The new school year has begun and the freshman class president and vice president have recently been elected. Students at Hellgate must consider the impacts of decisions made by both the student government and the adults in charge at our school. A key concept within the education system, not only here, but all over the world, is finances. A school cannot function without proper funding. We, as a public school, are using our citizens’ tax dollars and thus we must be pensive and communicate thoroughly about where our funding would be most valuably spent.
The 2026 homecoming dance organized by Hellgate parents and hosted at the UC Ballroom was a success all around. Many people showed up and the student government earned a large sum of money. In the past, the student government has used this money on frivolous things such as banners and confetti for assemblies and sporting events. This only leaves a mess to clean up, and if the sporting event is outdoors, it pollutes the environment. With this new sum of money I believe we as students should get a vote on how to spend it. Hellgate High School is much too small to be considered a democracy, so why do we put our funds in the hands of students who have little credibility and are elected largely based on popularity? For larger decisions, especially those surrounding finances, I believe it would be best if we had the entire student body vote independent from the student government.
On a larger scale, our school as a whole lacks proper funding. We are a public school relying on state/federal subsidies and private donations. As of late, the school has financed a project to renovate the girls locker room, formed a flag football team, and spent money on new buses. This all seems well and good, but we must consider where this money is coming from. Last year, the fine arts director position for MCPS was eliminated and funding to the arts such as orchestra, band, choir, and theater were cut despite protest from the general public. This has forced music and art teachers to work over-time. Many of these educators have over the legal limit of kids in their classes and are involved with programs outside of MCPS. This proves how credible and valued our arts programs and teachers are.
Transport for sporting events is provided by the school, but when students in the music program need transport for their well-earned participation in the All-State band, orchestra, and choir festival there are “too few kids” to rent a bus, despite the fact the MCPS often has more musicians participating than any other county, usually around 30 kids. This year’s All-State festival is being held in Great Falls. Renting a bus for a one time event this year would be much cheaper and easier in comparison to driving sports teams all over the state every week. Why, then, does our school assist in athletic extracurriculars but not with the arts? What is happening to Hellgate’s reputation of being the most welcoming to self expression and the arts?
After talking with English teachers at Hellgate I have learned that we are missing a great deal of books for English classes, one prominent example being The Little Prince, which IB English students are now reading on printed out paper. Our photo copying machines and printers are incredibly limited. Graphs printed for math classes are illegible and words are cut off from important packet readings. Many students want printed out paper forms of homework, but ink is too expensive to buy so assignments must be done online despite certain difficulties related to technology. These difficulties include the inability for refugees to use their phones to access specific translating apps. The ESL students now use unreliable translators on the computer which creates a divide between the abilities of native English speakers and refugees to study properly in class.
This year there were not enough Chromebooks to give out, and a percentage of students had to bring their own device. The Chromebooks that are given to students are very old and slow, making it difficult to efficiently get work done. A solution to this would be giving students easier access to better printers and also allowing for colored printing. The climate effects of the overuse of paper is a factor to account for, and buying new Chromebooks would be better for the environment. Which solution is cost effective, better for the Earth, and more productive? It is simply a discussion of how to spend our money so that students have a thorough and instructional school experience.
This is not to say that all our funding is misplaced and our higher-ups are inconsiderate of educational needs, but on the contrary, I believe that with proper persuasion and evidence it may become apparent to administrators and to our student representatives that in order to thrive as an educational establishment we must spend our funds on scholastic needs—not only on sports or “school spirit”. Sporting events provide money for the school, but most of this money goes back into new sporting events. At a certain point, sports seem to be a separate organization entirely and funding we receive from the government shouldn’t be used for this.
The shortcomings of our school district are minimal in comparison to other counties, but it is still valuable to address public concerns and the specific needs of teachers and students. It is important that this year we learn how to manage our funds both within the student government at Hellgate and as administrators to create the best possible academic environment.
