The Declaration of Independence.

As students, we have the right to have a full education being in a public school. As students, we have the right to have free expression that shall not hurt others. As students we have the right to defend our privacy.  We have the right to talk to our teachers about work that we missed. We have the right to attend school daily on time except when we are sick. We have the right to succeed in our courses. We have the right to be careful of our language in anything publicly viewed. We should become involved with making decisions. We have the right to wear whatever we would like considering the school dress code. We have the right to make this school the best it can be. We make this school a better place by respecting the property. We have to except the fact that all rules are not null-and-void. The students have their own rights and abilities that should be accounted for. An ISS should be made so that the student is still learning instead of missing the classes. Going home sick should not be taken as an unexcused absence. There should be some exceptions to the dress code. Since we are in a public school, students shouldn’t have to pay for some school supplies. If students are allowed to eat by their car, they should be able to eat inside their car. Students should also not have to pay for activities or clubs that are not sport related. The cell phones of students should not be taken away for a long time. Self-defense should also be allowed to some extent. School should start and end later. The reasons as to why are as followed:

I. When kids misbehave they are given an ISS or if what they did were more severe they would be suspended.   We are aware that the children of Grosse Pointe South should be punished when they are at fault, but if it means that being absent from class and missing school work then the staff should find a new solution.  Yes, they are received their assignments that they would have been given if they were at school but since they were unable to learn the material that is used in the assignment there is no point. The school should be giving out more detentions, so they can serve their punishment when there aren’t any of their classes going on.  Another solution could be a few hours of their Saturday spent in school, basically like a detention. 

II. Many absences of a student at Grosse Pointe South are spent sick in bed.  Although their parents call the school early in the morning, it really doesn’t do the student any good because their absence may be excused and they are still marked down for missing a day of school.  A note from a doctor, orthodontist, dermatologist, dentist, etc. is not only excused but they are marked down as if they attended school the whole day.  One can only miss one class period 10 times before they will have to retake the whole class over again.  So why would that be fair if missing ten days of school for a sick related reason could set a student back a semester?

III. Another issue we have at Grosse Pointe South is the dress code.  Yes, there is a line being drawn when skirts are too short, or when a top is to low cut but some of the rules are a little strict.  Students have the right of Freedom of Expression so it is not fair for a school to tell them what they can and cannot wear.  The school says some shirts are to obscene or give off an inappropriate vibe, but many of the time the attire is harmless.  For an example, a tank top.  When the months of May or June come around the school reaches scorching temperatures, and since we don’t have any air conditioning in parts of the school students can become very uncomfortable.  So sometimes fingertip length shorts and the no tank top rules are very unfair. 

IV. Students should not have to pay for school supplies. Students have to pay for their education and the books that they need for classes. The students should not have to pay for the supplies they need. If the students’ textbooks are paid for, then the supplies should not. This is fair for the students and for the Board of Education. They should not have to pay a high amount for supplies the school should provide for them.

V. Students should not have to take gym to graduate. There are many classes that students need to take to graduate, but gym should not be one of them. Students ought to decide if they want to take the gym class or not. This should not have to be required. Students must not be forced into a class they do not want to take. Gym ought to be a class for students who want it and not for those who do not.

VI. Students should be able to eat in their car. Students are allowed to go to their car during lunch, but they cannot eat in their car. Students should be able to eat in their car during lunch if they are allowed to go to their car. If students can leave the school during lunch to go get food, they should have the right to eat in their car as well. As long as students do not have any alcohol or drugs on them, then it should be ok for students to eat to their car.

VII. Students should not have to pay for non-athletic clubs/activities. Many students want to join clubs, but do not have the money to pay for it. Several students would, most likely, join clubs if they did not have to pay. If the money is needed for the club, then the club can do a fundraiser. Fundraisers not only raise money for the club, but bring people together. Is that not what clubs do?

VIII. Students’ cell phone should not be taken away for long. Teachers sometimes keep the cell phones over the weekend. If the students’ cell phones are taken away during that time period, then important calls could be missed. Students should also be able to shut the phone off or take the battery out if concerned about privacy. The cell phones, however, should be immediately taken down to the office or given to the student at the end of day.

IX. Students, when necessary, should be able to use self-defense. If there is not a teacher around at that given time, the student should defend themselves. That should only apply if the student cannot get help when needed. There is a strict no fighting policy within school but that should be an exception in some cases. It is simply defending rather than just fighting to fight.

X. School should start and end later. According to the health teacher, students who sleep in longer and go to school at a later time perform at a higher level. Sleeping in can give the students enough time to wake up and not feel tired. Not feeling tired can keep the students thinking early in the morning. Ending school later can help balance out the loss the time in the morning. 

These are the demands of the students. These reasonable and necessary points must be adhered to. If they are not, then we will file a complaint to the school board. The needs of the students must be met. Each and every student is registered into the school with certain unalienable liberties. These include being allowed to eat in cars, no detentions, and longer lunch times. These rights are to not only make school a better, more enjoyable place, but to preserve the limited freedom of the student body. Refusal to comply to the points of the declaration will also result in a strike by the students and a protest. When people walk through the doors of the school, they should know they have rights. All people should be able to walk throughout the school without having to worry about persecution.

Rachel Quinn
Brooke Quinn
Carly Walkowiak
Nick Gilbert
Andrew Cullen

The Crucible Epilogue.

It was the end of 1692 when Parris was kicked out of office and went out on the highroad. He had absolutely no where to go with inevitable trails far ahead and far behind him. He has been alone for almost two days now, knowing what hides in the shadows of the trees, framing the long and narrow trail he was on. Tired and thirsty with no sense of direction, he walks like a wounded animal; unsure of where to go. The horizon is closing in on Parris now as the sky turns deathly reddish. Shadows are starting to lurk behind Parris and there is an eerie silence developing. The night creeps faster upon Parris, but just before his vision becomes blackened by the night, he spots something off into the distance. He runs towards figure slowly blending in with darkness among it. Stumbling upon rocks and fallen braches, he still makes his way along the path. Losing his breath, Parris nears the end of his destination and comes to a small, quiet town. Blackness now completely covers the town and sky like a blanket.

Getting nervous, he spots a dim light in a window of a small house. He slowly walks up to the house and hesitates to proceed. After a moment of thinking, he decides to walk. He steps on the rickety old steps to the house and pauses with every creek there is. He knocks on the door and no one answers. Growing impatient, he knocks on the door harder, yelling louder with every knock. Feet are heard shuffling in the house and coming to the door. An old man opens the door and looks at Parris and smiles a small smile. As he goes to greet Parris, Parris pushes past the old man and goes into the house. The old man stands and stares at Parris questionably.  Pacing around the house with regret in his eyes, Parris mumbles to himself. The old man sits in his small little chair by the corner of the room and watches Parris now with concern. Parris stops in his tracks, turns to the old man with wide eyes, and directly asks the old man if he had any money. The old man stares blankly at Parris and says that he has very little money. Parris was upset with how little the man had and still asked if he can have half of his amount. The old man smiles shyly and kindly, asking Parris why he needed it. Parris put his hands up on his head in frustration. All Parris can think about is how he could possibly have been kicked out of town and out of office and ending up putting himself in this kind of situation. Parris looks at the old man and says with a bit if a temper that he needs the money to buy a house and make a living here. The old man sadly admits that he hardly has enough to provide for himself. Processing this information, Parris looks around the room they are in. He spots nothing but a small table with an uncomfortable looking chair, a tattered old curtain that hangs lifelessly in front of the pitch black window, a small wooden cabinet, and a small wooden chair the old man was currently sitting in. Unfazed by this true statement, Parris again asks the old man for a good amount of his money. 

Parris, only thinking of himself, grows even more furious with the unresponsive old man. Remembering that he has no where else to go, Parris asks at the old man if he can sleep here. The old man kindly nods and gets up from his small wooden chair slowly, as if he could break with one false move. The old man heads to the small cabinet mounted on the wall on the opposite side of the room and takes out an old faded blue blanket. He turns to Parris and holds his hand out with the blanket in it. Parris looks at the blanket with discuss and asks if he had any other blankets. The old man frowns slightly and shakes his head. Sighing as if nothing could ever get worse, Parris takes the blanket and then goes to sit in the old man’s chair. Parris closes his eyes and sleeps. The old man shuffles over to the candle sitting on the window sill and blows it out. The room is now being surrounded by the pure blackness of the night.

The sun shining through the window is illuminating the room with a faded glow. What was once a cold and dark Saturday night, now turns into a warm Sunday afternoon. Startled by a loud bang on the door, Parris wakes up startled and looks around. He yells for the old man to tell him that he has visitors. There was no answer, just silence. After a moment, Parris decides to get up and open the door. There was a middle aged, rugged looking priest standing there with a thin book in his hand and a pen in the other hand. Staring at Parris with question, he asks if Mr. Richards was there. Parris is overwhelmed with confusion then asks who Mr. Richards was. The priest repeats himself and asks if Mr. Richards was there. Parris asked if that was the poor old man who lives here. The priest nods his head and tries to look passed Parris into the room. Seeing a figure seated in a chair and slumped over the table, the man barges passed Parris into the house. The priest runs over to the old man, sees his pale and icy skin, and then checks the old man’s pulse. Seeing the facial expression on the priest and realizing that the old man had died, Parris tries to escape out the door. However, Parris turns into three people blocking the doorway. Parris stands there in front of the door uneasy. The priest turns to Parris and asks if he killed the old man. Panicking and starting to sweat, Parris says that it must have been someone else. The priest questions Parris asking who else was here. Searching for an answer, Parris quickly blurts out that the old man must have been playing a trick. The priest looks into Parris’s eyes for a moment and says that this old man is kind and would not skip church on a Sunday for a prank. The priest, now yelling, points his finger at Parris and accuses him of being a witch for murdering the old man.  Parris belts out that he is a good man and he would never hurt or lie to anyone. Not believing this, the priest looks at the three men by the door and says in a demanding voice to take Parris away. Interrupting the priest, Parris falls to the floor on his knees and looks up at the ceiling. He holds his hands high and says that the devil made him kill the old man. In shock, the priest asks who else was with him in this scheme. Not wondering what to say, Parris looks out the window and sees some random people walking along the path within the town. Parris screams and points to those people and says that they were with the devil too. Seeing the four men rushing out of the house, Parris feels relieved and then goes to run out the door but then stops. He is remembering that he needs money for his journey. He searches the small room and then finds some money hiding underneath a plate in the cabinet. Putting the money in his pocket, he runs out of the door trying to avoid the four men. As he is running, he looks back and sees the priest and the three other men arresting an old woman, a young teenage boy and another man. Unfazed by this, Parris is happy that he had not been arrested and runs along the path leading out of the small little town. Once again alone, he is running through unknown land with unknown troubles. The sun sets again in the West making the shadows around Parris creep upon him. The sky turns deathly reddish with inevitable trails far ahead and far behind him.

The Crucible Essay.

In “The Crucible”, people were very religious. The people were very concerned with witchcraft and very serious about certain acts that the people forbid. There are many people who caused the witch trials in this story. Abby is responsible because of her insane acts to get what she wants. Parris is partially responsible because he is conceited. John is at fault for not confessing about the truth which Abby told him. John is also to blame due to his sin of adultery. The three people most responsible for the Salem witch trials were Abby, Parris, and John.

Abby is responsible because of selfish content. She was the one, along with Tituba, to make the very first accusations against people. Abby then realized that if she started to confess with Tituba, then all of the glory would shine on her. Abby probably then discovered that she can use the accusations to get what she wants. Due to this feeling, Abby is constantly looking for ways to get rid of Elizabeth. In the story, Abby confuses sex with love which made her believe that John loves her. Abby is obsessed with John and would do anything to be with him. The more Abby yearned for John, the more pretense Abby had the other girls’ play along to. Abby even attempted to kill Elizabeth three times but in the end, none of the tricks worked.

“The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams sir. She sat to dinner in ReverendParris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor.Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And he goes to save her, and stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in” (Miller 74).

Abby is insane enough to go through pain in order to make Elizabeth look guilty in the witch trials. This stunt put Elizabeth in jail for witchery. Abby’s insane mind caused trouble, but Parris was also to blame.

Parris is one person responsible for the Salem witch trials. He is supposed to be a leader in the town and instead he is a coward. “Thomas, Thomas, I pray you, leap not to witchcraft. I know that you- you least of all, Thomas, would ever wish to disastrous a charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house” (Miller 14). In the town, Parris is not the most appreciated person. When people were crying “witch” in the town, he immediately called Reverend Hale. Parris was too weak to do anything about the situation. He also tries to convince John to confess because Parris wanted to prevent rebellion. All Parris ever cared about was his job and his power within the town. During the witch trials, Parris wanted everyone to confess to make the people think that Parris has been right. Parris refused to let anyone believe the truth about what people were saying. “Excellency, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be spread in open court” (Miller 89)! As the judges started to consider what the people were trying to say, Parris would try to change the judges’ minds. Parris knew that if the town knew that dealing with the devil was taking place in his house, then he would be kicked out of town. Parris’s greedy and selfish acts served the town nothing, but John was at fault as well.

John Proctor is responsible due to the lack of ability to tell the truth. Abby confessed to John that the dancing was just pretend and that seeing the devil was not true. However, John remains silent until a certain point. “I never knew until tonight that the world is gone dark with this nonsense” (Miller 68). John had no idea that Abby and the other girls’ would have taken these accusations as far as the girls’ had. John also did not know how naïve the people were being. If John would have told the truth earlier though, then the witch trials could have been proven false. By the time John had confessed to Hale, however, too much damage had been done for anything to be erased. The town had gone into further chaos causing many people to be accused and held in custody. Little did John know that keeping that secret was not only going to put Elizabeth in danger, but himself as well. John was to blame because of his questioning mind, but John was also at fault for his inability of self-control.

 John is also responsible because of temptation. Elizabeth was sick and had not hooked up with John in quite some time. John lost all of his self-control oneday and he hooked up with Abby. “Then how do you charge me with such a promise? The promise that a stallion gives a mare I gave that girl” (Miller 62)! Even though John hooked up with Abby, John did not mean any feelings about it. John had led Abby on which was not a smart thing to do. John did not hide any looks of having feelings very well which made Abby’s feelings deepen putting everyone else in danger. Since John had made Abby believe something that was not there, Abby tried to get them together by getting rid of Elizabeth. If John had not given into Abby, then the witch trials might not have even taken place.

Many people were killed and accused during these trials. It was a lose-lose situation for everyone being accused as a witch. To confess and still lose your land or not confess to dealing with the devil and be hung. Abby helped along with the accusations in her own selfish way. Parris was too much of a coward to be of any use. John made a huge mistake and did not tell a single soul of what Abby told him. John also was at fault for giving into lechery. The people who were most at fault for the witch trials were Abby, Parris, and John.

The Crucible Post II.

In all honesty, in some cases I would lie to protect myself. We all can't but feel harmed when we know that something could be hurtful to us. We also feel secretive and want to keep those secrets to ourselves. I know that in hard times I have lied and I am not proud of it. Looking back, however, they were such silly things to avoid. It was a big deal to many others though which drove me to lie in the first place. If I was looking at how I am living my life today, I would not lie as much to do so. It is almost pointless now to lie and protect myself. I am who I am and I should not be afraid of what other people think of me. Deep down, even though I do not like to admit it, I still do care but not as much. In the Crucible, the people had no other choice but to lie. It was either lie to save yourself or die trying to defend yourself.

Back in middle school, I wasn't the most popular kid so it was hard to defend myself. I had a speech problem also which many people teased me for. To make myself seem less of a target for people, I also did tease along with other people. It was not a good feeling to have to see the face of the person being laughed at. It was almost heartbreaking because I knew that the more people teased someone, the weaker that person got.  I didn't take that into account back then because all I cared about was myself not being made fun of. Now I have realized that many people make fun of others to feel better about themselves. I don't mind as much now if people constantly make fun of me.  It is just a cry for attention and to satisfy their hunger of power over someone, so why give in?  All I know is that if they are making fun of me, then they are leaving someone else alone.