OPRF has ushered in advisory periods. The addition of a few minutes means we as a school no longer have space in our lives for one of OPRF’s most iconic traditions: the morning announcements.

I remember being a freshman still unsure about his place in a large school, hearing the morning announcements on the first day. I remember the smile it brought to my face and those of my classmates, and the realization that OPRF is a kinder place than its cluttered hallways and constant commotion imply. Every time my classmates and I sighed at a bad pun or imitated the announcers’ cheery cadence, we grew a bit closer. We felt the makings of a community.

The benefits of the morning announcements were not constrained to their listeners. The announcers themselves, as alien as they may have seemed, all gained something from their positions. OPRF should strive to be a place where any student, no matter appearance, year, or status, can make their voice heard. 

In a literal sense, morning announcements gave that ability to a surprisingly diverse crowd. Actors, athletes, musicians, scholars, and more were all able to put their differences aside in the face of the microphone before them. It was a leadership opportunity through which all students could learn the integral life skill of public speaking.

The new arrangement isn’t necessarily more convenient. Reading morning announcements during advisory periods now shaves about five minutes off a short class time that could be filled with bonding time, social activities, and education about valuable subjects like college applications.

To revive the morning announcements would mean taking the burden of reading them off teachers and faculty, gaining a precious few more minutes for advisory periods, and exposing our students to the best jokes money can’t buy. 

Most importantly, it would mean breathing life back into an abandoned tradition.