Open Campus Essay, Research Paper

Westview High School is a closed campus school, which limits the freedom and

movement of students through out the day. While millions of other students around

the country enjoy a open campus. We are trapped in the same routine day after day.

We see the same people everyday, eat the same caritiria food, and walk the same

crowded halls.

First off Westview, like many other schools, is full of kids who get too stressed

out by the long days, and sometimes just feel the need to take a break from their

hectic day. They want to escape away from the same environment they have been

coped up in since the beginning of the year. Open campus can give them the

opportunity to leave for their hour lunch period to recoup, at home, or at a near by

restaurant or where ever else they choose. I do recognize that they could take

advantage of this privilege very easily. However I think it can also be a privilege that

can control their urges to skip.

Where they go while using their open campus brings me to my next point. Most

kids choose to go to their local restaurant, fast food, grocery store, or cafe. This helps

the economy in a big way. Teens play a huge role in the economy. Especially teens of

the baby boomers who are the widest rage of people who take part in our economy.

Students do have many responsibilities that they need to accomplish, and some

just can’t succeed at school. As distractions get in the way, and at home they feel

better taking care of their obligations. I think as growing adults we should be given the

freedom and privilege to have the opportunity to go places to get our responsibilities

done.

Of greatest significance Westview High School is a estimated amount of about

2,300 students, and staff of about 250. The school building itself can’t even fit this

many people, so much that we have brought in 19 portables over the growing years. I

know there is many of us who cant even stand the sight of a crowd. For some people it

makes them anxious and irritable. Open campus would clear out the halls, and

eliminate the traffic of students crawling into the student center, making school a

more comfortable habitat.

I do see a down side of this is students staying out too long possibly missing

classes, being late to class or even just takeing advantage of open campus and

skipping. This causes a problem, but they will pay the consequences of their poor

judgment and behavior and learn. It’s something they will have to get used to in life,

and just another responsibility they will have to take on.

As you can see I feel strongly about the argument of Westview having open

campus. This is the best way for students to explore during a school day bringing

better income to local businesses, and learning how to become responsible people.

Remember taking away a student’s right to leave a place that he or she came to by

choice is a dangerous threat to liberty and goes against the very foundation that this

country was founded on. The dangers incurred by having too much liberty seem trivial

when measured against the horrible travesty of a lack of liberty. Thomas Jefferson

said it best “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much

liberty than those attending too small a degree of it”.