(By Logan Johnson/Student contributor)
By AMBER HOLT
Contributions by MATT McQUAIDE and GABE DRESBACH
Student contributors
A new rule has been established recently regarding Cranberry High School students staying after school for long periods of time.
This rule affects students who wish to attend Varsity sporting events without a ride. Students will no longer be allowed to stay after school for events later in the day.
Many students have questioned why this rule was put into place and are upset about it.
Collin Zerbe, a freshman athlete, said, ”It should change because it is good for support of our varsity athletics.”
Other students view this new rule as a hassle. For those who find it difficult to get a ride, staying after school until a game or practice has been an option up until now.
Some also think that it’s pointless to go home just to go back to school.
Bradley Thompson, a junior at Cranberry, said,”I don’t understand why it stands and it should be changed because only a fraction of the students can drive and they all want to see their friends play.”
Coaches have offered their opinions on the subject matter as well.
Patrick Irwin, Cranberry’s boys’ basketball coach, stated, ”With kids living in different areas and considering the size of our district, there isn’t any way to transport the kids to a game, practice, or home. As a whole, the student should have a ride.”
Mike Highfield, coach for boys’ golf, had different thoughts about the rule.
“I feel that some students dislike it,” Highfield commented. “Because he or she likes to stay after to talk to their friends longer or stay to walk around the gym. For example, if you were to stay for a sport, then a[n] administrator or some sort of staff member should be there. If you were to stay for activity period, you need to stay in that room.”
With all the questions as to why this rule came into place, athletic director Brad Earp explained, ”Personally, I find it as a safety rule, not only that I don’t have to be stressed about kids possibly getting hurt. We do try to have junior practice right after school so that the parents only have to go one way.”
Ritt Smith, principal at CHS, also explained the safety issues of staying after unchaperoned.
“If there was a student that were to stay at a game without a chaperone, there is a possibility that they could get hurt without acting in a bad manner. Example, if they were to stay from 3:30 to say 6 without a supervisor, a staff member, I see it as more of a safety issue. They could fall and have no one around and that would fall on me.”
With that being said, students are no longer allowed to stay unchaperoned for games that start at 5 or 6 p.m. Students will have to produce their own rides to attend varsity sporting events.
Amber Holt, Matt McQuaide, Gabe Dresbach and Logan Johnson are students at Cranberry High School and members of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications class.
