Announcements: Long and Too Dry

"The announcements are informative and occasionally interesting," as physics teacher Patrick Ferrick says, but are they completely droned out by conversation in homerooms? In a survey of 100 students at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, only 27 say they actually listen to the announcements. That means about one out of every four students listens to the morning announcements. Options students and teachers have suggested to make the announcements better include: announcing birthdays, playing music, accents and sound effects, creating a contest, and simply shortening them.

Seniors Ashley Buck, Kelsey Cook, and Isabelle Weir say they generally don't listen to what is said on them. Sophomore Emily Fitzgerald says her homeroom never listens to the morning announcements, but that the afternoon announcements are much more important. Buck, Cook, and Weir agree that the morning announcements are too long because of "special" announcements. Zach Marsh, senior, thinks they can be shortened, and by a lot.

Technology teacher Lee Krukowski recently took a survey, coincidentally, in which the majority of his class wanted the announcements "kept to a minimum." He also thinks the announcements can and should be shortened. Mr. Ferrick, on the other hand, does not feel the announcements can be shortened.

Mr. Ferrick says his homeroom is pretty quiet, while Mr. Krukowski feels it "depends on the teacher." Fitzgerald and fellow sophomore Megan Gunther think birthdays should definitely be said over the announcements, like at the middle school. Freshman Nick Wright suggests different speakers every once in a while, and for them to go through the announcements more quickly. "They need to have more preparation," he also says. Many support the idea of music in between classes and on the morning announcements. Anita Robinson, a junior, feels it would be a neat way to "change things up a bit," while junior Shelby Weinstein also feels it could be "obnoxious." "What if they played bad music?" Weinstein says. "They can't play what everyone likes."

The announcements need to change, whether it's through a hidden number contest, announced birthdays, a skit between two people, sound effects, music, or funny accents. Mr. Ferrick believes contests would help the announcements. Each morning, the announcements contain a number. In the middle of a sentence, the speaker(s) will say a number randomly. Whoever notices the number can write it down on a slip of paper. By the end of the week, students should have five numbers. They must be paying attention to the announcements each day of the week to get all five of the numbers. They could either hand it in to their homeroom teacher or in a bin by the office each Friday, there will be a drawing and the winner(s) would receive a prize. Ferrick also would like to see humor be put into the announcements, or thinks it would even be fun to have the announcements be in the form a skit. Here, two people would talk to each other and discuss the announcements. The announcements could be read with funny accents and could easily contain sound effects, Mr. Ferrick says.

Mr. Krukowski does not think playing songs are the answer because the announcements are not meant to be fun. Weir is not in favor of music on the loud speaker either.

Mr. Krukowski says we should, however, have electronic message boards at each of the four corners of the school. Similarly to Mr. Krukowski's idea, Robinson feels we should go visual with our announcements. Mr. Ferrick also does think that songs can be added to announcements. He says the songs must be good, and different at the least.