School Assemblies Drop in Popularity
NEIRAD enilno edition
What does Darien do with a school auditorium equipped to seat 1,104 people? Does it leave the facility untouched or do they put it to good use? One would assume a sizeable and lavish facility such as this would be utilized on regular intervals throughout the school year.
This luxurious auditorium was first introduced to the student body in the fall of 2005. The fragrance of newly furnished material still lingers in the musty air of this vast room, and layers of dust can often collect under the cushioned chairs due to lack of frequent use. The average student is reported to enter this location no more than four to five times a year, which includes attending Theater 308 productions in the fall and spring.
The reason for the lack of use is that school assemblies must meet a strict mandate to qualify for an in school event.
“The purpose of an assembly is to bring the school together for a common experience,” Principal Dan Haron said. “It has to be extremely important, or something that couldn’t otherwise be done in a small setting.”
Last year Darien High School had five school assemblies that included the entire student body. The events included the holiday concert, volunteer fair, Harlem Gospel Choir performance in honor of Black History month, Names Day, and the awards ceremony for juniors and seniors in May.
However, the number of school assemblies has significantly decreased over the course of several years. This year Names Day was only held for the freshmen class in October. The Black History Month Presentation on Feb. 12 was an invitational meeting during the last period of the day before February break. This year it was not a required school gathering as it has been in past years. Some teachers did not allow their students to attend the Black History Month assembly because it took time out of the class’ strict curriculum schedule. The Holiday Concert was a school- wide affair, but many students were absent because it was held the day right before winter vacation. Other students were performing in the event; therefore those individuals did not occupy one of the 1,104 seats available for use.
Neirad Enlino also has just learned the year-end annual awards assembly will not be held in the school day. Instead, the event has been moved to 7:30 p.m. on May 20.
Some individuals believe the dearth of school assemblies portends a loss to the sense of school community. “It's upsetting that we have this beautiful auditorium that those of us not involved in theater rarely see. I think assemblies will also encourage more school unity by bringing us all together in the auditorium,” sophomore Lily Boe said.
It seems as though the kinship enhanced by school-wide assemblies is being driven by the increase in the school population. According to Mr. Haron, congregating 1,308 students into the auditorium is not logistically possible due to a swell in population. The number of students attending Darien High School is rapidly growing. Therefore, the auditorium can no longer house all freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in its premises at one time.
The population increase is just one issue causing the dip in school assemblies. The challenges of taking time out of the school day to establish an assembly with a message intended for all grades has affected some clubs’ and organizations’ endeavors.
Seniors and Co-Presidents Grace Austin and Rachel Hathaway of Teen Peaceworks have been trying to book a school-wide assembly for three years. “The odds that the information we are giving out is getting to the people who really need it are slim. Interpersonal violence, although a sensitive topic, needs to be discussed and understood, or it will never really be prevented,” Hathaway said.
According to Principal Haron, there are alternatives for transmitting memos to the student body. In his opinion, one can effectively communicate through smaller settings. Options include the daily announcements, PowerPoint slides on the plasmas screens and posters in the hallways.
English teacher Lynda Sorensen, is an organizer of the Black History Month awareness organization. She believes there are other options besides school-wide gatherings, but is an adamant believer in fostering unity at DHS. “My wish, whether Black History Month or not, is coming together as a community,” Ms. Sorensen said.
Although the presentation put on by the Black History Month club was not a mandatory school-wide assembly, it was a success. Students and faculty members were reported to have filled the bottom level of the auditorium to its full capacity. Some seats on the top floor were also occupied as well. Ms. Sorensen was pleased by the wonderful attendance of roughly 500 individuals, and hopes this successful will promote more invitational assemblies. Although the entire school body is unable to fit into the auditorium, Darien Public School administrators must somehow be willing to promote assemblies in order to make our school an intimate society.
