Do you feel U.S. high schools support the academic, social needs, and interests of today's students well? Why or why not?

High schools do support the academic needs of today's high schools well. There seems to be a very high percentage of college-bound students, which would indicate that this is the case. Many high schools offer advanced courses that will help the more advanced students, and they offer the regular core classes for the rest. High schools offer many areas of study as well. Courses range from Advanced Calculus to Drama. High schools are doing a very good job of preparing their students for the next levels of education.

As for the interests of the students, more of an effort could be made. Many students see high school as a boring, mandatory experience because of that lack of effort. More variety should be implemented in the school systems. However, there is another side to the story. There are so many different interests among the student body that it is impossible to cover all possible interests, especially when the fact that interests change almost daily is taken into consideration. Another point that could be made in high schools' defense is that some of the interests of the students are not school-oriented. For example, a student with a major interest in video games cannot expect a course to develop in that area.

As for the social needs of students, high schools allow sufficient interaction. High schools allow enough interaction between the students so that the students can expand their social qualities. However, I do believe that high schools also enforce and patrol that interaction, especially the interaction between the male and the female students. I believe that there must be that supervision because without it the students will start to test the limits. The schools must protect their image and well-being, so the strict supervision of the social sphere is understandable.

As for the social interests of the students, I will go along with many other students around and say that high schools do not support the social interests of students. The school is not at fault for that. I believe that the students' interests are sometimes just too far-fetched for the schools to allow. I'm sure that all students would love longer lunch periods, longer times between classes, and more freedom socially. Students would especially want more freedom when it comes to social interaction with the opposite sex. The debate of how much public display of affection can and should be shown will always continue among students and faculty. The students will always push for more freedom, and the faculty will always try to keep the reins on the situation. This again refers back to the school looking to protect its image. In the long run, even though students may not see it now, school are actually protecting the students' image and well-being as well as the schools'.

Overall the high school systems do a good job of meeting the academic and social needs and interests of the students. I believe that they will and do go as far as possible in giving students the most variety, freedom and choice. However, I also understand the need to install limitations on those freedoms when need be.

Luis Santos is 17 years old and lives in Bloomfield, New Jersey.