Blazers sound off on school issues

Does the current community service policy actually get students involved in their communities?

"The community service policy does nothing to encourage students to get involved in their community. You can get anything signed off for community service. For example, I got 100 hours for stage crew. That was a nice benefit for helping out the theater department, but I didn't really help out my community."
-Noah Simon, senior

"Installing this mandatory program for MCPS students forces them to get involved with their community. After a while, for some, being involved with the community becomes an appreciative experience that turns out to be more of a fun activity than a forceful one."
-Ashley Lau, freshman

Would you ever get a tattoo?

"I would definitely get a tattoo. In fact, I have plans to get one when I'm 18. Tattoos are a way to remind yourself of something really, really important forever."
-Lynn Abe, sophomore

"I would never get a tattoo for any reason. There are much better ways that people could express themselves. The process of getting a tattoo is a grueling and often times long, painful process of etching words or pictures on your body bit by bit. I would rather wear a colorful shirt or get a fake tattoo than get a real tattoo."
-Daniel Gillen, freshman

"I would get a tattoo if it had an important meaning to it. I think it would be wasted if the tattoo had no meaning at all."
-Pholy Mao, junior

Should KAZAA users be able to download music legallY?

"I believe that KAZAA and similar file-sharing programs provide a service to both the artists and the consumers. Artists are able to publicize their music, and consumers can conveniently obtain media that interests them. However, I do not think this service should be offered without a cost. Users should pay for membership to these peer-to-peer networks, and the artists and their supporting staff should receive a portion of this fee."
-Yeelan Ku, senior

"KAZAA should be legal because people are not taking the files from the Internet; they are sharing files with other KAZAA users. The record industries have made their CDs at outrageous prices of $18. KAZAA users will not buy such an overpriced CD when they can make their own using KAZAA. KAZAA should be kept legal for anyone who uses it."
-Monica Neal, freshman

"KAZAA users should not be able to download music because it is illegal. It has been said in many instances that the record companies and rock stars make too much money as it is, and that justifies downloading. The fact of the matter is that what they are doing is legal, and what downloaders do is illegal."
-Geoffrey Vaughan, senior

How do you feel about having a police officer in Blair?

"I do not think it is appropriate for an armed officer to be walking around the school. I definitely feel that he is there to scare students, not protect them. Blair has a security staff that I feel generally are fully interested in the safety of Blair students and do a pretty good job of carrying out their duties. I do not understand what more a cop could do to enhance the safety of the school."
-Nesim Serequeberhan, senior

"I feel safe having a police officer stationed at Blair. At the same time, it makes you wonder why. Is something so bad going to happen that a police officer has to be stationed here? He walks around Blair Blvd. with his gun, and when you see him, you get scared and feel that you're not in school anymore."
-Pamela Kennedy, junior

Will you go to Homecoming if freak dancing is banned?

"Freak dancing should be reserved for back alleys and cheap apartments. It's disgusting, crude and incredibly immature. Homecoming is a near-pointless endeavor, but freak dancing makes it a foul word. I've been to Homecoming once, and between the monotonous music and the offensive freak dancing, I could have retched in agony. Freak dancing is not an expression of self, it's an expression of media-manufactured promiscuity. There are no guarantees of my attending, but with freak dancing banned, it would certainly be more enjoyable and memorable."
-Kat Clark, senior

"If I pay up to $7 or $8 for a dance, I should be able to dance the way I feel."
-Aynalem Geremew, junior

"I will not go to Homecoming if freak dancing is banned because it will be no fun. Honestly, the whole purpose of going to dances, like Homecoming, is to get your freak on. In my opinion, taking that away from us is wrong because that's taking away our fun."
-Sophie Esparza, sophomore