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Elena Van Mater is a sophomore at Avonworth High School and is best known for being involved in pretty much every after school activity there is. I interviewed her on Friday, January 17th and we discussed school, personal interests, and personal growth – here are a few highlights from our conversation.
Avonews: What animal would you be if given the choice to be any animal?
Elena: “I feel like it would be so fun to be bird, and just be able to fly. I feel like you have to have to pick a bird. I want to fly around. I want to fly around, and build my nest. Birds are just chill.”
Avonews: “What if something tried to eat you?”
Elena: “Oh. Whatever. I’ll just fly away.”
Avonnews: What class is the most difficult for you this semester? What have you learned from it? 
Elena: “Chemistry, a million percent. I just struggle to make the connections sometimes- I don’t know what it is about chemistry that just gets me sometimes. What have I learned? Um… atoms.”
Avonews: What project or assignment has been your favorite so far this year?
Elena: “100% is the Animal Farm videos we had to make in Mr. Pastore’s class. We had to make a video campaigning for either Napoleon or Snowball and we had Napoleon and we made it Mean Girls themed, and it was pretty fun. Kylee had a pink cowgirl hat. We all wore pink. It was really fun. We made pins.”
Avonews: If you could make one tool to help students, what would it be? Why? Who would you be aiming to help?
Elena: “If I could make one tool… I’d be aiming to help people who are like confused by the subject but don’t find the teacher to be helpful. Like if you’re struggling with how to learn something but going to the teacher doesn’t help you, a source that can explain it for you and can help you practice. Like an all in one kind of place with like all subjects where you can go to get like videos tutorials and practices.”
Avonenews: What is your opinion on the school’s construction? What is your favorite/ least favorite part of the renovations?
Elena: “Um, I like that there are more rooms, I think the middle school is pretty nice, except I don’t love the garage doors but whatever. I think we need more colors, bring back lockers, and get rid of the windows. Not the windows on the outside, I just think windows on the inside are weird. (camera flips). “Right now you can completely see where we are what we are doing, it’s like they’re stalking us.”
Avonews: Do you think students should be required to keep their phones in a phone caddy throughout the day? Why or why not? Would you say your phone affects your quality of education and attention? 
Elena: “I think that my phone probably does affect my attention span but I don’t think a phone caddy is the way to solve that. I think that when we’re in high school we should be able to be responsible for our own work, and if you go own your phone that’s your own problem. Like teacher’s shouldn’t be responsible for that.”
Avonews: How do you feel about the rules imposed for LEAD? Do you believe the use of the digital hall pass is beneficial or detrimental regarding it? 
Elena:“I think that there should be spaces to go for students who want to like, work on a project or something like that. Like you shouldn’t have to stay in your room all the time. I understand needing a pass, but there should be other spaces, not like the cafeteria because there’s lunch, but like a place like the cafeteria where you can go and work with someone on something. The library was that space, but not anymore.”
I like Elena’s perspective on the new high school renovation, and I agree that there should be more freedom for students during LEAD than there is.