by Alyssa Miller ’13

It all started with the “academies,” in which the Class of 2013 was required to sign up for courses based on a particular academic concentration. When the school realized the academies were unpopular and inconvenient, they were quickly made optional. Although that idea failed, the introduction of the academies began a pattern in which the same class remained the chosen “test subjects” for all of Sherwood’s and MCPS’ latest and greatest ideas.

The next significant change occurred with a sudden reduction in available courses. Past students had a variety of classes available to take for their tech credit, whereas the Class of 2013 had only two. Having only Foundations of Technology and Engineering may have been a bummer, but at least the Class of 2013 had prom to look forward to, right?

Wrong. Junior prom kicked the bucket just when our class finally became eligible to attend the event. Just a year later, we are now the first class required to apply for college online. A paperless application may sound convenient, but the idea has a few minor drawbacks in that nobody actually knows how to apply, the school is still learning, and already clueless parents and students are even more lost than before. Yes, change is a necessity in the ever-growing community of MCPS, but is it really necessary to try out every idea on the poor guinea pigs of 2013?