Roseville Area High School throughout its 2022-2023 school year has gone through many changes for the purpose of bettering the school environment. Students’ opinions on these changes differ as we approach the end of the school year.  

Sam Mermelstein, a 10th grader at RAHS, values the community of supportive teachers and students. However, she really dislikes how common fights in the hallways have become. 

Although the administration instituted a new rule against recording fights (one with significantly harsher punishments for those caught videotaping), fights have become no less severe or prevalent. Mermelstein commented that because they are so common, she thinks the “worst part about RAHS is all the fights.”

Another common sentiment amongst students is a dislike for learning sweeps. This is when administrators will choose an hour of the day and a wing of the building “at random” and once class starts, teachers in that wing will lock their doors, leaving students in the hallway until an administrator records their name and grade. The first time a student is swept they are not punished, but every time after that, the consequences get more and more severe.

Senior Sumeya Khadiro said, “the whole purpose of learning sweeps is ironic because the kids who want to go to class get punished while the kids who don’t want to go to class still don’t go to class. It doesn’t solve anything.”  

Mermelstein views sweeps as “pointless, because they just cause people to miss more class than they would from being 30 seconds late.” 

Sweeps aren’t only disliked by students who have been punished for getting swept. Some students oppose sweeps because they interrupt learning time. This happens for two reasons: first, the students being swept have to wait in the hallway for an administrator to come by, which often causes them to miss up to 15 minutes of class. Second, when students in their class are being swept, teachers have to either wait 15 minutes to start class or reteach the material once the students who got swept are back from the hallway.

There are other unspoken problems that students have with RAHS. Junior Grace Macdonald dislikes the lack of understanding between students at RAHS and said, “in some areas, especially grade level classes, the guys that say these things that I’ve heard or things being said to me that are misogynistic and make me want to stay in AP classes, but then it makes me feel bad for those who can’t take accelerated classes and have to sit and listen to that.” 

Khadiro also talks about the lack of diversity in AP classes. She talks about sometimes being the only Black person in an AP class, and finds that many of her peers seem to agree, and the fact that “there aren’t as many black people in an AP class is definitely a problem that should be talked about more.” 

On the topic of funding, next year Mermelstein would like to see an increased funding towards representation for sports other than football and basketball, which she noted tend to get significantly more attention. 

Macdonald also talks about funding towards clubs and said, “We don’t have club events, and when we do, I feel like they don’t do anything, like I want to go to a fashion fair or a cultural show, like our clubs need more.”

Macdonald would like to see more information about clubs being given to incoming ninth graders so that people at RAHS are more aware of the numerous clubs we have so that student interaction can be increased. 

Mermelstein observed that some other schools in the area are starting to build indoor tracks and training facilities. She would love to see this happen at RAHS, because as a track and field athlete, she is sick of running in the cold snow and ice for the first third of the season. 

9th grader Mark Elau presented a similar interest in an indoor facility, commenting that “a fieldhouse at RAHS would be really cool.”

Elau would also like to see more funding go towards athletics, especially the weight room, which is desperately in need of a remodel. Although this is an expensive project, Elau and many other students see it as a priority.

His favorite things about RAHS are the late starts on Wednesdays, which give him the opportunity to “reset in the middle of the week and finish the week strong,” and raider time at the end of each day. He likes raider time because it is time that he can use to catch up on homework or hang out with friends.

Macdonald remarked about her favorite thing about RAHS that, “I really appreciate how much money and effort is put into the arts department… administration loves posting about it on Instagram and I mean the new auditorium is a prime example, so seeing that effort being put into things I like to do is really awesome.” 

Khadiro also talks about her favorite thing at RAHS, “Honestly I love the PSEO program. I recommend it to anyone who is interested, because if you take it seriously, it can help you a ton when you get to college and I know some people who are going to graduate a year early because of PSEO.” 

Elau also really appreciates the teachers at RAHS because they “don’t just teach, but they really make an effort to connect with the students.”

Now as the summer approaches, the student body is ready to see the changes RAHS administration is going to make for the 2023-2024 school year