BY NIKOLAS JAMROG, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD -- Blythewood has experienced change since last school year in technology, student influence, and student accessibility thanks to the adjustments principal, Dr. Brenda Hafner, has made.
There have been an incomparable amount of changes in the school that Dr. Hafner has been able to bring with her first year.
Dr. Hafner explained how she wanted to increase school spirit as well as have multiple ways students could appreciate their peers who participate in athletics as well as student made productions.
“We’ve had TVs removed and replaced with big screens with new software that allows us to broadcast student works, such as the morning news, athletics, etc,” Dr. Hafner said.
As a result, there have been people who have agreed with the changes made about the school, specifically in terms of food and snack availability.
“Vending machines are a positive adjustment because of the greater availability of healthy food offered up to the student body, including healthier chips and protein bars,” sophomore Ellen Sullivan said.
However, others disagreed.
“Food conditions have gotten worse because there are things, such as Hardees biscuits and Chic-fil-a sandwiches, that are not available as well as the elimination of sports candy fundraising, which was beneficial to both the student and the team because it raised money for all sports,” sophomore Grant Burdette said.
Dr. Hafner also described how she has been able to gain student input on how to improve the school overall.
“I look to the students for ideas to help improve the school very often, both through email and talking to students at athletic events, such as volleyball and football games,” Dr. Hafner said.
Dr. Hafner also hinted at the possibility of having a dance the week of the Blythewood vs Westwood football game.
While issues may occur during this time, such as immense amounts of tardies due to the increase in lunch time and decrease in time going from lunch to 5th period, Dr. Hafner is optimistic when approaching these situations.
“We usually have multiple meetings and brainstorming sessions throughout each week to try to fix problems, such as the tardies after lunch, as well as assessing situations daily to see what we can do to make sure everything moves smoothly throughout the week,” Dr. Hafner said.
While some modifications have been made to Blythewood that people both agree and disagree with, many adjustments and improvements to this school are coming soon.
