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In Praise of The Polaris
By Polaris Staff | June 11, 2007
In a world where students are told when to show up, what to read, and how to learn, it is necessary that those same students also be provided an outlet to share those events, thoughts, and revelations with their peers. The Polaris provides such an opportunity while simultaneously serving as a “meeting place” for students where they can advertise functions happening on campus, sound off about changes they wish to be made here at North, and praise those teachers and programs that have substantial meaning to all of the North Seattle community. Considering we do not yet have a student center, this last function is valuable and greatly needed.
I enjoy hearing about what is happening on the campus. Clubs, meetings, committees, events that the staff, faculty, and students here at North spend hours planning are often not well-attended. The removal of an announcement system such as a school newspaper exacerbates this problem, making student participation and interaction with faculty and staff outside of a classroom setting close to impossible. The staff in Student Services works incredibly hard to plan events, ensure the venues are reserved, set up chairs, pop popcorn, close the walls to the Baxter Events Center, make screensavers, post signs all over campus, and being able to advertise the event is an integral part of the event’s success. Imagine all of the time, hard work, and effort essentially wasted because the community at North did not know the event was taking place, or what the event was about.
The Polaris has also helped to dispel myths and clear up untruths on campus. Their journalism informed us of criminal activity on campus while comforting us with the knowledge that Jeff Caldwell and his security team had everything under control. They allowed the teachers to speak out when they were doing their “brown bag” protest to show that part-time employees are not able to afford lunch in the cafeteria. And they have helped Phi Theta Kappa to be known on our campus as the largest International Honor Society in the world as opposed to a sorority.
I, as a member of Phi Theta Kappa and an International Officer, see the value and benefit of having a school-wide medium to relay information. I am grateful to The Polaris for their support of our activities and events and praise the newspaper for publishing things that are sometimes unpopular. I also appreciate hearing things about how wonderful our campus and our community are, and enjoy dissecting articles, looking at drawings and photographs, and reading the poetry written by my peers. I wish the paper success because I know that every edition of the Polaris is an important addition to our campus.
Topics: Editorial |