The familiar greeting “Good morning Wachusett staff and students!” marks the start of morning announcements. They highlight recent sports outcomes, athletes of note, school events, and club meetings. However, a growing lack of attentiveness to school news has resulted in many effects across the building.
“I don’t pay attention to the announcements,” said senior Matthew Curtis. “Usually I’m talking to friends and don’t care enough about what they have to say.”
Freshman Matt Case agreed.
“I have a lot of friends in my classes. We talk during announcements, and I get distracted from them,” said Case.
Other students expressed interest in what the announcements have to say, but are unable to listen.
“It depends on the noise level of the classroom,” said junior Antoni Witwicki. “There is a lot of talking going on making it hard to hear. The teachers don’t quiet us down either.” Witwicki shared more about how announcement topics may increase engagement level.
“I definitely want to listen to the announcements if they discuss topics that interest me. But I don’t feel like they do that often,” said Witwicki.
In contrast math teacher Sarah Keene makes a point to hear announcements every morning.
“I always listen to announcements. My classes seem quiet enough this year to be able to listen, so I haven’t had to quiet them down yet,” said Keene. “In previous years though I had to, in order to hear.”
Recent changes to the cafeteria and the main office area have added televisions displaying school information or fun facts.
“I look at the TVs when passing by or occasionally when I’m in the cafeteria,” said Witwicki. “Sometimes it’s nice to get cool info or a random fun fact during the day.”
Keene said she has had a less profound experience with the school televisions.
“I look at the TVs when making copies or doing something mundane. It’s just something to look at. It doesn’t really have an impact on me,” said Keene.
Assistant Principal Josue Delgado said the TVs are helpful in the school.
“I think the TV’s are a great thing. Information gets out to students and it doesn’t have to be said just once or twice,” said Delgado.
Principal Michael Pratt talked about getting students involved in TV advertising at school.
“I like the TVs, but we don’t maximize their use. They were put in place to improve communication through different avenues. We are thinking of implementing student internships to manage the TV news,” said Pratt.
Sophomore Greta Dionne had ideas for better use of the TVs.
“I think the TVs should be utilized better,” said Dionne. “An option could be showing off the Wachusett social media posts.”
A lack of attentiveness to morning announcements across the school has also had effects on clubs.
Keene was the former head of the tricking club, and noted a lack of new students as well as low attendance. She shared some potential causes of this issue.
“I think the main problem is that there are no late buses, especially for underclassmen. They don’t have a ride home and therefore can’t attend,” said Keene.
Pratt explained late buses would not be a possibility.
“The main issue is a lack of late transportation, but I do not have a solution for that right now. Late buses are not an option at this moment due to expenses and driver shortages. The best idea would be to embed more time in the school day for club meetings. Continue with activity periods or develop a better method,” said Pratt.
Several students gave recommendations to improve club attendance.
“I think putting up more posters around the school could be helpful,” said Case.
Witwicki said technology should be easier to utilize for discovering clubs.
“I looked online because I heard about clubs. The website was so hard for me to navigate and find details, because not all the running clubs or information were listed on the website. I think the club tabs should be redesigned, and it should be shared during announcements that the website page has been changed,” said Witwicki.
Business teacher Mark Kent commented his view on the matter stating “Clubs should be more accessible, maybe by sending out student interest forms and having representatives for a club fair? It’s hard to assemble a club without that communication.”
Delgado said teachers should be more proactive in using their voices to share about the clubs they lead.
“We need to make sure that kids get involved, but it isn’t easy sometimes,” said Delgado. “Adults need to promote their clubs in class, and some do a good job of that. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool.”
