As ACHS prepares for the opening of its new Minnie Howard campus, engagement efforts are at an all-time high. Behind the scenes, the process is shakier than it appears.

On Wednesday, October 4, Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt held the inaugural community chat in the ACHS auditorium. Attended by around 25 in-person and over 200 online, Kay-Wyatt was joined by her “cabinet” of central office leadership to answer open questions from students, teachers and parents. Translators were available for Spanish, Dari, Amharic and Arabic. After the event, there was a twenty-minute media session. 

The responsibility of a journalist is to chronicle the truth in its many facets with as much diligence, thought and care as possible. Theogony has historically attempted to stay neutral on school endeavors while operating in the aftermath of major decisions that affect us foremost as students — and perhaps equally importantly as student journalists. We comment precariously on these decisions, but as a part of the school community, we want to represent the interests of our school population as much as possible. Thus, we, the Theogony Editorial Board, voice our support for Mr. Alexander Duncan as the best selection for Executive Principal at ACHS. 

The start of the fourth quarter has brought along with it a slightly changed class schedule: instead of having the Titan PRIDE (Positive attitude, Responsibility, Integrity, Determination and Excellence) block with 3R and 4B teachers, ACHS students will instead spend this extra thirty minutes with their 1R and 2B teachers before switching to lunch or their next classes. Additionally, the PRIDE lessons have been replaced with activities from an entirely new curriculum.

In a letter sent on Parentsquare yesterday evening, ACHS Executive Principal Peter Balas announced that Titan Lunch will not be taking place this school year. This comes after sources confirmed Thursday that the extended lunch period’s implementation had been postponed from its planned January 24 start date due to Central Office not approving the plan.

When the beep of the loudspeaker sounds in the middle of third period, the room falls silent. Eyes flash up as everyone holds their breath. Just over a year ago, during the morning of October 6, 2021, the PA system notified a building of 10-12th graders that the school was placed in lockdown. As the lights were turned off and blinds were pulled, the lockdown bled into lunch. Some teachers continued with their lessons. Phone screens lit up, and the words “an abundance of caution” flooded the thoughts of thousands of kids behind locked doors. A few hours later, the student with a gun was escorted away by police with no injuries, but the impact lingered. How do we get past this?