With school coming to a close and the smell of summer in the air, no student has next year on their mind. Parties, summer camps, vacations and so many more things are being dreamt of right at this moment. If anything, the next school year is being dreaded by many. Instead of going with the normal school day activities next year, think of what can be changed.

The first thing that should be tackled is something so basic that would make a huge difference. Replace the stairs with escalators! Reitz is known to be the school on the hill and one of the biggest high schools around. This requires a ton of stairs. To save the hassle of rushing up and down stairs with the possibility of tripping and being embarrassed, put in escalators! A lot of students carry several books and other items so escalators would make their trip to their next class easier and faster. This would make our school more advanced and efficient with time.

Another fun difference that was semi-started this year is music playing in the hallways. Classical or “elevator” music is proven to gradually increase students’ focus and intelligence. Plus, it’s a nice change to the normal yelling that goes on in the hallway. Music can do amazing things, including putting a smile on someone’s face, or making someone’s day better. The music does not have to play all day; just during passing periods will make a difference. If not that, another option is to not have the normal bell ring but a neat ringtone sound just to switch things up in the hallways.

Ask any student in the school what their favorite period is and eight out of ten times they will answer with lunch. There has been an ongoing debate on what types of food should be served during lunch and the level of healthiness that each item contains for years now.

Instead of getting rid of all the junk food, how about giving students an option? A change in the cafeteria could be setting it up like a mall food court. The school board could build a mini food court with healthy options, but also add the normal fast food places as well. This would give kids a variety of food they could eat. Plus, it is like going off campus for food but not risking students’ lives.

Along with the addition of a few restaurants, instead of hiring new cafeteria cooks, hire some students and pay them. For example, if a student has C lunch, they can work at the restaurant through A and B lunch then eat during C if they had an open spot in their schedule. This would not only give kids an experience of a job and give them an idea of how to go about getting and keeping one, but it would also give them the chance to earn some money.

If not working in the food court, add a chance for internships during junior year. If kids see that they do not necessarily enjoy working at a fast food place or grocery store, they will buckle down and study more for their last two years in high school. This also gives them a chance to see what they would want to do or could do with their future and help prepare them more for college.

Also, instead of adding days to the end of the school year to make up for weather disasters, we could either add thirty minutes to the school day or even have Saturday school for half of the day. Getting it over with once it has happened rather than waiting for the nice weather to show up will keep students more focused. All anyone can think about when the sun shines and the temperature rises is not being in school which leads to laziness. So extend a few school days to add up to the required one hundred eighty instead of cutting into students’ and faculty’s summer vacation. Kids would rather sacrifice a couple of Saturdays than weeks added to the end of the year.

Talents and unique hobbies fill Reitz High School. The problem is, there is no way anyone can show their abilities to fellow peers. The simple solution would be to host an annual talent show. Perry Heights has a similar event called “Vaudeville” that many students are involved in and prove to be a hit. Holding a talent show would not only be fun, but it could raise money for the school. It is a way for students to express themselves and show everyone what they can do. There could also be a nice prize in the end for the winners of the show.

These are just some of the countless ideas that could change the school.

Along with these school uniforms, pushing the start of school back, bringing back soda, building a pool, and so many more ideas should be considered. It may take years for any of this to become a reality but the thought counts.