The Declaration of Student Rights

The Declaration of Student Rights

As students of the Grosse Pointe public school districts, we the students have certain rights. These rights have been repeatedly infringed upon, and we have deemed it necessary to form an alliance together to stand up against the oppressors once and for all to declare our independence. This document will ensure that the students and teachers alike can work in harmony to produce a healthy and fun atmosphere for learning.  Whether the matter is health conditions or pertaining to the respect of the administrators, all of the items listed below have been deemed as basic rights that every student in the Grosse Pointe districts should hold. 

Teachers should respect students. This goes the same for students respecting teachers of course, but as long as the students are paying due amount of reverence towards the teacher, he or she should receive the same. Stupid questions do not exist. Teachers should not be able to disregard a question ever, even if has already been asked. Students can’t be expected to be listening 100% of the time.  On a related note, students should be allowed to have extra help as needed. Teachers should be willing to give up there lunch hour to assist students, or, at the very least, direct them to another student for help. Another basic right is the right to choose your schedule. Choosing classes is a key right, as this allows students more freedom in choices and helps decide what career path to go down. Having the best technology possible is a clear basic right for students. The school district should be doing everything in their power to provide students with technology that allows them to learn better and faster. A commonly overlooked, but essential, right is the right to have good, clean water. The water fountains at South are completely disgusting and are probably violating some sort of health code. They taste like metal and blood and should be fixed immediately.  As well as all of these other examples, the most important one by far is the right to feel safe in the school environment. Whether it be from internal or external forces, no student should have to go to school feeling like they are in danger there. The administration should always be doing everything in their power not only to keep the students safe, but to also make them feel safe. 

I.                    Instead of thirty six minute lunches, South has to provide an hour and fifteen minutes.  This is students’ only free time of the day, and thirty-six minutes is barely sufficient to eat.  Lunch should be a time to relax, and rushing to finish eating is not exactly relaxing.  It is the only break in the long seven hour school day.  This time should be spent doing whatever students’ wish, whether it’s walking to Farms Market and getting some fresh air, or just relaxing in the commons and socializing with friends.  Whatever kids chose, lunch should be a complete mental break.  A full seventy-five minute period would allow students to return to class rejuvenated and ready to focus, which would increase productivity.  Grosse Pointe South students demand a longer lunch period. 

II.                  Grosse Pointe South must supply laptops to each student for use in school and at home.  In almost every class, note taking is used by teaches.   This is a very effective method of teaching, yet can be time consuming.  Note taking would be a great deal faster if students had access to laptops, and could type their notes on a Word document.  Laptops that students could carry from class to class would also allow internet research to be done in class.   This would undoubtedly increase the efficiency of students in class. Also, because most assignments that require computers are completed at home, the access to them in class could reduce the amount of homework.   And for those students who don’t always have a computer available to them at their house, because of financial issues or having to share with siblings, the ability to take a laptop home would be greatly beneficial.  Students at Grosse Pointe South need to have laptops both in and outside the classroom to increase overall productivity. 

III.               There needs to be one full hour designated for nap taking.  In classes, countless students are always falling asleep because of exhaustion.  Research shows that teenagers need 9-11 hours of sleep to be fully rested, but that number is rarely reached because of many factors.  A demanding schedule, caused by loads of homework, sports, and other activities, leads to many students getting less than the adequate amount of sleep.  Since school contributes to the large quantity of homework that keeps students up late at night, it is only fair they provide an hour to let kids catch up.  An extra hour of sleep every day would lead to increased productivity, mood, and energy of the students at Grosse Pointe South.  This would make for an improved learning environment. 

IV.               Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays, and for the most part is loved by all. Many families put a lot of time and preparation into its celebration. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays of the year to have long periods of family time, and some wish that this did not have to last for only one day. Considering this, it is our suggestion that an entire week of school be given off for its celebration.

V.                  Being as far north as it is, our home state of Michigan can often have very extreme winter weather conditions. The snow can often pile high enough to make even walking on the sidewalk a hassle, and temperatures can easily drop to the point that frostbite is something to worry about. Our district’s reason for having so few snow days is that Grosse Pointe is a walking district, but the majority of South’s students either get a ride from their parents or drive themselves to school. Even the kids that walk often have to deal with extremely low temperatures and very deep snow. Therefore, it is our belief that South should have more days off because of extreme winter weather conditions.

VI.               One of the things that South’s students look forward to the most is holidays. They are an excellent time to relax and take a nice break from school. Because of this, one of the most disappointing things is when there is a holiday but students still have to go to school. Sadly, there are a few holidays out of the year that South does not give even one day off school for. We have the opinion that this should be changed, and that for every holiday, no matter how obscure, at least one day of school should be given off for its celebration.

VII.             The purpose of a school is to provide a child with the best education possible.  Each individual varies from his or her peers.   The option of block scheduling can allow for a more personalized schedule focused on each student’s individual needs.  It allows students to select classes and times that will better stimulate their learning process.  Block scheduling allows for breaks between classes for instance you might have math on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, this allows for breaks which helps students alleviate stress and keeps grades high.  This would also to give students assignments spanning over the break, which can help the student’s time management skills.  Those who have had block scheduling have remarked that the change in scheduling keeps your days from being boring so you tend to be more alert in class. Block scheduling allows for students to be more alert and have classes and schedules that fit their needs thus improving the Childs educations, which is after all, the main goal of the school system.

VIII.          Good grades and an attentive attitude is important to ones high school career.  To maintain grades and stay alert it is important that students come to school with their best mindset, which is why it is important to have breaks on holidays.  Students should have a half-day on Halloween and the day after off.  This will allow students to have a short break to alleviate stress and to enjoy the holiday.   Halloween is a national holiday that should be recognized by the Grosse Pointe Public School System with a day and a half off for the students and staff.  Many students in all three stages of school are out late on the night of October 31, Halloween, and would not be attentive at school the next day.  Giving students a short Halloween break will keep them on track and attentive during school.

IX.                High School is a very important segment of ones school career. It is also one of the more stressful and demanding.  For this reason High School students should not have homework on weekends.  The abolishing of weekend homework will allow for students to rejuvenate over the break and to recharge for the coming school week.  Without homework encumbering the student’s weekend, students will have more time to study for test or review materials covered in class.  This will raise students grades exponentially, students will be more relaxed, attentive, and better prepared for class which will result in higher test scores and grades; which will drastically improve students resumes come time to apply for collegiate study. Abolishing weekend homework will help Grosse Pointe students drastically. 

X.                  School should be adjusted to 4 days a week; the weekend spanning Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  2 days for weekends simply does not suffice for the amount of homework and rest students need.  The week of a typical high school student is extremely stressful and exhausting. The weekend is needed to recover.  Teachers tend to assign more homework on the weekends, though, knowing students will have more time.  This leads to the whole weekend being spent completing schoolwork.  Weekends are needed to relax and rejuvenate, and doing homework all weekend is neither of those things.  The weekends are also a sacred time to be spent with family or friends, seeing as though during the week, students are simply too busy.  Three days for a weekend would allow time for schoolwork, as well as friends, family, and rest. 

We, the students of Grosse Pointe South High School, hereby declare our independence from the Grosse Pointe Public School System. We only asked that we receive the treatment that we by our rights deserved, the treatment that we were neglected when a part of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. If we don’t receive our independence, there will be severe consequences. We may be peaceful and civil; we may boycott classes or organize a sit out on the lawn. Protest what we believe to be a corrupt establishment.  Hold strong to what we want and receive it in a peaceful manner. Or, we may be violent, vandalize the school. Rip doors off their hinges and graffiti the hallways. Break the windows of every educational institution, and yell blood curdling battle cries of freedom that even the bravest soul could not bear to hear. Though we are only students, we will crash board meetings. We will disrupt the very foundation that this educational system is based upon and wreak havoc among the board members, never faltering in doing so until our demands are met. Planting fear in every adult’s heart, because independence is a basic right; all students are naturally born with freedom in their blood. The students’ actions to take control of their independence are unpredictable yet organized, extreme yet understandable. It is best that the students receive independence and no other actions are put in place to stop the progression. By this time, there are no measures that can be taken to reconcile both the students and educational program. In no way can the ties between the two be bonded back together, and form a united assembly once again. Independence has spread to the very heart of the matter and no act can be taken to stop it. Independence will rise, and the Grosse Pointe School System should be prepared to fall.

The Crucible Epilogue

The Crucible Epilogue- Mary's Journey 

                Mary rolls on to her side and gradually opens her eyes.   She pulls the scratchy wool blankets off her, and sits up in bed.  It is dark now, but she walks to open her curtains, knowing the day will come soon.  Mary tiptoes around her room, slipping off her faded white nightgown.  She has grown taller, and more slender.  Like Abigail.  The thought of her sends a cold chill down Mary’s spine.  As much as she has tried to forget the trials, it is impossible.  She slips quietly through the hallway, past the rooms of Eliza, Michael, and Goody Moore, trying not to disturb them.  William Moore is already up, and has been for a while, laboring in the fields.  She scurries downstairs, throws on her cloak and bonnet, and closes the mahogany door as softly as possible behind her.  It is just about sunrise, and a brilliant coral color is beginning to overcome the dark sky.  She squints to see William Moore in the distance, already laboring in the fields of corn.  It is late September, well into harvesting season.   The trees are changing beautifully to golden browns, yellows, and reds.  Mary decides to take the long way and savor this unusually sweet fall morning.  She walks toward the decrepit barn to feed and tend to the horses and hens.  The dew on the tall grass kisses the skirt of her gray cloak.  Morning is Mary’s favorite time of day:  the only time when she can forget the past and be at peace with herself.

                After her chores in the barn are finished, Mary retreats back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the Moores.   William Moore should soon be in from his field work, eager to fill his empty stomach with some warm porridge.  Mary tiptoes into the friendly kitchen, now lit with the sun of the morning, and begins to set the table for the first meal of the day.  It is her duty to prepare all the meals, even though most of the time, Goody Moore assists her.  Goody Moore is known all around town for her superb cooking abilities, and she has been kind enough to lend some of her knowledge to Mary.  Mary had not done much cooking at the Proctors, so she came to the Moores relatively useless.   In the past few months, though, her skills have been improving.   Mary surveys the kitchen, and decides to check on the porridge that has been cooking slowly all night.  Walking up to the embers, she takes off the top of the pot, and stirs the porridge with a long wooden spoon.  The warmth and aroma of the porridge surrounds her like a comforting blanket.  She is so engaged in the sensation that the sound of footsteps above startles her.  Everyone is awake, and will soon be coming downstairs! She must pour the milk and cider, and set the table.   

                A pair of energetic feet bound down the stairs into the kitchen.  Mary looks over to see a head of stringy blond hair and pale blue eyes looking up at her.  “Good morning, Eliza,” says Mary.  “I’m almost finished preparing breakfast.”  Though the 10 year old is really named Elizabeth, Mary insists on calling her Eliza.  Goody Moore thinks the nickname is a sign of affection, which isn’t exactly true.  Mary has become fond of the children, but the nickname simply reflects her unwillingness to say “Elizabeth”.  That name brings back unwanted memories of Elizabeth Proctor.  Elizabeth Proctor, who taught her so much.  Elizabeth Proctor, who had been so kind to her.  Elizabeth Proctor, who was now windowless because of Mary!  Every day the guilt of the trials haunts her.  With each glance towards Eliza, she sees Elizabeth, then John, then everyone else who was hung because of witchcraft- who she helped convict.  She looks down at the sweet face of Elizabeth, then quickly glances away.  The pain is unbearable. Oh, what she would give to turn back time and re-live the past year! 

               As soon as breakfast is cleaned up, Mary runs outside, eager to escape the house.  She must brush the horses and collect eggs from the hens.  She does each chore with a renewed energy; so eager to please this new family who kindly took her in when she was not wanted in Salem.  As she is strolling past the corn fields, she again sees William Moore, and another figure next to him.  Mary’s heart jumps with excitement.  Is it Peter?!  Peter comes to assist William a few days a week during harvest season.  He has been her friend since childhood, and lately, she has felt something more than friendship.  Through the trials, she secluded herself from everyone- even him.  After the trials ended, he insisted she tell him the full story- start to finish- with every detail. He is also the one who got her this job with the Moores.  Because he had worked for them all his life, he knew they would be kind enough to take her in.  On numerous occasions she had broken down in front of him, and he had been nothing but supportive.   He is the only person who truly knows her.  Mary gazes witsfully at him, and hopes he will come down to visit her after he finishes in the fields! 

           She takes an extra long time in the barn, carefully counting and collecting the hens’ eggs.  Just as she is about to give up and head back to the house, she hears the barn door creak open.  She looks behind her to see a tall, handsome figure coming towards her.  She goes to greet him.  “Good evening, Peter.” 

“Good evening, Mary.  How are you?”

“I-I am fine.”

Peter hears the hesitation and stuttering in her voice.  He knows she struggles every day with the grief of the trials. 

“Mary, I have been thinking.  Since the execution of John, you haven’t been the same. I see you walk around every day as if you were carrying bricks upon your shoulders.  And, in a way, you have been carrying something very heavy: the burden of death.  But it’s not fair to place the blame entirely on yourself.  It anyone caused the death of John Proctor and all the others, it was Abigail.”

Mary starts to cry, a surge of pent up misery escaping her.   

Peter responds, saying, “You need to go to Elizabeth.  Beg for her forgiveness.  Mary, I know she would give it to you.  She is truly a Christian woman.  I’ve known her all my life, and so have you.  She does whatever is right, even if it isn’t easy.  And it is right to forgive you.” 

Mary’s sobs become heavier.  “I can’t! I can’t go to her! She hates me! I murdered her husband!” 

Peter takes her by the shoulders.  “Mary, I know this is hard.  It was a horrible thing all you girls did.  But you have to realize, it wasn’t completely your fault.  Abigail Williams was an evil, manipulative person.  Everyone was terrified of her- she was threatening to kill you if you didn’t do what she demanded!” 

Mary’s nods her head in agreement, the tears still streaming down her face.   

Peter looks straight into her eyes. “Salem is a mere half an hour away. I know the Meier family; I used to work for Henry Meier.  He is a good man, and since he married Elizabeth, she and her boys seem content.  He takes very good care of her.  She has put her past behind her, and you should, as well.  I'll take you to Salem.” 

Mary wipes her reddened eyes and looks up at him in awe.  “Why would you do that, Peter?”

Peter’s rough, callused hand reaches for hers.  “I want to see you happy, Mary, and I know that will never happen if you don’t put the past behind you.  Mary, I…I love you.” 

She gazes into the intensity of Peter’s chocolate brown eyes.   A flood of emotion overcomes Mary.  A smile tentatively spreads across her face, and as Peter sees this, his knitted brow relaxes.  Mary takes a deep breath, and lets out a sigh.  “I have loved you for as long as I can remember, Peter.”

They look tenderly at each other.  Peter responds, saying, “Well, let’s go there right now.” 

Peter and Mary fetch the Moore's best traveling horse, Rebecca.  Peter's strong hands help Mary up onto the silver mare, and their means of transportation to Salem.  She puts her arms around his shoulders and they gallop past the fields of golden corn, towards their ultimate destination.  She feels a sense of exhilaration as the powerful wind whips her hair across her face.  It seems to whisper in her ear, “Mary, find the strength…find the strength…”  She will.  She will face Elizabeth, and the rest of Salem.  She will repent for her sins; and make it up to them.  She is determined do whatever it takes to complete this journey to forgiveness.

The Crucible Essay-

Rachel Forcillo

Mr. Provenzano

Honors American Literature

10^th October 2011

John, Abigail, and Reverend Hale Cause the Witch Trials

            The Crucible, written by playwright Arthur Miller, is a story of betrayal, passion, and the societal struggles of colonial New England.  It starts off with an act of adultery between a farmer, John Proctor, and a seventeen year old, Abigail Williams.  This, in itself, is a huge mistake.  After the affair ends, John takes another misstep in not being firm with Abby that he has no feelings for her.  Abigail intends to kill Elizabeth, his wife, and she tries to conjure spirits to do that.  Reverend Hale, a knowledgeable minister, is called in when the question of witchcraft comes up.  He confirms it, then makes people admit to “trafficking with the Devil”.   John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale cause the witch trials occur. 

            In the beginning of the story, Abigail attempts to kill Elizabeth by drinking blood in the forest.  When her cousin, Betty, suddenly falls ill, and “unnatural causes” are said to be the reason, Abigail gets very nervous.  She is nervous because all her friends know what she did.  At any time, they could reveal this information to Parris (her uncle), and Abigail would be in serious trouble.  To prevent this from happening, she intimidates the witnesses of this event, murmuring, “Now look you.  All of you.  We danced.  And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters.  Let you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shutter you…” (Miller, 20).  This quote reveals Abigail’s willingness to use violence as a tool to get what she wants.  She wishes for John to leave his wife behind, and she knows he would never do it- so her plan is to kill Elizabeth.  When Betty falls ill, and she is pointed at as the one who caused it, Abigail knows she must keep her reputation sterling.  If they find out she was attempting to conjure spirits in the woods, they would never believe another word she said, and she would have no chance in using lies to bring Elizabeth down.  This violent willingness extends to not only kill her peers, but also to her elders.  If other people must be condemned to death before Elizabeth can be accused, so be it. Abigail will do anything to keep her honest reputation in order to reach her ultimate goal of destroying Elizabeth.   Throughout the play, she threatens these girls into doing what she tells them.  This consists of accusing innocent people of witchcraft, including Elizabeth.  Abigail’s fierce leadership and determination to get what she wants is the main cause of the witch trials. 

            Hale is called by Parris to come in and resolve this talk of witchcraft.  Parris really does this simply to confirm that there are no witches present in Salem, so everything will return back to normal and no one will doubt his power as a minister.  Reverend Hale of Beverly, who is a specialist in diagnosing witchcraft, comes in and states that signs of the devil are present in Betty, Parris’s daughter.   Hale accuses Abigail of witchcraft, and then Abigail throws the blame upon poor Tituba, the household slave.  Hale confronts her, saying, “You have sent your spirit out upon this child, have you not?  Are you gathering souls for the Devil?” (Miller, 44). Hale then goes on to threaten her- he uses fear as a tool to get Tituba to confess to witchery.  Though she is completely innocent, and Abby is the one who attempted to conjure spirits in the woods, Tituba can’t make people believe her.  In those days, there was no question of a slave’s word over a white girl’s.  There is absolutely no use in accusing Abby.   Tituba is greatly frightened of the consequences Reverend Hale will bring upon her if she doesn’t confess.  She has no other defense except to falsely admit her involvement in witchery.   If Hale had never come to Salem and pointed out that the Devil was among them, Abigail wouldn’t have been questioned, and then charged Tituba with the crime.  The confession of Tituba led to the accusal of others, which caused the trials.                             

          The reader learns fairly early on in the story about an affair between Abigail and John Proctor.  The details of the affair, though, are learned a little later on.  When Mary Warren, the Proctor’s servant, returns from Salem to the Proctor’s home, she fills John and Elizabeth in about the trials.  They are shocked to find out that some have actually been accused, and John is furious with Mary that she is associated with the condemnation of innocence people.   Mary mentions that she saved Elizabeth’s life by arguing that she was a good Christian, unassociated with the Devil.  Elizabeth is especially taken aback, because she knows exactly who brought her name up in the trials- Abigail Williams.  Elizabeth and John, quite uncomfortably, begin discussing the affair.  Elizabeth tells him he must go to Salem and crush whatever hopes Abigail might have for him.  John denies he gave Abigail a reason to hope, and Elizabeth, insistent, says, “John- grant me this.  You have a faulty understanding of young girls.  There is a promise made in any bed- spoke or silent, a promise is surely made.  And she may dote on it now-she surely does-and thinks to kill me, then to take my place” (Miller, 60).  Elizabeth is trying to convince John that Abigail needs closure to the relationship.  She knows John has not been firm enough in saying he doesn’t want to be involved with her. Now that Mary Warren has confirmed the seriousness of the witch trials, Elizabeth suspects Abigail is after her life, intending to accuse Elizabeth. Though John refuses to believe it, Abigail still has feelings for him.  John, through the affair, has captured the intense love of Abigail, and has unintentionally given her expectations for them as a couple.   After the affair, he was not clear in that he felt purely lust-not love-for her.  If the affair between Abigail and John had never have taken place, Abigail wouldn’t have had a reason to conjure spirits in the woods, nor to pursue the witch trials.  Therefore, John is a huge cause of the trials. 

            The cumulative actions of John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale cause the Salem Witch Trials.  Abigail’s affair with John causes her to fall in love with him.  It’s her nature to get what she wants, and what she wants is John.  The measures she takes to do this in the beginning lead to the question of witches, which Hale confirms.  Next, Hale uses intimidation to make Tituba confess.  Abby then takes over, accusing others of the crime, which ultimately leads to the trials and death of innocent citizens of Salem, Massachusetts. 

Works Cited

Miller, Arthur.  The Crucible.  New York:  Penguin Group, 1976.  20-44.  Print.

Crucible Post 2

At one point, proctor tells Hale that he believes in witches, even though he does not.  Would you be willing to lie and tell people you believe in something you do not in order to protect yourself? Why or why not?


            If I was John Proctor in that situation, I would have lied to Hale. Religion was the basis of life in Salem, and to tell someone you didn't believe in witches would be akin to saying you didn't believe in God. In Act 2, when Reverend Hale comes to inquire about the piety of Elizabeth and John he brings up the subject of witches. John tries to avoid the confrontation, saying things like "…the bible speaks of witches, and I will not deny them" (Miller, 69).  Hale then questions Elizabeth.  Elizabeth replies, “If you think I’m one, then I say there are none.”  Hale, appalled, cries “You surely do not fly against the Gospel, the Gospel-” John, in her defense, declares “She believe in the Gospel, every word!” (Miller, 70). This conversation reveals exactly how seriously people took religious belief and devotion.  It was a sin not to believe in witches.   In this situation, John was trying to convince Arthur of their piety, and he lied for him and Elizabeth because he knew the consequences would be severe if they told the truth.

             Elizabeth did the brave, morally correct thing by standing up for what she believed in. John told a lie, the more submissive, yet sensible thing to do.  He simply wanted to protect Elizabeth and his self from the persecution that would come about if the word got out they didn't believe in witches. Though I wish I could be courageous and strong like Elizabeth, I cannot truthfully say I would act the way she did.  If it were a critical fate determining situation, like the one Proctor was in, I would most likely falter and lie to save myself.