CHLOE LI
Dear Mr. Jaurigue, Ms. Specter, Ms. Bernstein, Ms. Colgan, Ms. Wyman, Ms. Guy, and Mr. Payne,
My name is Chloe Li, and I'm currently a junior enrolled at Los Alamos High School. As a student seeking greater chances of success in the future for all students in our district, having a voice in the calendar for next year’s school year is something I feel extremely strongly about. Even though Calendars B and C provide their merits--like a lowered chance of burnout, for example--Calendar A is the best option for students because the more traditional calendar would provide greater opportunities for students to work at summer jobs and internships, positively affect students in extracurricular activities, and offers a much better schedule for high schoolers taking advanced courses.
One of the foremost benefits of Calendar A is the longer summer break, which allows students to more easily take on summer jobs and internships. Los Alamos is an extremely privileged town in that we have so many opportunities for our students to participate in summer jobs and internships, both of which provide valuable job experience and look amazing on resumes and applications. Not only that, but a great number of students already participate in student internships-- 1,800 students serve as interns at the Los Alamos National Lab alone, according to LANL’s official website. By following a balanced schedule with year-round school--as in, Calendar B--we sacrifice the benefits that our town provides us. Why should we take away valuable life experience from students with an already unpopular calendar schedule? By voting on Calendar B, you are not only voting for a heavily disliked schedule, but you are taking away our opportunities. Calendar C attempts to avoid the issue by keeping a longer summer break, but still faces the same problem as Calendar B-- only to a lesser extent. We still lose precious time to work at summer internships and jobs, as the school year in Calendar C extends into June. However, in return, we get a week of fall break in October, which may benefit our students in terms of mental health by preventing burnout. A week in the fall provides benefits for students, but Calendar A still achieves this benefit as there are 3 days, not including the weekend, for students to recharge and recover.
In addition, Calendar A not only benefits students by providing no loss of time for summer jobs and internships, but positively affects students in extracurricular activities. 52.3% of students participate in extracurricular activities in Los Alamos, as reported by the YRRS survey. Accommodating to these students is a must for the new calendar, and Calendar A stays consistent and predictable for students in extracurricular activities. Because Calendar A mimics the traditional schedule, no schedule changes for tournaments would be needed, avoiding any unnecessary absences from students. The additional days at the end of the year also give students opportunities to make up any possible absences.
Furthermore, Calendar A supports students on the high school level taking advanced classes, providing opportunity and quality education for students. 60% of students at Los Alamos High School take AP courses, as stated by U.S. News. This means that we must take into consideration the needs of our advanced students, and Calendar A accomplishes this the best by virtue of the other two calendars being insufficient for the success of our AP students. To start, Calendar B is a huge blow against the AP curriculum schedule. By having a balanced schedule, AP students and teachers are forced to learn and teach all of their material before the date of their AP exams with lessened time due to more frequent breaks. And even further, after AP exams are over, they are left with extra time to not do anything because they've finished covering their material. Calendar B would be a huge waste of time and cause stress for all students taking AP exams. Calendar C avoids the issue of wasting time after AP exams, but the increased frequency of week-long breaks cuts down time that AP students and teachers have to cover their material, much like Calendar B. Overall, Calendar A avoids that issue by not having as many week-long breaks, keeping time for AP students and teachers to learn material. The huge population of students taking advanced courses at the high school need to be heard, and at this stage in life, the ability to take advanced courses and perform well on the respective exams is crucial for the development, success, and opportunity of our high school students.
Calendar A is the most beneficial option for the future success of our students. By voting for Calendar A, you are voting for the success of your students in the future, and in the real world. Should we vote on Calendar B or C, the possibilities of students from Los Alamos County succeeding and having opportunities in the future are lessened. In no way are we, the students, going to have as much of a chance at success given that the school board votes on Calendar B or C. We must think of the future of the students, and by voting on Calendar A, we ensure a successful future for Los Alamos students.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Chloe Li
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