the Southerner Online

Tardy process is flawed and needs change

A first-period tardy pass from Oct. 1, 2018 for a student one-minute pass the 8:30 a.m. start time for class.

Editorial Board

October 1, 2018

The tardy process in schools is designed to run efficiently and quickly to allow students to get to class in a timely manner. However, at Grady, our tardy pr...

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The Southerner’s response to attacks on the news media

August 15, 2018

In accordance with the Boston Globe’s proposal, the Southerner is taking part in a coordinated editorial response to the ongoing attacks on the press by President Donald Trump. A cognizant nation ca...

Federal voting age should be 16

May 2, 2018

Following the shooting at Santa Fe High School in the southeastern Texas city of Santa Fe, a crime which took 10 invaluable lives on May 18, the school’s other students, faculty, and parents were left to mourn the deaths of their friends and loved ones. The shooting was only one instance of the multiple school shootings which have occurred in the United States since Columbin...

Media center lunch access should not be limited

April 20, 2018

Silent and rigid are words historically synonymous with a library, and in an attempt to keep it that way, the Grady library is limiting the number of students allowed in during the lunch periods to 50. Students seek the library during lunch for a space to study or take a mental check-out from their undoubtedly packed schedule. The 37 minutes allotted for lunch is the only br...

Grady community must remain strong after tragedy

February 12, 2018

The Grady community was heavily impacted by the loss of fellow student, teammate and friend Theo Weimar. Though his death was unspeakably tragic, the school’s response demonstrated the immense strength of our community. We must continue to support one another and educate ourselves on mental illness. Most students found out about the loss of Theo through Dr. Betsy Bockman’s ...

School district rezoning: not enough notice, not fair

December 18, 2017

The recent Atlanta Public Schools’ proposed rezoning of areas currently part of Grady’s attendance zone to the North Atlanta High School zone led dozens of parents to question the school board’s transparency regarding the plan. Additionally, problems have arisen with the distance of the zones in question to North Atlanta and the disregard for sacrifices families living...

Students disrespecting authority in school gatherings creates discord

November 7, 2017

For a school to run successfully, it is necessary for respect between students and faculty to be ingrained in its culture. If either party breaks this contract of mutual courtesy, disciplinary action has to be taken to ensure that any disruptions do not dissipate into larger conflicts. However, neither students nor the administration followed these guidelines at an assembly...

Trump’s DACA plan full of unanswered questions

October 6, 2017

Children of undocumented immigrants now face strengthened barriers to achieving the American Dream. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Sept. 5 that the Trump administration is rescinding protection provided to the group (nicknamed “Dreamers”) by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Trump insisted throughout his campaign that he would “make...

Trump’s tepid response sets unpresidential precedent

September 8, 2017

The Charlottesville, Va. violent protest and deadly car attack on Aug. 12 was nauseating. It was appalling, deplorable and everything the United States has never stood for and never should stand for. We at The Southerner refuse to ignore the alt-right group, a group that, in its own words, rejects multiculturalism, immigration, feminism and political correctness. This i...

Georgia campus carry bill puts state’s university students at risk

The Southerner

June 1, 2017

Gov. Nathan Deal recently signed House Bill 280, better known as the “Campus Carry Bill,” into law. This bill makes it legal for licensed gun owners over the age of 21 to carry concealed weapons on public campuses in Georgia. A similar bill was passed last year, but was vetoed by Gov. Deal. In a public statement last year, Deal said, “From the early days of our nation...

Betsy DeVos should not be confirmed as secretary of education

Alex Durham

February 16, 2017

President Donald Trump began the process of appointing members of his cabinet soon after he won the November election. One of his most controversial nominations is Republican education activist and billionaire Betsy DeVos, whom Trump chose for Secretary of Education. Soon after the nomination, there was a rush to examine her experience in education, and in the end she ha...

Clinton would lead country to equality

November 4, 2016

Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, has spent this election season fending off attacks from political insiders, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives and political outsiders, including Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Despite these attacks on her character, fitness to be president and actions as Secretary of State, Clinton has shown the Am...