Heck yes there should be high schools!!!!

I read “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” by Leon Botstein and this essay really upset me. Botstein attempts to say that American high schools are “obsolete and should be abolished.” He tries to make all high schools look bad because of high school sports, cliques, and the general assumption that kids do anything to try to be “popular” in high school. He blames high schools for making kids feel alone and becoming “outsiders” in high school. One of his examples of this is the columbine shooting. I honestly think high school shapes our young society today, not only does is prepare you for college but instills experience, relationships, and LIFE for god sakes into people. High school is about breaking down the social barrier and finding yourself, and yes in most cases kids tend to hang out with a certain “group.” Everyone can make friends, and even the quietest person can find companionship and relationships in high school. Yet, I do not feel sorry for a person who does not put any effort into finding friends and isolates themselves from the world of high school. There are niches for everyone and activity opportunities for everyone in high school, from athletics, to math club, to sewing for fun, everyone can find their niche in high school. Lastly, I am still a bit heated that Botstein makes athletics out to be some sort of cult. For me, athletics were my life in high school. But, I also exposed myself to other things like Leo club, National Honors Society, Spanish club and a heck of a lot more; I didn’t put all of my energy into just sports. If I wanted to be well rounded and get the full experience of high school, I then had to take it upon myself to expose myself to the other aspects of high school besides sports. Yet, athletics shaped me into who I am today and without athletics and high school in general I would be a very lost individual looking for extreme guidance. So, yes I think Botstein is lunatic for thinking and sadly attempting to prove that American high schools should cease to exist. I would love to debate him on this topic and prove him so very wrong!