Assembly Appreciation? Absolutely Absent

What feels better than sitting on a plastic bench pressed against one hundred of your classmates every month until a school year ends? Some might say its worth it, while most just have to endure the torture known as assemblies.

There is some logic of having assemblies such as offering a time where important information can be shared to the masses easily and celebrations of sorts. However, with that being said, are they really worth it or even necessary? 

Chaos as students attempt to play a trivia game.

School assemblies, while intending to be beneficial, can present several challenges. These can include disruption of valuable instructional time, physical discomfort for students from prolonged seating in large groups, and student disengagement towards school-based activities. 

Additionally, assemblies offer hurdles and frustration towards the people that plan them as well, since a large amount of time and effort goes into creating these events that are often overlooked. For example, the student board has to come up with multiple games to play during each assembly, which may seem fun and engaging, but many do not want the responsibility of participating in them. One student states, “The assemblies are just boring and I don’t like the fear of being called on for the little games that we do.” Despite the hard work put forth by the EAC, this quote shows how much of it is wasted due to unwilling participants. 

EAC begs for participations for musical chairs.

In similar fashion, many students hold a grudge against assemblies because they take precious time away from their work and lunch in exchange for an assembly that, as another student exclaimed, “could be in a student square post.” These feelings towards assemblies among the student body highlight the lack of effectiveness the assemblies have on students as a whole. Despite being created to bring students together and inform them about current events at school, the assemblies have begun to represent a headache for many, and it is difficult to find someone who actually fully enjoys them. 

Ultimately, for many students, the experience of assemblies is characterized by boredom and anxiety, sparking debate about whether the intended benefits outweigh the negative impact on their daily school lives.