I am a lifelong resident of Oak Falls. I attended Katherine Morris Elementary School, John F. Kennedy Middle School, and Oak Falls High School. When I was a student, our class size was small—maybe 15 or 20 students. Unfortunately, my children do not have the same advantage. The classes at John F. Kennedy Middle School are now bursting. I believe something must be done.
With so many students in each class, teachers are no longer able to give personalized attention to their students. They cannot work with each student during class, nor can they help them one-on-one after school. This can frustrate both the teachers and students.
Over the past few years, the school district considered building a second middle school on the former property of the Oak Falls Library. While this was a good idea, the land proved to be too small to fit a school, a parking lot, and athletic areas. Another idea was to build an addition onto Oak Falls High School. Several school districts in our area have a combined middle school and high school, which has worked out very well. However, the high school is located on the west side of town, while most students live on the east side. Busing so many students across town during morning traffic was considered unfavorable and possibly dangerous.
The best course of action would be to build an addition onto the middle school. By adding 10 or 15 classrooms, class size would greatly diminish. With 10 or 15 more teachers, students could receive more personalized attention. In addition, the halls, cafeterias, and locker rooms would not be as crowded. In essence, students would simply be able to “spread out.”
Everyone in Oak Falls knows that something must be done. I believe this is the best possible situation for our students, teachers, and town. However, I am not the only one. As school board president June Rossi recently said in the middle school’s newsletter, “Our best—and only—option is to build on to the current middle school site.”
Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen
1
What is one reason the author believes that an addition should be built on to John F. Kennedy Middle School?
A.
The class sizes are currently too large.
B.
Other school districts have built additions.
C.
The high school's property is too small.
D.
Building a new school would be expensive.
1 answer
The correct answer is:
A. The class sizes are currently too large.
The author emphasizes that with so many students in each class, teachers are unable to provide personalized attention, which is a key reason for advocating the addition to the middle school.
1 answer
1 answer
1 answer
1 answer