Chromebooks cause more harm than good
By Fiona Ashury, Opinions Editor
December 23, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
The typical school day includes going to class, listening to lectures and taking notes. But what if that giant backpack full of papers and notes disappeared and was replaced with one computer? This is a reality, CHS, and it’s called a “Chromebook.” Chromebooks, Google drive accounts, and Google...
Clubs not always started for wrong reason
By Fiona Asbury, Opinions Editor
November 20, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
Seventy-five SSL hours is a burdensome requirement for many MCPS students, but an easy enough feat to accomplish. Although nowhere in the graduation requirements does it call for a student to start his own club, volunteer regularly at a retirement home and protest for equal pay, more and more CHS students...
Social media new medium for censorship
By Fiona Ashbury, Opinions Editor
October 27, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
Twitter. It’s a quick, easy way for news to spread and ideas to be shared. At the Observer we use our @CHS_Observer account as one more way to communicate with the CHS community in an informative and relatively light-hearted way. However, on Sept. 29, this social network became a way for our rights...
School rankings neglect true performance
By Fiona Ashbury, Opinions Editor
June 5, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
According to the U.S. News Best High Schools list, 95 percent of CHS students scored at the proficient level in English, 97 percent of students scored proficient in Algebra and CHS received a score of 85.2 in college readiness. As for our overall ranking, zero. Unranked and unrecognized, CHS is...
College admissions shouldn’t favor race
By Katie Clem, Production Manager
June 3, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
Fifty years ago on July 2, the iconic Civil Rights Act was passed. This act was the first and most well-known attempt at creating equality among people of different races. However, three years before that, the first mention of affirmative action was in John Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925. Affirmative...
Test change will not live up to expectations
By Fiona Asbury, Opinions Editor
April 21, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
The HSA, the MSA, the SAT, the ACT and now the PARCC. The lives of students at CHS are cluttered with the acronyms of standardized testing. With the alphabet soup comes the inevitable doubt: How much is too much? Test after test, students’ patience is wearing thin. In a generation obsessed with gat...
Creativity is key to thriving on social media
By Greer Smith, Opinions Editor
February 27, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
Social Media sites seem to be endless these days: Twitter, Vine, Tumblr, Instagram, and the most ubiquitous, Facebook. According to a February 2014 ABC.com article, Facebook has 1.23 billion users and 46.6 percent of North America uses it. Surprisingly enough, even with these staggering statistics...
Handing up campaign has its pros and cons
January 7, 2014
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
Living outside of DC in a highly-populated area, we have all had some sort of exposure to people who are homeless. Often, one feels compelled to put some money in an outstretched cup or extended hand for a fellow human down on his or her luck. Apparently, that is not the way to go. Sadly, there are...
CHS should mourn national tragedies
By Gil Jacobson, Production Editor
December 20, 2013
Filed under Observer Opinion, Online Exclusives, Opinions
Any ordinary Friday morning would involve classes starting smoothly at 7:25 and the Daily Dose airing for the last five minutes of fourth period. However, this was no ordinary Friday morning. Or at least it should not have been. CHS did nothing to even recognize Nelson Mandela’s recent death,...
Cell phone policy is great in moderation
By Greer Smith, Opinions Editor
November 26, 2013
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
It is a glorious time to be a student at CHS. The constricting bonds regarding electronic use during school hours have been loosened. According to the CHS website, a new policy allows students to use electronic devices between class periods and during class with teacher permission. Thanks to this new...
CHS, it’s time to show your spirit
October 30, 2013
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
CHS was yet again ranked the number one high school in Maryland based off reading and math scores, college readiness, and student-to-teacher ratio. Yet, despite our high standings, we rank low when it comes to widespread school spirit. If someone were to walk into a CHS classroom and ask for a show ...
Sitting or Standing, students deserve respect
By Greer Smith, Opinions Editor
September 24, 2013
Filed under Observer Opinion, Opinions
The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written Sept. 8, 1892 with several additions made over the years. The version used today, with the words "under God" and the act of standing in salute to the flag on the wall was proposed and finally settled on in 1954. For some people, the Pledge is a way for them...