Which School is Better, Bigger or Smaller
By Naomi Sullivan
Bigger or smaller school? Which one is better for the students' education and mental health? Addisyn Sydow, a sophomore at Omaha Westview, gives her life views of being in a school that contains around 1,500 to 1,600 students.
“My day to day schedule for school consists of school starting at 7:40 a.m.. I only have four classes a day, but different classes every other day on block scheduling. I would say on average each class has about 39 people. Lots of my classes are on different ends of the school and with only five minutes and with almost 1,200 students in the hallway let's say passing periods are not the smoothest, so it is very challenging to get to class on time. When it comes to classes that are offered, almost anything is available.”
She goes on to say, “Personally, classes that I take that not a lot of other schools offer would be my environmental classes, like AP environmental sciences and clean energy. Those classes are a part of the pathways offered at our school. A lot of other kids take intro to medical terms, engineering and research. I’m also part of extra activities including student ambassadors, where we do lots of work for the school and the nearby community. I’m in student council where we put together lots of school events and fundraising.”
Does having additional classes make a larger school more of an advantage than a smaller school like Pierce Jr. Sr. High School?
Savannah Beutler, a sophomore at Pierce Jr. Sr. High School states her thoughts on the differences between the schools. “Personally I like Pierce’s schooling better more because of the block scheduling instead of having eight or nine periods, and I feel it would be easier to get homework wise and more time to get it done. Also passing periods are a lot easier because we do not have that many people passing through the halls.”
Does school size help with students' mental health? Sydow says, “I think going to a bigger school has both its advantages and disadvantages. It can be really good for students socially, but at the same time it can be really overwhelming, so I think it really just depends on the person and the school environment.”
