There is no excuse for the way America’s students are treated in today’s day and age. Developed in early China, standardizing testing has been used throughout the centuries to judge how well people conform to an ideal. Riffing off the Chinese method used to test government workers on Confucian knowledge, Frederick J. Kelly established the first standardized achievement test in the industrial United States. With a shortage of teachers off fighting a World War and a rapid influx of students into the school systems,  America needed a way to pump students out as fast as their assembly lines pushed out products. The response: standardized testing.

The rigid tests judged how well students performed in the subjects of math, English, science and social studies. If they passed, they could move on, and if they didn’t, they stayed where they were. Seeing how cookie-cutter the students were becoming, Kelly immediately disowned the idea that the tests were the right solution, but he was too late. Americans grasped the ideal and implemented it into every crook and crevice of the western education system.

Standardized testing was shoved further down the throats of American students after George W. Bush’s administration established the “No Child Left Behind Act.” This legislation required all states to administer a standardized test that the state developed to the student body at the end of every year to judge academic performance. The only way for the states to receive funding was to administer these tests. If the school did not show any improvement in the test scores by students every year, the federal government came in and “fixed” the school’s “issue.” There was no issue. Students of a certain grade level, let’s say seventh, had to perform better than the last year’s seventh graders in order for the school to be seen fit to continue in their administration of education. Students were expected to reach higher than previously thought without the correct tools to succeed.

The “No Child Left Behind Act” was reformed, but still resembles itself closely. While seen as brilliant, all these acts do are leave children behind. The test is catered to white English-speaking Americans. The test does not provide any help to those of different ethnic groups. Students must learn English or they are completely left behind.

But wait, it gets even better.

Seeing the fallacy in the “No Child Left Behind Act,” the Obama administration took every action in order to repeal it. They did next to nothing. The new act called the “Every Student Succeeds Act” still requires standardized testing from third to eighth grade. The only difference between this legislation and the last is that under the “Every Student Succeeds Act,” the states become more responsible for the education, relieving the federal government of the duty.

You would think in a full century that America had progressed enough to see the problems in their education system. It did not. Under the current “Every Student Succeeds Act,” students are still shoved into a box, or rather, a Scantron circle, and expected to succeed. The education system isn’t tailored to the individual student as it should be, but rather, it’s stuck in the Industrial Revolution and still trying to manufacture students. In our current day and age, with society as morally prickly as ever, why has this not changed?

The reason America is stuck in the past is because they only see the good part of the products of their development. They see the transition from a Model T to a Lamborghini, the car phone to a smartphone and the cottage to a skyscraper. But what they fail to see is how the classroom has remained the same.

A common argument to the point that standardized testing is wrong would be to tell someone to look at the advancements the United States has made with the cookie-cutter classroom. This is a flawed argument. The most brilliant entrepreneurs to come out of America despised our education system to such a degree that they up and left their classrooms in pursuit of their dreams. Take Steve Jobs and Bill Gates for example. Both Jobs and Gates dropped out of school and continued on to make the most profitable companies in the world.

“But not everyone is as brilliant as Jobs and Gates!” Incorrect. People are geniuses in their own way, and the educational system is not tailored to meet people’s strength. You may have an atrocious grade in math, but be the most brilliant linguist the world has ever seen, and the school system still wouldn’t care because you didn’t pass their test to prove you’re “smart.”

The current classroom seems to have facilitated the exponential technological growth that we see today, but it didn’t. It was the rebels that brought us to where we are; we are this advanced because of those who didn’t conform. And if you disagree with this, that’s okay, although I encourage you to take a look around. What have we lost to get where we are? There are multiple shootings across the country daily, the Earth is dying from the pollution, and an election deciding between a narcissist and tyrant recently concluded.

Standardized testing creates a classroom fit to meet academic achievement, but there is not a speck of morality education. If you believe the classroom of the past is right, you’re dead wrong. With that classroom we’ve made leaps and bounds, but we’ve degraded so far in the process that it will become obsolete if nothing changes. Nobody in the past was educated on what was right and wrong, so evil people have come to power and we’re murdering our planet all because of standardized testing. Whatever attempts parents and religious institutes have made to educate students morally have been washed down the drain. They fly right over the youth’s head; they don’t care. All they care about is the almighty “A.”

Frederick J. Kelly stated, “These tests are too crude to be used and should be abandoned,” shortly after he developed them. If the person behind our standardized life said that these tests are wrong, they should be done away with immediately.

This year’s one-act play is known to be more depressing than previous ones. According to Senior Andrew Ansah, one of the actors in one-act, this is why this year’s play is so tiring for the actors. In order to compensate for this exhaustion, the cast does various team bonding exercises that help them get to know each other.

“This play is not a very happy one, [so] after the really intense scenes, [when] everyone is really drained, we usually play some theater games,” Ansah said.

According to Ansah, the team bonding helps the cast relax and focus.

“I like the cast bonding because it [takes us] beyond being just peers. We honestly become friends through this. Doing this [show] is no small feat; it takes a lot of work, a lot of concentration, and this cast bonding is a good way to relieve tension. The games get us moving, and it makes me feel happy,” Ansah said.

The positive feeling that the games induce are appreciated by some of the other cast members as well. Sophomore Marena Benton agrees with Ansah and enjoys the activities that bring them closer together.

“I really like having a community of people where I can just be myself. The more time you spend with these people, the closer you’ll get, so the friendships and relationships are my favorite part; it’s what I value the most, and it’s the best thing I get out of this entire experience,” Benton said.

However, the cast doesn’t only do the exercises after the harder scenes.

“We do some sort of team bonding game in warmups almost everyday. It really is important [because] having chemistry in between the actors is one of the most [vital] parts of a show. If the cast and crew aren’t close, then the whole show falls apart,” Benton said.

In Ansah’s opinion, the exercises not only help them get to know each other, but it helps to relieve the stress that school produces.

“Sometimes we do something called a ‘positivity circle’ because a lot of people can get stressed out because [of] school. It’s also a good way to warm up our voices. I find it relaxing, and it’s a good way to relieve all of our tension that we might have,” Ansah said.  

The cast does a variety of exercises, but a lot of them involve the actors interacting with each other. According to Benton, it’s not at all difficult.

“In the cast, there’s not a lot of disagreements or arguing. We’re all pretty close. It’s really not that hard,” Benton said.

According to the actors, the overall experience is very positive, and it really helps the cast to connect and to be able to put on a good performance.

The cast and crew of the original one-act, “That Was Then”, have already shared a number of successes, and this weekend they are hoping for yet another.

The team recently returned from the Virginia Theatre Association conference in Norfolk, Virginia where they competed against 55 other schools. “That Was Then” received two perfect judge’s scores, a Best Musical award, a Recognition of Student & Teacher Collaboration award and an All Star Cast acting award (given to senior Ben Hollenbeck). It was first place overall in the competition, making HHS history as the first show to do so.

They are advancing to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Lexington, Kentucky in March of 2017, where they will be competing in the largest regional theatre competition in the country as representatives of the state of Virginia.

“Winning VTA was the best feeling in the world. I’ve been competing for four years, so to finally win my senior year was just incredible, especially since it was a show I helped write. I think I’ll still be in shock for the next six months,” four-year cast member and co-writer of the play Eleanor Alger said of the experience.

On Nov. 5, the team competed on the VHSL level, finishing in first place at the district competition at Woodgrove High School. They competed against John Handley, Woodgrove and Sherando.

“[The show] does so well because it’s a sucker punch to the gut for emotions. Since Betty Jo is onstage for the majority of the show, the audience literally grows up with her, watching her entire life pass before their eyes. For 35 minutes, you see every important event in her life, how they change her and the outcome of it all. There is no buildup, no climax, no resolution to a conflict. There’s a person’s life. That’s all it needs to be,” senior Ben Hollenbeck said.

The cast has worked every day from 2:35 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., rehearsing and tightening their performance. The show is unprecedented in nature, as both original shows and musicals are not usually successful in competition, which means rehearsal is even more important.

“The show was being written as it was being rehearsed, which added a lot of pressure on everyone involved. There were a ton of script changes and additions, and the cast handled it really well, just rolling with whatever was handed to them that day. We all hit roadblocks. I was terrified to write this show… we’re dealing with some pretty serious themes: abuse and violence and trauma, so it’s taken a lot to get the cast there emotionally. We did all find that in ourselves, and I think that’s a huge win by itself,” Alger said.

In order to carry out a state-winning performance, the actors had to get in touch with the play. Sophomore Julia Inouye felt that she associates some of her struggles with that of the character, and it helps her to become involved at a deeper level with the one-act show.

“[I connect with] the fact that the main character overcomes trials through the help of loved ones. I think a lot of people can connect to that. They can feel the emotions portrayed in the show even though they might not have been through the same experiences,” Inouye said.

The cast and crew were unsure going into competition how the audience would react to the violent, dark content presented in the show, but the response has been overwhelming for everyone involved.

“You hear people crying in the audience and you’re like, ‘I’m doing that, oh my God.’ The cast is so invested in what’s happening. We’re all crying and living in that moment. It feels so real and that emotional connection is obvious to everyone watching,” Alger said.

Senior Ben Hollenbeck plays Junior Jordan in the show, Betty Jo’s abusive, alcoholic father. He is emotionally riveted with each scene in the play, and every moment performing aids his ability to get into character.

“To be honest, I used to get a little shaken after my last scene. After our first live performance, I had a pretty rough time. Playing onstage requires you to be so open with yourself for the audience and your scene partners, and I’ve never done that before until this show. It’s terrifying,” Hollenbeck said.

The emotional connection made by the cast and crew is strengthened not only by the story, but the fact that the show is entirely theirs. Everyone in the show has made some kind of contribution to either the script, blocking, characterization, lyrical edits or staging of the show, and this is what they believe makes it powerful.

“Having the show be entirely our own creation makes the whole one-act experience even more special. When we do well, it makes me even more proud of my cast,” Inouye said.

The cast and crew of “That Was Then” will be advancing to regionals tomorrow, Nov. 19 at Charlottesville High School. They will be competing against 9 other schools for a place at the state competition on Dec. 5.

Every year Harrisonburg High School has the opportunity to host Virginia College Application Week (VCAW), which provides all seniors with similar resources and opportunities in order to apply to at least one college. VCAW follows Super FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) Week, ECMC (Educational Credit Management Corporation ) College Night, and a financial aid presentation. VCAW will be the final college planning event provided by the high school this year.

Although the week seems mainly focused on seniors, counselors like Anda Weaver have been planning ways to include all of the student body and even many of the staff members.  

“We try to involve the whole school by having daily trivia questions, we kicked the week off with a college themed presentation during ELT and we played, College Lingo Bingo, and had a panel of students from JMU, BRCC, and Bridgewater. The sooner that 9,10, and 11th graders start learning and thinking about college the better,” Weaver said. “Also we involve the staff by posting signs by their classroom doors stating where they went to college in the hopes that students and teachers will talk about their experiences and so that students can make connections and ask teachers about their college journey.”

The benefits seniors receive from the week include the use of the computer lab to apply to their college of choice, along with the help of counselors, career coaches, and representatives from other schools like Blue Ridge Community College. To make an encouraging environment the administration focuses on making the process of applying festive. Seniors who apply are able to get their picture taken in the schools “photo booth” and it will be then posted on the bulletin board displayed in the lunch commons. All students also get a chance to win daily prizes through the trivia.

Although administration focuses on decreasing the stress of this week, it can end up bringing on a stressful dilemma as students get caught into the thought that the colleges they apply to will define their life. Senior Sarah Jackson understands those feelings but still appreciates the week’s opportunities.

“This week somewhat deflates the stress I might feel later in the year, but it also doesn’t. The week makes [leaving high school] a reality. It’s like, you have to do your applications so you can get into a college that you will go to next year. [Looking at it overall], it still just seems stressful,” Jackson said.

As one of the many helpers during the week teachers like Jay Blair feel the rush as they have to help students in multiple ways including providing information about their own college.

“College Week always happens in the middle of the rush to write college recommendations, so there is some overlap between the more general college-week discussion and the more specific and anxious application and acceptance discussions,” Blair said, “I try to remind [students] to breathe.  Kids sometimes get caught up in the idea that this process will set the trajectory for the rest of their lives. They feel a measure of pressure that is both counterproductive and out of balance with reality.  I tell the story about how I didn’t get into my first choice college when I first applied.  I applied again a year later as a sophomore and transferred.  So basically, I got to go to my dream school, just not in the right order.  This is not a do or die kind of thing. There will always be options.”

This year’s one-act play is known to be more depressing than previous ones. According to Senior Andrew Ansah, one of the actors in one-act, this is why this year’s play is so tiring for the actors. In order to compensate for this exhaustion, the cast does various team bonding exercises that help them get to know each other.

“This play is not a very happy one, [so] after the really intense scenes, [when] everyone is really drained, we usually play some theater games,” Ansah said.

According to Ansah, the team bonding helps the cast relax and focus.

“I like the cast bonding because it [takes us] beyond being just peers. We honestly become friends through this. Doing this [show] is no small feat; it takes a lot of work, a lot of concentration, and this cast bonding is a good way to relieve tension. The games get us moving, and it makes me feel happy,” Ansah said.

The positive feeling that the games induce are appreciated by some of the other cast members as well. Sophomore Marena Benton agrees with Ansah and enjoys the activities that bring them closer together.

“I really like having a community of people where I can just be myself. The more time you spend with these people, the closer you’ll get, so the friendships and relationships are my favorite part; it’s what I value the most, and it’s the best thing I get out of this entire experience,” Benton said.

However, the cast doesn’t only do the exercises after the harder scenes.

“We do some sort of team bonding game in warmups almost everyday. It really is important [because] having chemistry in between the actors is one of the most [vital] parts of a show. If the cast and crew aren’t close, then the whole show falls apart,” Benton said.

In Ansah’s opinion, the exercises not only help them get to know each other, but it helps to relieve the stress that school produces.

“Sometimes we do something called a ‘positivity circle’ because a lot of people can get stressed out because [of] school. It’s also a good way to warm up our voices. I find it relaxing, and it’s a good way to relieve all of our tension that we might have,” Ansah said.  

The cast does a variety of exercises, but a lot of them involve the actors interacting with each other. According to Benton, it’s not at all difficult.

“In the cast, there’s not a lot of disagreements or arguing. We’re all pretty close. It’s really not that hard,” Benton said.

According to the actors, the overall experience is very positive, and it really helps the cast to connect and to be able to put on a good performance.

A total of 105 students signed up to give blood along with some adults as well. The blood drive was held by Virginia Blood Services in the multi-purpose room. Austin Rehfield, who is the regional director of mobile recruitment, stresses the importance of blood donation.

“The worst part of my job is when we are in the situation where we are challenged to provide an adequate supply of blood for the patients who need it. Blood cannot be manufactured in a laboratory or converted from animal use for human use. Blood is only available when humans donate it for their fellow humans,” Rehfield said. “So, the most challenging part is when our inventory is low… We try to always do our best and maintain an adequate blood supply by relying on wonderful sponsoring groups like your high school to have a successful blood drive. We need to collect around 400 donations every day. The need for blood never takes a vacation. You go to the hospital, you expect them to have the doctors there, the nurses, the medical equipment, you just expect them to have the blood available in case you need it. But it’s not going to be there unless people take the time donate.”

There are several requirements you must meet in order to be eligible to donate. Those requirements include being of the age 16 or older, ability to provide a form of I.D, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in a well and healthy state.

“If you’re on an antibiotic cause you’ve got a cough… well that says you’re not well. You would need to be off the antibiotic for at least 24 hours and feeling well and healthy before you can donate. For some people…[who’ve] traveled to a malaria area in the past year, you have to wait a year upon return. That affects people who travel a lot or they might go on a mission trip with their church to a country where malaria is a concern. So, we interview the donor as part of the process after you get registered. You answer questions about medical history and your travel. And if that’s okay, they give you a brief physical where they check your blood pressure, body temperature and they check your iron levels, so they do a little finger stick and check to make sure you have enough iron and once you finish that you’ll go and donate.”

When donating, it is essential to have eaten a good meal beforehand. You also want to make sure you are well hydrated.

“You do not want to donate on a empty stomach because your body is telling you, ‘Alright I need some fuel,’ and if you go and donate blood that’s going to drain more energy out of you. So, it starts with being prepared and having a good breakfast or if you’re doing it in the afternoon, a good lunch. After your donation you want to make sure you rest a little bit, nothing terribly strenuous for the next 24 hours and donors recover just fine,” Rehfield said.

Senior Jacinth McGramaham was the first donor of the day and it was also her first time donating.

“I have to get blood tests sometimes so sticking a needle in my arm isn’t that bad. It makes me feel really happy to have someone benefit from me [giving] just this little bit bit of blood. It’s pretty cool,” McGramaham said.

Senior Chenelle Francois has donated blood before. She is type O positive which is the universal donor.

“[I donate] because I know it will help people. And my blood is I guess rare and so they usually ask me to donate a lot so I say, ‘Hey, if anybody can get it might as well give it to as many people as I can”,” Francois said.

Rehfield urges people to give blood donation a try.

“The great thing about donating blood is that for new donors who might be nervous about it, if they’ve prepared themselves well, eaten a meal, hydrated themselves, after they’ve donated they’re like, ‘Wow, what was I so afraid of? That was such a big deal, that was really pretty easy. I think I’ll do that again because I know if somebody in my family needed it, I would donate blood.’ The fact is you just never know when people will need it. The life you save might be your own. It’s important for people to become lifelong donors. To seek out oppurtunites you can go to our website at vablood.org and find out more about blood and blood donation there,” Rehfield said.

Twelve students participated in a DECA regional competition consisting of several different events. Of those twelve, nine won management awards:

Though some dreams of making it big may seem far-fetched, and therefore lost before a child grows up, senior Ben Hollenbeck is pursuing his aspiration to act.

“I got into acting in my sophomore year. I had kind of always been interested in it, and I decided to try it after I stopped doing band,” Hollenbeck said.

The draw to acting was immediate for Hollenbeck, and once he got into it, he had no wish to stop. Everything about the art of theater appealed to Hollenbeck when he got the opportunity to step out of his own shoes and into anyone else’s.

“[My] favorite part of acting [is], not to give a mom answer, but pretty much everything. Going up on stage, being in the space. Just being able to work in a realistic environment all of the time where people treat you like a professional, it’s honestly amazing,” Hollenbeck said.

Of course, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies when you have to show convincing emotions, no matter how fake. While some of Hollenbeck’s roles might initially seem bland, he has to look a little closer to decipher who he’s really trying to be.

“Roles can be difficult if the character isn’t as clear as they first seem. You can take a look at a character from one angle, and they might appear to be simple, and just this flat boring character; but you have to look at it from all perspectives to be able to get an idea of who the character actually is if you’re going to play them well,” Hollenbeck said.

Hollenbeck’s most recent role is an intense, abusive father in the award winning one-act.

“The role; it can be taken in a really harsh and depressing tone, because it is a harsh and depressing play, there’s no beating around the bush there. But, and don’t take this the wrong way, it’s probably one of the most fun roles I’ve ever had because there’s a lot of improvisation I have to do and a lot of stage combat. The stage combat scene that we set up is actually pretty good. It’s pretty terrifying,” Hollenbeck said. “Playing that kind of character, it’s one of those things where if you think about it too much, it becomes very depressing, which is why I try and live in the moment as that character, and then when I step offstage I’m like, ‘Alright, done with him, just pull back’.”

When looking towards the future, Hollenbeck is taking an unconventional approach to the college then career path.

“This isn’t because of the whole Trump election thing, I’ve been planning this since seventh grade. I plan on taking a gap year and then going through the whole process of getting a permanent residency [in Canada] What that’ll do is basically let me go to college for the same cost as a Canadian citizen, which is really cheap. Even if I do that, I’ll still be able to come back and do [more] college here. It’s just something that can widen my horizons at the cost of one [lost] year,” Hollenbeck said.

Hollenbeck won’t be off the grid in some random maple syrup town though; instead, he’ll be continuing to perfect his skills as an actor.

I’ll probably be doing a bunch of acting stuff up there because the town that I’m moving to is a very Shakespeare-oriented place,” Hollenbeck said.

With a rough idea of what he wants to do, Hollenbeck is a step ahead of many American teenagers, but he will still have to experience the unknown as he attempts to succeed in a difficult career.

“Right now I kind of just want to learn the craft, but I also want to learn the business. I don’t honestly know enough about the business to say that I have a definite plan… but we’ll see where it goes,” Hollenbeck. “It’s not going to be easy, no artist’s life ever really is.”

HHS is one of a few schools who are fortunate enough to have the second breakfast program implemented into our school day. First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe is one of those who strongly advocates for this program and the nutrition it provides during the long schooling hours. Therefore, she drove down to our school after leaving Richmond this morning just to see it in action.

“So many things stood out, and that is the commitment of this wonderful principal, Prieto, the commitment of your teachers, the students moving through that line so quickly, wanting to have that opportunity for that second chance breakfast and all of the administrators here that make that happen, the great cafeteria staff, all that good food, all of those things really make a difference,” McAuliffe said.

McAuliffe and her husband, governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe, are very passionate about the provision of food for children here in our state.

“We can’t imagine that any child in the commonwealth of Virginia would go hungry. It’s a long time until lunch, and it’s hard to focus when your stomach is growling and you can’t concentrate because you’re hungry,” McAuliffe said.

McAuliffe is looking to establish the program in other school systems, especially high schools, considering the stress and pressure the older students undergo and the emphasis that the feeding of their students generally lacks.

“We’re using models like Harrisonburg High School and talking to other high schools. I think a lot of time there’s a lot of focus on elementary schools and younger students, making sure they have opportunities to eat, but we feel very strongly, the governor and I, that all students need to have the opportunity to eat,” McAuliffe said. “Stigma is a very real important challenge, time crunches of all kinds, high school kids need a lot of sleep, and for whatever reason they might miss breakfast a certain day and we want to make sure that breakfast and second chance breakfast is available for all of our students.”

This push is making changes in our state.

“We’ve served 5 million more breakfasts since the time we’ve been in office, highlighting that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and we’ll keep pushing [for other] meals to be available for us,” McAuliffe said.

When it comes to parenting, I can already tell I will be a more liberal parent, taking after the actions of my parents. Growing up, my mom and dad have believed in giving my brothers and I “Enough rope to hang ourselves,” as they like to say to us. Though that may sound vulgar at first thought, it is actually a valid statement.

Ever since I was young, my parents had just enough rules. I was still able to do what I want, be adventurous (maybe even reckless), though the two beings that birthed me knew when to step in and draw the line, that is if I hadn’t already learned my lesson the hard way. When I see how some kids around me are raised, it makes me want to pray for them, given their innocence when stepping into the college scene. For the first time in their life, they will be exposed to certain situations and substances that they only experienced from afar, in movies and in the occasional passing in the school hallway. And for them, there won’t be anyone there to tell them when to stop. They may not end up hanging themselves literally, but theoretically with their unleashed, endless rope of freedom. Most likey, a lot of damage will be involved.

To me, it’s like the equivalent of keeping a dog in a cage for the longest time without any food or social interaction. Once that dog gets out after being held captive for who knows how long, that dog will wreak havoc. It will see food, and bounce on it. It will see other dogs, and fight them. And being in the sometimes inhumane world we live in, it will probably end up dead.

Like I said, the now unleashed, once sheltered kid won’t necessarily end up dead, I’m just saying maybe the parents that do the sheltering aren’t helping out their kid as much as they may think.