Whenever you come across a Lane alum, they reflect fondly on their time in high school. But as much as students would like to believe that everyone who has attended Lane loved it, there are bound to be a few who feel differently.

Lane was slandered when a video entitled “Lane Tech: An Honest Portrayal” was published. The lack of student parking, push for IDs and the demerit system were some of the issues addressed. The video was published under a fake name and the creator hired a voice actor, as stated in the video, in order to avoid consequences from administration. The video has been viewed almost 8,000 times, and shared throughout the Lane and CPS community.

Whether you agreed with the message or not, everyone can admit that the video is shocking. It has a “Gossip Girl” like quality, with the perfect combination of unexpected aggressiveness combined with the anonymous slander. The “wow” factor of the video undoubtedly caused a stir.

Some praise the video, agreeing with the passive aggressive message sent across. But there are some individuals, both Lane students and not, who see it differently. One particular viewer, the username “Naida”, who does not go to Lane, commented on the youtube video saying “Stop whining and appreciate how lucky you are to go to an amazing school. You don’t even understand half the struggles other CPS students have to go through, especially at schools in the south side. You have so many amazing opportunities at Lane and you’re going to whine about wearing an ID? Grow up and get over it. Welcome to the real world where people won’t cater to your every little desire.”

This begs a loaded question. Are Lane students being unappreciative of their “privileged” lifestyle at school? With so many extracurriculars and electives offered, it may seem puzzling that any student would be unhappy at school, at least to an outsider.

Lane students were anonymously polled and asked about their impression of Lane. Out of 40 students surveyed replied with their honest opinions, . O ,only 1 of the 40forty  polled had not seen the video, and 78% of people agreed that the video brought up some solid points. Going further into this, students were asked if Lane was their first choice for high school. 43% of students polled said that Lane was not their first choice, listing other selective enrollment high schools like Northside, Whitney Young, and Jones as their first choice over Lane. I can attest personally that although Lane was not my first choice in 2012, I am happy here and am extremely grateful to have ended up here.

Even though 43% of students said Lane was not their first choice for high school, of those same students, only 12% would transfer. This information shows how people learn to love and appreciate their school even if it wasn’t their first choice.

When asked about whether students were happy with their experience at Lane, there was an abundance of responses gushing about the opportunities they’ve been given through Lane and the friends they’ve met from their time there. One student says Lane “mMakes me feel like I belong somewhere”, while others go on to say that they “wouldn’t be the person I am now or have met the people I’ve met if I never went to Lane.” The comparison of Lane to other schools was also addressed, with one response saying “I think that all the opportunities given at Lane are outstanding and outstanding compared to those that students at many other schools get.”

The most common complaint based on the survey was the administration and “unnecessary restrictions”. Overall, students say they like Lane and are happy to go here, but “agree it could be better and some of the rules and restrictions seem unfair or outdated”.

Some of the rules referenced would be the demerit system and ID requirements, the same issues addressed in the video. Spirit day is filled with people screaming the school song, but can just as easily scream complaints. Would these people complain at any high school regardless, or just at Lane?

It is evident that  Lane students have strong feelings towards their high school, both positive and negative. If students feel so strongly about certain rules they disagree with, taking it up with administration might be a better approach than an anonymous video. Would this person be just as opinionated if they came face to face with Mr. Milsap or Ms. Anderson? The video doesn’t do much except cause a stir and draw attention to a few “problems” we’ve heard about already.  It comes into question whether these issues were so bothersome that the video had to be made. This very well could be a bold movement to make a statement, or just another case of teen angst.

The beauty of going to such a large school is the immense and diverse opportunities given to you. If you find that you aren’t necessarily comfortable with one aspect of school, you are bound to find another that interests you. It is clear from the positive responses of the poll that everyone has something they can love about Lane. You wouldn’t want to look back on your time in high school and only remember the times you spent begrudgingly complaining about wearing an ID and not taking advantage of all this school has to offer. Four4 years goes by fast, so take the time to appreciate the things you do like instead of dwelling on the minuscule things you may not.