A Student's Review of Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio

To really understand the workings behind an entire school district would force me to delve into the innards of bureaucracy, but the information put forth here should allow anyone to make a fairly educated judgment of this school. The choices in classes and teacher quality are both above average in this school. The neighborhood is relatively crime free and quiet, yet there is an unsettling quality of the unblemished face that the district allows the school to hold.

My junior year in Lakota West was a tremendous learning experience. My education consisted not so much of the traditional "book" subjects, but more of witnessing power struggles, dissatisfied rants, and little-known facts. Most of the information presented in this article comes from teachers themselves (who will remain anonymous). The students who walked through the hallways had no idea what was going on in the administrative office.

Assistant principals in this school changed regularly while the actual principal himself put on an air of sanctimonious amiability. His face caused many teachers to cringe at the thought of the loopholes he exploited and the hoops he jumped through. The most memorable mention of his prowess as the head of a student body made up of more than 1,000 teenagers was when, confronted with a question about cheating, he replied "I don't care what you do, just make it go away."

This not only makes me question the integrity of the man, it forces people to question the integrity of the structure he commands. The drop-outs are rumored to be marked off as students that moved away, and students who should be suspended for recklessness (IE being intoxicated at prom and resisting arrest) are given an alternate punishment known as ISS. In-school suspension may be seen as more of a punishment, however, such as the case here, students are merely put in one classroom for some of the normal school day and held a little bit after and given busy work. These kids, who were drunk and absolutely unfit to personally walk and graduate with the rest of their class (known as "walking") are allowed to stride with confidence at the graduation ceremony and yet those who cannot afford to rent the cap and gown or pay the $10 fee for an art class are barred from attending the gala or graduate respectively.

These things forced me to look beyond the majesty of my ex-school district and shake my head in despair at what will happen next. Most of the veteran teachers are leaving after complaining time and again of the lack of discipline of each incoming sophomore class (the building only has 10-12 grades). All of the new ones that replace them look like they themselves belong in the desks in the rooms. Some of them wear stiletto shoes and seem as if they are violating some part of the dress code. Others are allowed to hang up posters of Bob Marley and Led Zeppelin in their rooms.

Maybe they are nice, interesting, and friendly people, but I want to go to a school that has teachers that are known for their expansive knowledge, not their love for marijuana or the Bengals. It could be just me, though.