It was Dec. 3 and time for Archbishop John Carroll Day to roll around again. However, something was missing. A quick scan of the hallways revealed the missing element.

Very few people were dressed up for the event.

This was not due to a lack of school spirit. Rather, it was due to a lack of knowledge.

Ever since the announcements were deemed obsolete and the daily bulletin was designated as the sole source of student information, events have skated by students on a regular basis.

Announcements provided a medium that reached all students easily and quickly. All members of the community were able to hear what events were coming up and when they were happening.

Nowadays, students don’t seem to know about events until a few days prior.  The Halloween Dance was poorly advertised and, as a result, had an abysmal turnout.  The student body just learned about Sadie Hawkins last week when posters were hung up in the hallways, giving students a week’s notice for a formal dance.

The few announcements that student’s happened to hear are few. By the time that they are announced, if they are announced, people have already made plans and have no interest in attending.

Perhaps the saddest occurrence was the absence of focus on Homecoming ahead of time, students were left in the dark, on a dance in the dark.  Arguably the biggest dance of the year, JC made students go to the calendar on the website and rely on word of mouth to find the date. While Homecoming had a wonderful turn out, less traditional events can easily skate by without anyone noticing.

What is wrong with this picture?

What’s wrong is that few people read the daily bulletin every day, yet somehow it has become our sole means of communication with the school.  Perhaps eliminating the announcements was not the best idea.  With such a constant influx of school functions and events, the administration needs to find a better way to communicate with the students.

Meg Kirchner can be reached for comment at [email protected]