Henry Clay could become a more pleasant experience...

I'm not going to sugarcoat this in anyway: I'm not a fan of Henry Clay High School. The school shouldn't take it personally, though, because I'm not a fan of the high school experience in general. Do I love to learn? Absolutely. Do I enjoy learning from a high school? Hardly. To me, high school might as well be a prison sentence. But hey, it's better to make the most with what you have. However, if I were able to implement some select changes to Henry Clay, they would be as follows:

1.) Reduction of the school's population: This is perhaps the source of all the other problems that harm this school. For one, the large population causes a congestion in the hallways. This itself causes many problems. For students that have to travel from one end to the opposite end, this may result in a tardy during particularly congested periods. Also, there's a greater chance of injury from shoving. Additionally, the school's population problem causes an issue with parking. This is especially frustrating for Junior drivers who must wake up early in the morning just to secure one of the makeshift parking lots along the side roads.

2.) A crackdown on student smoking: There is no greater displeasure than having to use a high school bathroom. Like many public restrooms they are often filthy and teeming with bacteria. However, unlike most other restrooms, they are also filled with a thick haze of smoke. At times the smoke is so thick that it causes my eyes to water. And perhaps the worst part about this smoking problem is that the kids who do it have no shame or fear. They openly smoke in the bathroom with little apprehension about being caught. This needs to change so that we can have a better, cleaner school environment.

3.) A change in the way AP classes are taught. I believe Ryan touched on this earlier, but AP classes are about showing college aptitude. And most university classes are taught in such a way that the responsibility of learning the material is on the student. There are no handouts, no projects, no busy work. No, instead there are just notes and the teacher's lectures. By changing the structure of all Henry Clay's AP classes in order to be more similar to college courses, we will be better prepared when we leave high school.