance and
tardies become legitimate poli
cies and not diehard issues.
Vandalism violates
sanctity of school family
Nikia Jones
Reporter
Some students feel as if the
whole student body is one big
‘family’, and this just happens
to be the feeling shared among
many Grimsley students. Can
you imagine how it would feel
to be betrayed by a member of
your own ‘family’, to know
that someone you trusted went
behind your back and took
something not rightfully his?
There is always one who
has to endure the loss and one
who gloats over his new trea
sure. To realize an item of
value was taken by a member
of your own family brings pain
and frustration, and a feeling
of strong disloyalty. One com
mon question which has arisen
in all of our minds at one time
or another is, “How could you
do this to me?”
Several cars in the
Grimsley student parking lot
have been broken into and
items of value stolen. Not only
is this action not right, but is
also mean and disgusting.
People are violating the rights
of others by destroying prop
erty that doesn’t belong to
them, illustrating that they
have no self-respect for them
selves. Not to mention, there
is obviously no self-respect for
the people whose property
they carelessly wreck.
Many students, teachers
and parents, feel we should not
have to keep items hid that are
left in our property. Why
should someone have to hide
a phone, for instance, in order
to talk on it tomorrow? Why
should a person have to put a
jacket in the trunk in order to
wear it the next day? How
ever, taking items such as
these are not the same as tak
ing or borrowing a pencil and
never returning it. More
money is put into the purchase
of a phone or jacket, than in a
pencil. In the past, a person
did not have to hide his be
longings. If he left them in his
car or house, the item belongs
to him, and only him, and
people know it is not right to
take it. Now, unfortunately...
to keep an item you bought
with your own money, you
have to “lock it up” for it to
remain in your possession.
That’s a shame.
Over the past few weeks,
many GHS students have been
upset due to the senseless theft
occurring in the parking lot.
These happenings are becom
ing even more frequent. Ac
tions are being taken to secure
the premises to make students
and faculty feel safer, but still,
these senseless people need to
understand school is not the
place for this ignorant “vio
lence.” School is a place for
learning, a place for acquiring
knowledge. GHS is not a play
ground for ruthless people to
swindle others’ things.
Maybe people steal be
cause they are not fortunate
enough to possess what others
may have. As long as they get
what they want, whether it be
to keep or to sell, they never
stop to think of the anguish
they are causing others. Why
do these destructive students
take out their frustrations and
wants on other people’s prop
erty? Why not earn or even
ask for what you may want in
stead of stealing for self-satis
faction? Only those senseless
people committing these acts
can possibly and truthfully an
swer these questions.
Look in bleachers for evidence of separatism
. _ tuallv would hannen! When we ntAn fr\7ir\fT fn L'ill J-: .
AlecFeiTell
Reporter
Look in the stands at any foot
ball game. Look in the seats
around }'ou in an all-school assem
bly. One look in the cafeteria.
Even look at the entire school
while we were all huddled to
gether in tlie stadium during tire
bomb tlareat. All it takes is one
glance to see the painful degree
of segregation between blacks and
whites in Grimsley High School.
It struck me hard at the
Grimsley/Page football game.
There we were, die majority of our
school’s population all banded
together for one reason: to stomp
the bejeezus out of the Pirates.
And it seemed that this year it ac
tually would happen! When we
scored those two early touch
downs, and eveiy-one was going
crazy - man, I had no idea I could
get that stirred up from a football
game! Then, I took a quick look
aroimd our side of the stadium. On
die far side, nearest to the field
house, I saw 99% African-Ameri
can faces. Then I looked where I
was standing, and at those around
me, and I saw almost 100% white
faces. Then I looked at our side,
near the scoreboard, and saw all
the freshmen. Each of the fresh
men had branched off into sepa
rate racial groups. I had no idea
what to do. What could I do? It
seemed that the only place where
there was racial equality was on
the football field, where young
Volume 72 Issue 2
The High Life Staff welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor from
students, faculty ana the reading public. Letters may be turned m to me office, /hii
letters must be signed. The staff reserves the right to reject anv letter containing
libelous statements, the right to edit for length and grammatical errors, and the
right to ascertain the truthfulness of its content. The High Life is published eight
times a year and is produced by the students of Grimsley High School, 801 Westover
Terrace, Greensboro, NC 27408. The High Life functions as a medium for creative
journalistic pursuits as well as a training instrument for aspiring journalists, artists,
and writers.The High Life functions as a public forum for student expression.
Editor in chief: Michael Shuman, Editorial Editor: Brendan Farran, News
Editor: Sarah Pendergraft, Feature Editors: Stephanie Dorko, Rachel Green,
and Erin Murphy, Sports Editor: Ben Blackwood, Advertising Managers:
Jennifer Allen and Julie Samet, Photographer: Lee Avent, Staff Writers: Sarah
Atkinson, Ted Chen, Alec Ferrell, Simon Newman, Ethan Pell, Brian Schiller,
Reporters: Danielle Alford, Lee Avent, Peter Baggish, William Blount, Nikia
Jones, Emily Keith, Gracie Morton,Mark Robinson, Mary Kathryn Ross, and
Anna West, Adviser: Linda Kidd.
men were ttying to kill each other.
I asked my friend David
Hyman, student body Vice-Presi
dent, what was going on; what was
tlie cause of this segregation? He
replied in question: “Isn’t this
what we have tried to get rid of
for the past 400 years or so?
Whaf s up with tliat? Why are we
doing this to ourselves?” Why are
M’e doing this to ourselves?
The case of Plessv vs.
Ferguson established a system in
America of separate-but-equal
public service for blacks and
whites. It mandated bathrooms,
water fountains, theaters, public
transportation; yet the black facili
ties were sub-standard - separate-
but-equal never existed. Brown
vs. Tire Board of Education ruled
that separate-but-equal was ille
gal, and blacks and whites would
have the exact same everything -
segregation was now illegal. Ob
viously, it was never made clear.
I will attempt to clear tins up right
now: segregation is illegal. There
fore, we are all under arrest.
Apparently, some African-
/viueiicaii students claimed that if
they were to go and si! with the
white people that night at the
game, then they would be “untrae”
to their race. How can that possi
bly make someone “rmtrue”? Isn’t
that person still African-Ameri
can? Wasn’t that person BORN
that way? Aren’t tliey always go
ing to STAY that way? Whaf s so
wrong about sitting witlr someone
who wasn’t bom exactly like
them? The world is occupied by
human beings ofhimdreds of dif
ferent races, creeds, backgrounds
and colors, and never has tliere
ever been and example of sponta
neous race-changing. The only
way tliat a black person sitting
with a white person at a football
game is untrae to a race is to tire
human race.
Then I w'ondered why the
white students would not sit with
the black students. I asked many
white students around me why
they wouldn’t sit with the blacks.
The general consensus was basi
cally that “they don’t know any
of tliem.” I wonder why?
How can one possibly get to
know another if neither of them
ever introduce themselves. Sure,
we are high school students and
we might naturally feel uncom
fortable going up to everyone,
shaking their hands, saying “Hi!
I’m a Caucasian male and I de
nounce segregation!” or “Hey, I
can talk to you even though you
look different than me; I sure am
open minded!” It is not about try
ing to completely abolish the natu
ral fact that people of these two
.different races haven’t always got
ten along. It is about learning to
live together with otherpeople on
this small, blue planet. And if we
can’t get that right during a three
hour, high school football game,
how can we possibly expect to live
togetlier in the real world?
During the bomb threat on Oc
tober 12, the entire student body
was forced to be togetlrer inthe sta
dium, for the fact that our lives
may have been in danger. Even
under circumstances such as
those, segregation was still in its
full effect. Even when there was a
chance, however slim, of us all
being killed by a bomb which
someone of extreme cowardice
supposedly planted, black and
white people still did not treat each
other as equals! Or maybe we did!
Maybe we sit away from each
other because we respect each oth
ers’ privacy, and just don’t want
to disturb them in a time of crisis.
Or maybe we just don’t want to
sit with each other. I sincerely
doubt it.
What the hell is wrong with us?
Why can’t we get this right yet?
A crappy little football game, and
we won’t naturally just go and sit
down beside someone who is
black, or white. I don’t think it is
a question of won’t, it is a ques
tion of can’t. In the October of
1995, it is unnatural for black and
white people to sit together. There
are no excuses for that. The only
way tliat we can end the conflict,
apparent or not, between the races
in this high school, in tliis coun
try and for the world, is through
peace, love, and understanding.
There is nothing funny about that;
It has to be done. However, the
future is looking a bit brighter.
Through such events as the Mil
lion Man March, the conference
at the United Nations, the assist
ing of war-tom foreign nations
and other instances of man-help-
ing-man, a future of racial har
mony and equality may not be so
far away.
But first, we have to learn to
sit together.