Opinions

JL Verdict, Student Opinions, October Issue

By Ella and Hailey

The JL School year has just begun, welcoming students new and old back into the halls, this section of the JL Verdict will cover the general student body opinion. We have interviewed students around the school to ask them about their opinions and this is what we got. To be interviewed in the future, please email ted831802@gnespes.ca.

Most returning students have said that the school feels more crowded than last year and some students are wondering about the future of JL and how it’s going to stay under the capacity limit, “It feels like it's just going to grow and grow. Compared to (a school) like Citadel, our school's pretty small but I don't know if I feel that Spryfield as a growing community is going to be able to fit all the students in this one school.” And most students agree that the new nines are pretty cool.

The general consensus from most of the grade nines in JL is that they find this school to be a refreshing new chapter in their educational journey.”My experience at the new school has been really refreshing from the past schools I’ve attended in a really positive way, I feel like self expression is way more welcomed and academically supported.” People like the clean and mostly orderly state of the new building and enjoy our strong Judges spirit! “There’s also something to be said about the cleanliness of the school, like it's a really clean feeling (besides the bathrooms). The school spirit is super strong and it’s an amazing school.” Although some students continue to dislike it because it’s still school.

The bathroom situation is one widely discussed, with almost all students agreeing that it is dire. Students are taking forever in the washrooms resulting in many students out of class at one time, like one student pointed out. The bathrooms are sometimes found in a gross state, as one student said, “It is very rare that I walk into a bathroom and the seat isn’t covered in urine.” Many students just don’t use the washroom at school because of these reasons.

The student’s opinions on the clubs, sports, and events were, for the most part, all aligned on the same trajectory. Many people, especially grade nines, have trouble hearing about clubs or events promoting clubs like the club fair, even if they are on the announcements, partially because of the timing of the announcements (since the writing of this article, the time of the announcements have now changed). Many students find sports and clubs daunting and exclusive to only certain people, most of the time you have to know someone who is in that club or sport to hear about practices, “I didn’t know there were any clubs, but sports I feel like the tryouts happened too fast. They were too early.” Many students also did not know about the club fair that occurred, a common response to asking about the opinion on the way the club fair was handled was, “What club fair?” ...However, make sure you check the school website for archived announcements and posters around the school for events. Student’s advice for making clubs, sports, and events more mainstream are getting teachers to remind students that tryouts, clubs, or events are upcoming, making a practice team for sports teams so that they can experience the practices and learn how they could be better prepared next year, putting up more posters around the school, and having clubs, sports teams and events advertised in the paper.

Thank you for reading October’s issue of the JL Student Opinion. If you want your opinion here, email for an interview at ted831802@gnspes.ca and try to schedule a date. This has been an amazing start to the school year and we hope to continue by giving the staff and students feedback on how to make the school flourish and thrive for all students. Hope to hear your opinions soon, have a lovely day.