Camryn French, Catherine Venancio, and Caroline Lehman recently took to the ERHS hallways to get students’ feedback about how they really felt about our school. We wanted these interviews to be impromptu and informal to make giving feedback accessible for the student body. The casual and off the cuff nature of these interviews also made students answer honestly. 

We started out with asking more “neutral” or open to interpretation questions. These were “What do you think of how student government is run at Roosevelt?” Many students were unsure and did not know much about student government at all. Others said they thought it was run well, but that communication could be better. Senior Bitmia Gang was one of those individuals, saying she thought that communication about prom and graduation could be better. 

Our other neutral question was “If you could bring one thing to Roosevelt, what would it be and why?” Several students including Senior Mecca Lartigue noted windows. Freshman Mamadou Bah said he would like to see better lunch food. Senior Moheb Hanna noted the lack of activities for students this year, including those that “make students more engaged to the community around them.” 

Following our neutral questions, we asked some more hard-hitting questions that could be perceived as controversial or negative, but are that way for a reason. They must be asked in order to improve our school. One of which was “What do you think of the security guards blowing whistles at us in the hallway?” Student Isaiah Horne answered that it “scares some people” and that they should go about sending students to class in a different manner. Sophomore Logan Williams on the contrary does not have a problem with it and even thinks it’s “funny.” 

Our other controversial question was “Do you think students in the Science and Technology Program are more prioritized than non-Science and Technology students?” Sophomore Eshal Durrani said she had not seen differences, but thinks that “other people can be intimidated [by Science and Tech students].” Senior Sandra Tenorio Lopez said “most definitely.” She believes that ST students have access to more classes and internship opportunities. 

After those intense questions, we wanted to end on a positive note. We asked students two “positive questions.” One of which was “What is your favorite Roosevelt memory?” Sophomore Jada James said fall spirit week was hers. She noted that everyone was so “creative” and that “the energy at the [homecoming] game was fun.”