by Maya Waldman
In a move that will save many juniors and seniors a dreaded extra trip, interim principal Mark Aronson began implementing a policy at the beginning of the third term where juniors and seniors no longer have to sign into the cafeteria when their teachers are absent.
According to campus aide John Staulo, the idea of juniors and seniors not signing into frees hasn’t been formally announced. “It’s official, but unofficial in the sense that nobody really knows about it yet,” Staulo said.
Prior to this change, upperclassmen were required to write their name and grade on a sign-in sheet so teachers could record attendance.
Adams House dean David Turcotte said he doesn’t believe student will notice a significant change. “All they had to do before was take a few seconds to sign in, and then they could leave. There isn’t a huge difference.”
“It’s weird that I didn’t even know about it, and I guess most of my friends don’t either,” said junior Tony Curtis. “I think it’s pretty cool to have that freedom, though.”
According to Turcotte, Aronson began by checking state regulations, and discovered that students whose teachers were absent didn’t have to sign in. He announced his findings to the faculty at a meeting earlier this semester.
Curtis said that now if he knows he has a free in the morning, he can just sleep in. “If I have one during the last block of the day, I can go home early, which is really nice.”
“We as faculty members trust and support the juniors and seniors, and they have definitely earned this privilege,” Beals House dean Scott Heslin said. “This absolutely has an impact on the student body, because it is source of motivation for freshmen and sophomores that look forward to this privilege.”
As the dean for the senior class, Turcotte added, “As students get older, they gain more wisdom about doing the right thing, and through this process, they earn more freedom.”