Garden City High School is being extended further into the courtyard, but in the course of doing so it is placing students in dangerous health hazards. With the new construction currently going on there is asbestos being released into the environment which places many students and faculty members at the risk of developing lung cancer. Not only is there asbestos but there is mold in the walls and in the ceilings which some students are highly allergic to leading them to develop many symptoms such as swollen faces and asthma attacks.

On the topic of being sanitary the school has mice running through the ceiling, earlier this year mice feces were found on top of a filing cabinet in the language room and a dead mouse was found lying on the floor of an English classroom. This places all of us at risk of developing Hantha virus.

A majority of the people in this town are so obsessed with renovating our school buildings which are in extreme disrepair, but they have not stopped to consider the risk to the students and the faculty members of our schools. It seems to me that it would have been far more economic as well as safe to have built a new school on the St. Paul's property instead of spending so much on buildings that are beyond repair while risking the health of our school population.

Additionally it is apparent that so much money is raised to fund certain sports namely football and lacrosse and yet we never bother to stop and think about the finer points of life such as our music and arts department. Why do we think that athletics are so much more important; This is a poor mentality developed by a few who have forced it down our throats? I think that it is time for the taxpayers of this town to stand up and be heard instead of being manipulated by a select few, who do not reflect the interests of our community.

At a time when so much public awareness is being offered to conserve our environment, let us not forget our own students and those cultural rich programs which students can enjoy long into their adult life versus sports which are short lived and more for the gratification of frustrated parents than students.

May Fajardo