We all know what ROAR stands for: Respect, Ownership, Attendance, and Responsibility. After the phrase was constantly repeated by administrators, plastered all over the walls, and blared over the announcements, we realized that Jackson-Reed also fits some alternative interpretations of ROAR. So, we thought we would give the administration some suggestions.
Restrooms Overflowing At ‘Reed: When we hear the name Jackson-Reed, the first thing that comes to our mind is the building itself. Due to the unfortunate sewage incident last year, Restrooms Overflowing At ‘Reed feels like an appropriate representation of the building where we spend the majority of our days. Even if there isn’t a stench lingering from burst pipes, there always seems to be some sort of smell floating throughout the halls.
Roasting Or Arctic Rooms: The minute you step out of the halls and into a classroom, your concerns immediately switch from dealing with a nasty odor to dealing with the rapidly fluctuating temperature inside that never seems to match the weather outside. As we sit in our chairs shivering, all we can think about is how everything would make more sense if ROAR stood for Roasting Or Arctic Rooms.
Reliably Obnoxious Altercations Regularly: A common event experienced while sitting in the atrium is witnessing the sudden roar (no pun intended) of people screaming and running to get a first-hand account of whatever the most recent fight is. The obvious choice here is Reliably Obnoxious Altercations Regularly. You can’t count on much at JR, but a fight seems to happen pretty often.
Romances Are Often Rampant: Along the lines of drama and gossip, Romances Are Often Rampant seems like a good way to encompass the feeling of walking into the B-wing stairwell and seeing something you wish you hadn’t.
Roaches Openly Attacking Residents: The student life at this honorable institution isn’t the only thing that is thriving, so is the diverse animal population that just is not talked about enough. There’s nothing like walking through the locker rooms and feeling the sense of impending doom that the roach you just saw run across the floor might come scurry up your leg. A more fitting ROAR acronym would be Roaches Openly Attacking Residents.
Rats Overtaking Atrium Region: Similarly, the population of rats that live under the bleachers occasionally makes an appearance and terrifies any nearby student, best demonstrated by Rats Overtaking Atrium Region.
While it seems we have an ongoing list of grievances about our school, we’ll be honest in the fact that we are grateful for what we have. There have definitely been times where it felt like everything and everyone were against us, with school high up on that list, but at the end of the day, we’ve got it easy. We have a school and community here that we can always rely on to support us and provide everyone with an overall positive and beneficial four years. So, when it comes down to it, this version of R.O.A.R perfectly captures how we really feel about our school, Remarkable, Outstanding, Attentive, and Reliable.
