Each and every week the students of Leonardtown High School suffer, forced to undertake the horror of all horrors: MEMBEAN. Ok, maybe the situation is not so dramatic. Yet, there is a resounding dislike of this vocabulary practice mechanism.

Membean is a silent killer. It foists its many levels on helpless students, whom, are, as usual, are at the mercy of their teachers and their ever growing arsenal of torture. This hand for hire carries out the teachers’ will with its variety of words and interactive options. AP English Literature teacher Kelly Bridges explained that “Membean is individualized. We use it because it is tailored to every student.” Ok, she may have a point but that does not mean it is enjoyable by any stretch of the word.

Senior AP Literature student Joy Deitrich speaks for many of us, stating “I hate Membean because we have to actually take tests, and since my level is so high…my tests are harder. Also, many students who should be on a higher level hold themselves back to make their tests easier.” Is, then, Membean the hand-tailored teacher people believe it to be?

Membean victims need your help. We, the students, must band together to enact change. Well, perhaps not AP Literature students; Ms. Bridges revealed that Membean is an alternative to vocabulary journals and if they are anything like reading journals we might want to hold back. Nonetheless, freedom from this torture starts with you, the students. There are many things you can do to show the teachers you are not ok with Membean. Start a petition; stage a sit-in; refuse it outright. I wonder; is there anything we can do? Perhaps you will be the one to give the students of LHS a fighting chance.