Emma Frey | editor in chief
Student’s at Wabaunsee High School are using the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to cope with the bond failing this past November.
“It would be nice to have an up-to-date school, but this is the best we can get so we’ll take it,” junior Justin Carlson said. “If we saved the money our school has spent to teach Stephen Covey’s book we could probably afford radiators that don’t leak. This is most definitely the better option, though, and will provide us with a solid foundation in becoming “highly effective people.”
The students plan to use each of the seven habits in innovative ways to address our crumbling infrastructure.
Habit 1: Be Proactive®
The real proactive thing in this situation would be to pass a bond, but being proactive about safety is the next best thing. After the Covid-19 pandemic is gone from the county, the school will continue enforcing a mask policy to protect students from the growing mold problem. “They’ll already have masks left over, we might as well utilize them. Our community’s health is our number one priority,” county Health officials told The Charger.
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind®
With spirits low and hopes of a new school building far away, we Begin with the End in Mind. Students have the future to look forward to, and the possibility of a new school being built maybe 10 or 20 years down the line. It’ll be nice for our generation’s children to get a quality education.
Habit 3: Put First Things First®
Wabaunsee put first things first by covering the massive hole in the side of the building and openings in the roof with 7 Habits school posters. Now instead of a giant eyesore, visitors will know that we are in fact, a “7 Habits School.”
Habit 4: Think Win-Win®
Habit 4 is being utilized to find common ground between students and the “Vote No” community members. The compromise they’ve arrived at is that while kids assume the risk of falling ceiling tiles in classrooms causing concussions, local landowners can keep their taxes $12 lower a month.
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood®
It is important to give others the consideration and kindness you’d like to receive in tough situations, this is why students have decided to make the 3rd floor a bat sanctuary. There are lots of bats without homes in our area, and rather than forcing them to reside in the ceilings when they so badly want to socialize with students and staff, we can all share the district facilities. “I’ve heard bats have rabies, but they’re just so darn cute,” sophomore Austin Spellman said. WHS will cut costs to feed the bats by using its supply of dead flies in the auditorium.
Habit 6: Synergize®
Some students took the blow harder than others. For downtrodden kids who are unable to cope with the school’s current condition we are offering assistance from the St. Marys school district. Many of the families in the community already send their children to other schools, and we want to synergize between the two districts since we have to share students anyway. We share students, they get the enrollment numbers, and we get their parent’s votes!
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw®
The final habit the district will incorporate is Sharpen the Saw. The wood shop students are learning how to sharpen tools in order to begin repairs on the high school buildings. Many of the building problems go unanswered, such as the falling ceiling tiles, bursting pipes and black mold in the mobile units in Paxico. Rather than solicit outside help, students are being self-reliant and taking matters into their own hands.
These critical skills will help students succeed in the real world.
And who knows, maybe we will hire them to do construction in the future when the community actually comes to its senses and passes a bond.
Happy April Fools! The Charger will return next week with more real news.
The Charger 
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