The courtyard has been at McIntosh since 1981, and has been used not only to eat outside but to get from class to class. Sadly, due to students not cleaning up trash after lunch, the courtyard will not be available to use when students return from spring break. Multiple warnings have been given by the administration that if the trash continues students will not be able to eat outside.

Trash has been a problem in the courtyard for a long time.

“After repeated attempts and requests for students to pick up after themselves in the courtyard, we have determined that [students] are unable to comply and we will stop having lunch in the courtyard effective immediately,” assistant principal Dan Lakly said.

After C lunch on Fri. March 31, administrators made the decision to close the courtyard after the mess that was left by students. (Mikayla Mills)

Students are also unhappy with the mess.

“Every day, I walk through the courtyard and I see plenty of trash just left out even by the trash cans. People literally leave their trash next to the garbage instead of simply putting their trash in the garbage,” freshman Eli Smith said.

The courtyard is important to students and staff, especially the students because they love getting the chance to enjoy the weather while eating their lunch, and walking through to get from class to class. Students also enjoy meeting up with friends in the courtyard as it is the easiest way since wherever you are on the first floor there is a door leading to the courtyard nearby.

The courtyard is also important to the teachers because some often take their classes

to the courtyard to work and or do activities that tie into the lesson that they are teaching.

“We like using the courtyard because it’s just fun to get outside and making activities more fun,” world history, sociology and psychology teacher Chris Judy said.

“It’s unfortunate that the courtyard won’t be available anymore. I think there are many students here whose favorite part of McIntosh is the use of the courtyard especially when most high schools don’t have that,” senior Jack Tuffin said.

Upon returning from spring break, teachers will now be requiring homework logs with parent signatures as a formative grade. Teachers are now requiring this due to the amount of students not doing their homework. 

“Multiple studies show that writing by hand increases learning, so recording your assignments in your homework logs will enhance your memory and ultimately your learning,” Jane Edwards, English teacher, said.

But not all students are sold on the idea.

“I think that the homework log idea isn’t fair to the people who actually do their homework and get good grades,” sophomore Emily Vee said.

Each day at the beginning of class, students will have to take out your homework log sheet for your teacher to check. A new sheet will be given every week and you will be required to write your first name, last name, grade and week on the front page. 

“Honestly, I think this was a good idea. Others who don’t do their homework make consequences that affect the ones who do their work” sophomore Lila Carpenter said.

English teacher Rebecca Frisch agrees.

“Homework logs directly caused a 50% increase in the amount of As in my class,” Frisch said.

Every day, there will be a box labeled with the number of questions for that day and a line for your answer. Next to that box, there will be a parent signature line. A parent’s signature will be required for your grade regardless if your homework is done or not. 

“What if we forget the signature but do all the work? My parents work all the time so it’s gonna make things harder than they have to be,” senior Mikayla Larson said.

In English you will record what page you’re on for your independent reading or class reading. For Math and science signature boxes will be provided for each day. For extracurriculars, the structure will depend on the class. 

“I think homework logs should’ve been started a while ago, this will definitely help students stay on top of their work,” Savannah Cooper junior said. 

The teachers‘ goal is to get class averages up before final exams. Teachers encourage students to take advantage of homework logs to bring up their averages. They will also be emailing parents if students fail to complete homework logs for the week.

Frisch has noticed parents appreciate the effort homework logs bring their children.

“I received several emails from parents saying that the homework logs were holding their students accountable,” Frisch said.

Admin and teachers hope the outcome of the homework logs are students taking their school work more seriously. They also hope this will improve test scores.

“Homework logs will transform what students are able to actually get done.  By demonstrating strong organizational skills, homework logs are just one of the many ways that my teaching will change lives,” English teacher Andrea Lakly said.

At McIntosh on Mon., April 31, students will be allowed to bring their pets to school. This includes all pets such as dogs, cats, lizards, birds and many more.

Dogs and cats will be allowed without any conflict upon the date of occurrence, however, other pets will need to be registered by Sun., April 16. To register your pets after spring break you will be able to find a form in the front office and once returned students will receive a bracelet with their pet’s name, species and certification by McIntosh High School.

Principal Maggie Walls is excited for this new opportunity for both students and the animals – especially in light of custodial shortages. 

“We’re going to bring our pets who will clean up the trash and then lick the tables,” Walls said. 

Students are as excited.

The administration hopes that this day will become a bimonthly activity if all goes well. The plan is that students will be more inclined to learn with their fluffy friends around. Also, students will have a day that can allow for a mental break. 

Some students are nervous about the upcoming day as they have allergies to specific animals.

“I am very much against [bring your pet to school day] cause I have a severe allergy to all dog and cat furs. I think that I might just have to skip school on that day unless I can convince everyone not to bring their animals,” freshman Rachel Hollis said.

Students who experience drastic allergic reactions to pet fur will be excused on April 31. Though they will have to provide proof of their allergy by providing a doctor’s note to the attendance office.

“I plan on bringing my cat to school. I just bought this cat carrier backpack on amazon and am jumping off the walls at the chance to bring it to school. My cat is super calm and I am sure that he will really enjoy coming to my classes. He is a Sphynx cat named Skate,” sophomore Addison Macall said.

Some teachers are hoping to use some of the pets to their advantage when teaching specific subjects. For example, in biology now that most classes have entered evolution and ecology many teachers plan to frame certain pets into the criteria and units being taught, so students can tell their teachers ahead of time about their exotic pets.

“I have the cutest Sugar Glider named Crystal. I am already imagining her gliding all around my classrooms and being a spark of interest,” senior Nathan Garcia said.

Another potential benefit of “bring your pets to school,” is the amount of help the animals can potentially provide the campus.

“We’ll think about expanding to goats to keep the grass cut,” Lakly said.

“And then we won’t have to worry about weeds,” Walls said. “The grass has gotten so tall we’re going to put that horse in the courtyard.”

Many students are overly excited about the opportunity and cannot wait for the chance to showcase their interesting pets.

“I am ecstatic about the chance to bring my pets to school! I have a whole colony of ants and I am sure it will be the talk of the school,” freshman Kevin Baldwin said.

Everyone at McIntosh looks forward to senior year due to graduation and of course the “senior skip days,” but next year students will not have skip days. We will be having “senior skip semesters.” Seniors will be allowed to have semester’s worth of absences next year. 

Assistant Principal Amy Hammock talked about the administration’s decision to create this new rule.

“Our underclassmen sizes are going to be really large next year, so we’re trying to free up some spaces by letting seniors miss more days,” Hammock said. 

Assistant Principal Dan Lakly is looking forward to this change. 

“I’m really excited about the opportunity for seniors to be able to skip an entire semester as opposed to just days. Just think about how much more room we’ll have in the cafeteria and courtyard during lunch,” Lakly said. 

However, there are a few rules. Absences can not be consecutive. Students can not have more than a week of absences in a row. If seniors are gone for a full week they have to be there for all of the next week. If a student plays a school sport, they have to attend school in order to practice and play in games. If students are failing any of your classes the day of a game or practice, they will not be able to attend the game. Seniors also won’t be allowed to exempt any exams their first semester. 

This will allow seniors to get the amount of schooling necessary to pass their classes, but still allows them to have a lot of free time. 

Some seniors are angry that this is happening the year after they graduate. 

“I’m kind of mad that they didn’t allow that this year. I have a few detentions for missing too many days this year,” senior Angela Missiles said. 

Meanwhile, juniors are looking forward to this change. 

“I’m super excited about the ‘senior skip semesters.’ I already have terrible attendance so this will really help me out,” junior Alex Whittlemen said. 

Some people are worried about how this will affect student’s grades.  

“I’m kind of concerned that everyone will have really bad grades next year. If we are gone for a whole semester, we will probably miss a lot of texts, quizzes and important material,” sophomore Zachary Maiocco said. 

Some students won’t participate in this new activity. 

“My grades are really important to me, so I will not be able to miss that many days. At the end of the day, if people really care about school they won’t miss all that school. I have a feeling that the teachers won’t give seniors a lot of extensions on their work for the days that they miss,” junior Jocelyn McAllister said. 

Sophomore William Harris agrees. 

“I think that the ‘senior skip semesters’ will put a lot of people in danger of not being able to graduate. I think this will cause some people to fail their classes which will stop them from graduating,” Harris said.

As the end of the year approaches, a new proposition has been brought to McIntosh concerning End of Course testing. It’s well known that McIntosh is a very competitive high school, being the top in the state, and as such, the county has worked to modify testing in order to make students even more well-rounded and competitive. A new portion of the EoC is currently being tested, and it will constitute a show of specific talent or skill. This can range from musical ability, athletic ability or anything else that can demonstrate a unique asset that will make a student ‘stand out.’ While the new addition is controversial, preliminary testing and group studies conducted by test developers show positive results both in and out of the classroom.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on providing exams that can help teachers and students. This new section, based on the research we’ve done so far, is going to be an enormous help in not only assessing above-excellence but with incorporating the arts and other subjects,” Georgia Milestones Director Stephanie Carter said.

The Milestones previously tested on English, Mathematics and Science for freshmen. Some students are glad an artistic element will be added, feeling that it will be more inclusive and accurate for art-inclined students.

“It feels like everyone always has to be good at Math or English or Science, but like, a lot of people prefer music or painting or something. It’s not really fair that art kids get pushed aside, so I think in a way this will be a good thing for the Milestones,” sophomore Oliver Miller said.

A talent section could also make the Milestones less “boring.”

“I always want to fall asleep during the Milestones. It takes so long and it’s so slow and boring. At least a talent section would be entertaining,” freshman Jackson O’Conner said. Alexis Barnett
This section is also suited for kids with athletic abilities.

“I’ve been doing cheer and tumbling for a long time, I guess it’s nice that it’s something that can be included, because I’ve spent so much time on it,” junior Courtney White said.

An increasingly broad spectrum of courses are being introduced every year. Classes such as Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics and AP Pre-Calculus have been introduced for the upcoming school year; however, new courses are being introduced in schools around America to target niche studies for passionate students willing to exercise and improve their specific skills. These courses include AP Beatboxing and a Minecraft path course.

The choice to include AP Beatboxing in the 2023-2024 school year was due to an increase in attention to students’ gifted music abilities. 

According to CollegeBoard, “We had chosen beatboxing specifically as it targets one’s musical ability without the need for expensive equipment… This allows for schools across America to engage their students in their musical talent.”

Furthermore, the course will target a multitude of techniques used in the culture of beatboxing, such as mouth and hand technique, as well as aiming to increase an academic connection between students and teachers through a modern medium.

“We can see that some of our students at McIntosh have quite the musical ability, such as students in my current classes, and I can’t wait to see what our students have to offer us,” McIntosh High School and future AP Beatboxing teacher Bobert Cramlick said.

Students at McIntosh express excitement to enroll in a new AP class.

“I can’t wait to audition, I will try to replicate the Thanos Beatbox by Verbalase,” senior Bartholomew Hopkins said.

In order to enroll in the class, an audition has to take place to find the most advanced beatboxers.

“I’m nervous for the audition, but I can’t wait to spit some fire. Mr. Cramlick is the best teacher for this, you should see him go!” junior Patrick Brimstone said.

Similarly, the course path involving Minecraft combat will seek to improve upon academic connections between students and teachers through the popular video game medium while also targeting precision and the attention span of students.

The path contains the courses as follows: Intro to Minecraft combat, Minecraft combat principles, and Minecraft combat application.

The abilities taught through the courses of Minecraft combat are hand-picked in order to help both students and teachers in perfecting computer mouse precision and effectiveness with typing.

According to CollegeBoard, “With the introduction of Minecraft: Education Edition in 2016 and the implementation into certain classrooms in the following years (such as architecture and coding courses), students can now invest their time into the application that really matters and can quite literally “build” up their resume.”

Students at McIntosh also express excitement for the new course.

“Boy, oh boy! I’d love to take this class especially because of the teacher, Mr. Cramlick, but I really can’t wait to improve on my skills and reign supreme in the Bed Wars minigame. This is a new beginning for me, for McIntosh, and America,” junior Johnothan Frumpkin said.

The McIntosh Trial is the Trail’s April Fools’ Day satirical issue. All stories are fake.