It seems as though Haslett High School is being obsessively bombarded with one progressive movement after another. With the start of the 2011-2012 school year was introduced the “academic integrity” push, which resulted in a variety of responses. Most were of students venting their frustration and annoyance of being incessantly reminded to be “respectful, responsible, and successful” by every one of their teachers every day of the first week of school.

This isn’t the first mass movement students have been affected by that school leaders have afflicted upon us. With the 2008-2009 school year, only a few years back, began the “green school” undertaking. As an 8th grader that year, I wasn’t able to catch the buzz about how high school students felt about the school’s endeavor. Nevertheless, it was just another cliche idea the school felt it needed to ingrain in our heads. It’s no wonder that by the time this year’s academic integrity jazz was forced upon us, little tolerance was given.

This isn’t to say that the green school movement is necessarily bad. I don’t think anyone can disagree that recycling and conserving energy in classrooms and whatnot is counterintuitive in any way, just as it’s expected that students refrain from cheating and do their own work. However, when a large body attempts to enforce policies and ideals onto the impetuous, free-thinking and often not-completely-developed brains of high schoolers, all madness breaks loose. As young people in a world that always seems to be telling us what to do, rebellion instantaneously develops if the school tries to impose rules based on beliefs and theories.

Either that, or we’ll forget about it altogether. I often have to be reminded that we are a “green school.” Yet, it means nothing to me. Just as “respectful, responsible, blah blah blah” means nothing to me. The teachers ranted for days about how we should act and live, but nothing changed in me. I had no sudden alteration of heart. I’m still responsible and studious. I also know most of the hardcore cheaters in the building stared blankly at the teachers preaching academic intergrity, then turned away and went right back to cheating. You can’t expect us crazy teenagers, as a whole, at least, to turn into little angels the moment the administration begs for us to be better students. Sometimes I wish it could happen, but it is just not the way humanity functions.

Back to being green, though. Haslett becoming a green school will not change the world. I know that those who are convinced the world is ending at this very second and are frantically planting trees so we don’t run out of our oxygen supply would like to think so. Nevertheless, this is nothing of urgency. Besides, there is not much our school as a single entity will be able to do to further a global cause. Even if many schools do participate in the movement, not everyone will. And even if every single public school on the planet conforms…then what? Will instantaneous healing of the Earth occur? Will healing even occur at all? Because, if I’m not mistaken, all the factories puking toxic chemicals into the air and the paper plants cranking through forests of trees to produce materials will not cease to do what they do. A mass movement like such would spur a war of mentalities, metal on metal, which inevitably would lead to stalemate. Nothing would get done.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for helping the environment. But I believe we as individuals can all play our part in deciding what’s best for the planet. We don’t need governments and administrations telling us to turn off lights when you’re not in the room or to recycle. We don’t need staff begging us not to cheat. The cheaters will learn for themselves that their method is highly unreliable, especially in the real world, where getting caught is ensured.

We can figure these things out for ourselves. We’re young, innovative thinkers. We need some breathing space, and we need to be able to learn some lessons independently.