The Knightly News

Every morning at approximately 7:40AM, the day’s special events are presented to us in our homeroom classes.  They remind us of upcoming sporting events, themes of the week, and every so often let us come in a few minutes past the bell and blame it on a late bus.

Morning announcements are intended to be informative and brief.  Unfortunately, the messages as of late have been inconsistent with these tenants.  Superfluous information, shrill voices, and largely unfiltered messages have further tarnished the imperfect way in which news is relayed to the student body.  The current protocol to make an announcement is two pronged; one option requires approval only one day prior for pre-written messages to be voiced by the Advanced Broadcast students.  The second option requires that only the content of the message be approved, opening the floodgate for unprepared speakers and occasional rambling.

One problem that announcements present is a disruption to normally productive morning classes.  To the rows of seated, anxious students waiting to be tested, the announcements are a nuance, and the length of these messages presents an unnecessary distraction.

Due to the lax approval system, content has also become an issue.  The sometimes depressing and obnoxious messages delivered often leave students with mixed reactions as they sit down for first block.  Moreover, the inconsistency with the tone and volume of the speakers, sometimes rendering them incomprehensible, adds another dimension of irritation to the already strange messages.

Yet, the bearers of these messages are not the only ones at fault here.  The answer to many of these issues lies with a heavier hand from advisors and administration.

One solution could be to do away with announcements all together.  But, if morning announcements are absolutely crucial, then the information must be both filtered and made more accessible.  If the announcements were to continue, those in gym or the LDH for first block should not be out of the loop simply due to their location.  One possible remedy to this issue is using the TV monitors to broadcast the most important announcements; students already scan the screens daily to see which teachers are absent, so it is already part of their routine to get information this way.  Clubs whose messages aren’t listed on the TVs or whose leaders are deemed unable by administration to speak on the loudspeaker can use social media and other forms of mass communication to get their information out.  The Advanced Broadcast students or an annually student elected speaker could take over all announcements, eliminating the voice related problems and unfiltered content.

The validity of announcements would be greatly enhanced if these suggestions were heeded.  Better scanning the messages, using alternative methods of communication and fixing the roster of speakers could eliminate some of the current issues with the morning messages.  If not, there are more effective ways to inform the student body.