Intercom announcements just are not getting the job done

Better alternatives can get news out and increase student participation

Jada Caldwell, Columnist

Announcements are fundamental to being informed about our school, yet the execution of them confuses and misleads the student body.

Often times, teachers do not monitor the volume of their students. Prior to this year, almost all of my second period teachers would allow conversations to drown out the announcements. I missed important club dates and deadlines due to not being able to hear the speaker.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) conducted four experiments, and found that auditory memory performance is inferior to visual memory performance. Having detailed paper copies of topics discussed in the announcements will help students remember what is going on at what time, and eliminate the issue of not being able to hear during second period.

Not all clubs, sports and activities are represented under the umbrella of the announcements. The first Gospel Choir meeting was Oct. 24, and an announcement was to be made that morning. However, someone took it out of the book, so the announcement was never made. I, along with many others that day, was confused that day, and had to ask Mrs. Fields where the meeting was being held.

Equally representing all sports and clubs would boost student moral. Implementing a detailed, organized message board near the front office would provide clarity for students and staff.

Keeping the website and television updated daily would increase the efficiency of the announcements. And club advisers should utilize Remind 101 and Twitter like coaches, the athletic department and the teachers do for sending out dates and updates.

Overall, if the administration would kindly consider other ways to get news out, the rate of student involvement would increase drastically.