Every high school has its flaws, from bullying to drugs to smoking to suicides. The most predominant issue in our school is cheating, and after a notorious incident in 2011, parents and educators alike began to criticize the integrity of Great Neck North. A former student of Great Neck North High School was arrested that year and was the first SAT-cheating suspect to face a judge in a criminal court. He charged thousands of dollars to take the SAT and ACT exams for at least seven other students. However, he reported to CBS that he took the exam 16 times, baffling the head of testing security for the College Board.

Although this scandal was uncovered, North was not the first school to see large-scale cheating like this, and most certainly will not be the last. The College Board reported of 150 cheating scandals in the past year that they knew of. Yet, the cheating scandal at North attracted the attention of dozens of news outlets.

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and the Nassau County Council of Superintendents were both involved in the subsequent investigation, and claimed Mr. Kaplan’s administration handled the issue well to the extent possible. Additionally, thanks to our school, the College Board has increased security on a national scale which has created the required security procedures for the current exams.

This incident and its many effects not only caused a tear in the “Great Neck bubble,” but the incident transformed North’s streak of excellence and reputation from a “prestigious high school” to a “high school full of cheating ingrates.” Or, to an extreme, a “high school of rich spoiled brats,” a reference made by some. Some parents and educators alike now view North not as the home of the Blazers, but as the home of the “largest known SAT scandal in the United States.”

Just last year, another student-led “scandal” occurred on a smaller scale, in which pictures of a freshmen social studies exam were shared, which led to the canceling of the test and categorizing the class of 2020 as one with a poor reputation. This wasn’t on a national scale, but nevertheless, it’s indicative of cheating elsewhere in the school.  If you didn’t go to this high school and you were reading this, you’d probably say, “I’m glad I don’t go to that school,” showing our failing reputation.

You’d think students would learn from this, but they don’t. It’s not because they’re don’t understand the gravity of the situation – rather they don’t care. And with housekeepers taking the role of a caretaker in much of Great Neck, parents are completely oblivious to the well-being and wrongdoings of their children. This makes school investigations even harder as parents are unaware of their child’s actions.

Where are the class presidents when you need them? While this isn’t true for every officer, school elections are popularity contests rather than fair votes. Instead of looking for fair morals and good intentions, some students unfortunately vote for those who are popular within their grade. Once elected, these students boast of their position to their peers rather than employing good morals and sufficient intentions. Some officers even attend house parties with alcohol and drugs as well, creating a poor “vibe” for other students within the class. Unsurprisingly, the athletes and peer leaders do it too, providing a poor example for their peerlings and younger teammates.

Great Neck residents still need to realize that the bubble protecting us from pretty much everything is decaying. Slowly, Great Neck is finally being introduced to this thing called crime and this other thing called corruption, which is exactly what happened in 2011.

The next time you go to one of the school bathrooms to smoke or the next time you have alcohol at a house party or the next time you buy drugs from an anonymous drug dealer, first think about your well-being. Then, think about your friends. Finally, think about our school and our town and our bubble. Now what? A change in thought, or a headline in next week’s paper. A normal 2:33 P.M. dismissal, or a school lockdown. A normal Saturday night, or a police investigation. The fate of our town is in your hands.