PAST

The history of evolution offers endless opportunities for society today to answer questions about the world’s past times, norms, trends, events and etymology.

According to the book Women, Culture, and Development: A Study of Human Capabilities written by Martha C. Nussbaum, Jonathan Glover, in past years, such as the 1970’s, females, above both sexes, experienced a time of great despair and inequality. Females were faced with inequality, treated like the under-dog, and were pushed into taking the “woman in the kitchen” role in society. In high schools, even Antioch Community High School, females were only allowed to participate in three sports: cheer, gymnastics and dance. Opportunities were limited to the female population. For males, school wasn’t earned, it was given. Males went to school to receive an education, as a way to prepare them for adulthood, so that the wife can do household jobs, such as cooking, cleaning and taking care of the child, while the husband worked to keep the family stable.

High school systems in the past were an entirely different world than today’s school systems. For rules, students were held to a higher standard because unless they wanted to befriend “the paddle,” a student was expected to behave appropriately and respect their elders. This had a massive impact on student behavior. Classes were different because not as many were offered to students, and, up until ACHS built Lakes Community High School, class sizes were large, which is why LCHS was built.

After the final bell rings, students rushed out of the school to spend the afternoon with friends. After-school activities included the classic drive-in, eating at a burger joint, roller blading and just taking a stroll through the cozy streets of downtown Antioch. Coming home from all the fun, students did their homework, all of it. Both males and females were motivated to try their best and succeed in all their classes, in hopes of advancing to college after high school graduation. It was a bigger deal for students to go to college. It meant a successful future for graduates and their families. Times like this are significantly different from today. The after school activities that students do today are simpler, less active and more modern. And, going off to college is simply not as big as a deal than before because going to college is normal and nothing extreme in the modern society.

As for graduation, it was bittersweet in the past and still is now. It’s a special time for families, graduates, friends, and teachers to commemorate and honor the graduates’ diligent four years of high school. Graduates feel butterflies in their stomachs; they are thrilled for their accomplishment yet nervous for what the future has to bring. It’s happiness and excitement. Since classes were smaller before Lakes was built, graduations were shorter, but just as memorable as any graduation experience today.

The little town of Antioch experienced an evolution among the community. Some Antioch community traditions remain the same, like graduation and a teacher’s strive for success. However, normalities today, like college, class rigor, equality, rules and expectations were simple but vastly different compared to today’s high school and community norms.

PRESENT

Every morning, when people wake up, they are not the same person they were the day before. While time changes, so do people. Just like how middle schoolers have that large and strong bond with their friends but then tend to naturally shift in opposite directions as soon as high school comes around. It’s all natural, it’s an evolution and change in diversity.

The century of true freedom and gender equality is here and alive. Females are treated fairly compared to males, if not better. Females are allowed to participate in not only cheer, dance and gymnastics, but also in sports like soccer, basketball, track, cross country, bowling, wrestling, field hockey and tennis. It’s normal and expected that all females attend school to receive an education, instead of staying home. Women and men are taking as many opportunities available and standing out of society with careers and higher educations. With that being possible, there are now an immense amount of advances and resources offered in the world today. Resources and advances include better and more dynamic technology, such as smartphones, tablets, iPod’s, laptops, cameras, holograms, and robots. Today’s world is advancing so quick, diversity seems to expand with it as well.

Senior RJ Ruano said, I think that 10 years from now, Antioch will have expanded into a more advanced town. It will grow in a sense that more large businesses and corporations will have a presence here, and technology will play a role in that. That would probably bring in more people from other areas, which would increase diversity. Just like almost everywhere else, Antioch is advancing quickly, and I think it will eventually lose its feeling of being a cozy, small town.”

There seems to be no limitation on what heights and risks the modern society will take. Times are changing this society into a more technologic driven world. And it seems that students, too, are risk takers. The chances of a student raising their voice towards a teacher or disobeying class instructions in very high. This happens everyday. Instead of the frightening paddle as a student’s punishment, students are now directed to the front office to deal with the deans, given out a detention if earned, and, if minor, given a fair warning. Physical punishment is not acceptable nor appropriate in schools today. The roles would reversed if a staff member were caught using physical punishment towards a student today; ironically, the teacher or administrator would be the one facing serious consequences. Students in today’s generation are still well -rounded and respectful, but sometimes, ego can get the best of them, causing students to disrespect elders at times.

In past times, when students weren’t in school, some maybe getting into trouble, they hung out with friends. Today, students, after school, like to participate in activities consisting of “chilling” at a friends house or grabbing a quick meal with peers at the Antioch Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King or even Granny’s Lakeside Diner. Some students like to stick around school to finish homework or just chat with their favorite teacher. And some others like to race home to catch the new episode of Ellen DeGeneres.

Teachers always were motivated to have their students succeed in high school and to prepare them for life after high school. The strive for student success is still the same, if not better. The compassionate teachers of Antioch Community High School long to give their students a higher and better education that will offer students many opportunities for when they become independent individuals in college and as adults, post-graduation.

In May, which is the famous month also known as “graduation season”, seniors are just as excited as all former graduates were in the past. Graduation today is such a grand deal and a high measure of success. The ceremony is now nearly two hours long, where in the past, graduation was about an a quarter of an hour long. Graduation also gathers a larger audience, big enough to fill both bleachers and football field. Graduating classes are larger. However, the ceremony is still just as special and thrilling as it ever was.

From drive-ins, classic cars, leather jackets, Madonna, to Taylor Swift, Taco Bell, trucks, and yoga pants, the town of Antioch experienced an immense evolution within its small town and school.

 

FUTURE

Ten years down the road, 10 graduations from now, 10 new additions to Antioch Community High School from today, Antioch will witness a whole new evolution.

Females and males might remain as equals. Or perhaps, males will be dominant, once again; the role could reverse as females dominate the world.

Social media will change, causing an expansion in diversity. More social media apps will be created and more social media followers will download these apps. Teens will drift away from Twitter and Instagram. Social groups will expand and new groups will be created. Instead of the traditional “jock,” “prep,” “anime,” “honor roll” student cliques or groups around ACHS, perhaps students will expand and break the social norms as they all unite and bring their interests together.

New school rules will be implemented into the system. Instead of detentions, maybe students will receive a suspension right away. Or maybe the paddle will return to ACHS. Students might respect their teachers obey the rules.

Junior Abbie Lubkeman said, “as far as social norms, I hope they improve down the road because nowadays, there isn’t much respect for others as there should be and it seems like the understanding we should have for each other has gotten lost.”

After school activities will change from having a casual time at home with friends while eating a Taco Bell burrito to hanging out at the Dunkin’ Donuts by Piggly Wiggly to drink an iced butter pecan coffee, with cream and sugar, of course.

“I don’t think Antioch will expand and heavily advance in 10 years. It’s been a cute little town for a long time and I don’t see the point of changing it too drastically,” said Lubkeman.

The future holds so many mysteries and the world will continue to grow, expand, and become more diverse. Humans will dare to do the impossible and achieve the unexpected. The world has so many innovative ideas that are brought to real life and put into action; it expands the opportunities that this world will take advantage of. The Earth’s diversity is in constant growth and the next evolution will be revolutionary.