Most teenagers go through their high school careers not knowing what other schools have to offer. They blindly accept what is handed to them. If they only knew what other schools had to offer, then they could begin to challenge their own schools, to meet other higher standards. I had the opportunity to attend two very different high schools over the past four years. It astonished me to see how different each school is in itsŐ teaching atmosphere, student activities, and in its curriculum. My first three years of high school was spent at Irondequoit, in New York state. The last year I attended Venice High in Florida. I found that Irondequoit High, compared to Venice, provided its students with and overall better learning experience.

Irondequoit High School is located in a beautiful wooded suburb of Rochester, New Yourk. The teaching and learning atmosphere of this school is excellent. The class sizes are relatively small. Each class on the average consists of about twenty people. These small sizes make it easier to ask questions and obtain answers. With less people to deal with, students receive essential one on one attention with the teachers. Teachers and students get to know each other academically and personally. This bond that is formed helps make for a general feeling of comfort for both students and faculty.

On the whole, the faculty at Irondequoit High is very supportive and is genuinely interested in student ideas and interests. Because this school has an attendance policy, almost all kids come to school regularly. If a student has more than twelve unexcused absences, then the student is suspended for a certain number of days and he/she is at risk for expulsion. This strict rule is essential in providing that the students get the most out of their high school experience. Irondequoit does not tolerate those who do not wish to learn.

Student facilities and activities are an important part of the whole learning experience. Irondequoit offers many sports ranging from the less common, such as ice and field hockey, and lacrosse, to the common high school sports like football and base ball. These are only a few of the many activities students have to choose from. From looking at the sports fields, spectators are able to see how the school takes pride in appearance. Boys as well as girls sports fields are kept up to a tee. The grass is green, manicured, and the stands are in great condition.

Music and drama are also activities that are given much attention at Irondequoit. The pride of the drama and music departments is a musical that is put on each year. The school spares no expense at putting on a great show. In 1994 Irondequoit spent over fifteen thousand dollars in props, and hiring choreographers and instructors to ensure a professional show. Musicals each year have a great turn out and people from all over the community spend around five dollars each to support the show. In addition to the musical, the drama department puts on several other smaller cabaret theater shows during the course of the year. These productions are smaller in size and funding but are just as exciting.

The curriculum at Irondequoit is highly ranked and is not for those looking to "slide by." Because New York state has certain requirements, Irondequoit has to put its students to a challenge. Tests in every class are frequent and thorough. It is almost essential that students study for tests in order to ensure an acceptable grade. Although the tests are challenging, teachers do all they can such as holding review classes, in order to ensure their pupils the best grades possible. Teachers always seem to be looking to help a student out. In English class, it is required that at least ten essays be written per year. This requirement helps in building writing skills and responsibility.

Unlike Irondequoit, Venice High is located in a commercial area near one of the popular Florida beaches. The teaching and learning atmosphere here is not as structured as that of NY. The class sizes are fairly large. About thirty-three people on average are crammed into each class room. The large number of students per teacher makes it very difficult to get the attention that is needed. The large number of people in the room also make it difficult to even get to know everyone and their names. This goes for the students and teachers alike. The fact that teachers do not know pupils names, gives the student the sense of not being important.

The faculty at Venice is supportive, it is difficult however to reach each student with overloaded classes. One difference that stands out is, Venice students rarely worked together or do major projects. The teachers reasons for doing monotonous book work exercises is because there is not enough time and they are overloaded. Another major difference is Venice has no attendance policy. Kids are able to miss or skip as much school as possible without authorities ability to penalize them. Many students abuse this rule, causing a less serious attitude toward attendance.

Student facilities and activities, like Irondequoit, are important at Venice. Venice High has all the basic high school sports such as football and basketball. Although Venice does not offer any out of the ordinary sports, it does take pride in what it has. Nearly all the sports teams have new Adidas sportswear. The fields are well groomed and have a professional look to them. Although Venice is not outstanding at one particular sport (Irondequoit specializes at lacrosse), it has all around good facilities and teams.

The music and drama departments at Venice are lacking in some areas. For instance, there is no musical or any other large play that could even compare to Irondequoits yearly musical. During the course of the school year, the drama classes do put on about three short plays. The turn out at these events are not too good, only about seventy to eighty people show up. It seems that Venice does not encourage the arts like my other school does. There are fairly frequent band and orchestra concerts put on. These events also do not have good turnouts.

The most dramatic difference between the two schools is in the curriculum. I would rank Venice High's curriculum very low. The tests teachers give are generally infrequent and easy. Even though tests are simple, teachers tend to grade them on a curve. Students take advantage of this and do not study as hard or learn the material as well. Of course the school brags at their high grade standings, but in context it does not compare to Irondequoit. I found that it was not stressed that kids do projects or much homework for classes. In my senior English class, I did not write but one paper the entire year. Also compared to Irondequoit, the books we read were below our level. For example, I read Othello in my tenth grade regular English class at Irondequoit. In my senior advanced English I also read Othello.

Based on my own experiences from attending each school, I would definitely conclude that Irondequoit gives its students a better education. Irondequoit challenges its students with a tough curriculum, and exposes its pupils to a wide variety of culture such as music and the arts. I would encourage current high school students and their parents to look at other high schools and see were their alma mater stands. It is smart for a person to know what their school has to offer as well as what it lacks. In investigating other schools, it gives the student an opportunity to improve their own, to meet higher standards. It is essential in today's world that children get the best education they can get in order to stay competitive.