Big School, Small School No Difference, You Say? School Is School? Guess Again

Take one look at the hallway of Reardan High and you’d think the students were crazy.

Lockers left open, letterman jackets hanging on the doors. Books and bags on the floor leaned against the walls. Paper intentionally stuffed in the locks so they won’t lock. And the hall is empty.

A thief’s paradise? Not quite, because at this school of about 200 students, there is enough trust to do things that are unthinkable at schools four or five times its size.

“Nobody here is going to steal your stuff,” says Reardan sophomore Rachelle Forquer. “Everyone knows everyone, and you can’t get away with things.”

Teacher Dorothy Balum said, “I think that it is nice to have such a safe environment. On the other hand, in the real world, it may not be good preparation because unfortunately people aren’t always that honest.”

The situation in Spokane schools is different, said Lewis and Clark sophomore Nick Preuninger. “If you did that at LC, your stuff would be gone in two minutes.”

Rachel Frazier, a sophomore at Ferris High, agreed. “Even if you close your locker and forget to lock it, you will have stuff stolen out of it.”

The trust among students at a small school may be nice, but it also means the same people day after day. Diversity is lacking.

“In big schools there are more people, and you get to meet people with different cultures and personalities,” says Preuninger.

Harrington High junior Courtney Wilcox said, “In a big school you have a larger opportunity to meet people. In a small school, there are two groups of people: those who are involved in everything and those that go to school just to go to school, and you know everyone in the group you’re in. In a big school you can meet new people everyday.”

Harrington has 52 students.

More students means more activities.

“A small school could be made better with more clubs and activities,” says West Valley junior Katherine Koedinger. Her school has about 800 students.

Spokane’s District 81 high schools typically have about 70 clubs or extracurricular activities. Many small schools may have only 20.

But student involvement at Reardan is not a problem, says sophomore Mary Hammer.

“In a small school you are able to participate in almost any activity you want. Everyone gets a chance to participate, whether you are a school sports legend or just learning the ropes,” she said.

Margaret Meeker, who went to a 500-student high school in Colorado, said she was able to participate more at a small school.

“I wanted to be on the swim team, but if I had gone to Boulder High School, I would have had no chance, since they had much higher standards. Since I was in a smaller school, I was able to be on the team, and I did well because of the smaller leagues we were in.”

There are social problems involved with smaller schools, though, Koedinger said. “There are a lot more social issues at small schools because everyone knows you, and you can’t just blend in.”

“Rumors aren’t spread; they’re just there, and you know everyone involved,” said Frazier.