Social media has become a crucial part of today’s society. If you look around the halls of Beaverton High School, you are bound to notice a student or two glued to their phones. According to a 2022 Pew Research Report, 73% of teens ages 15 to 17 say they use Instagram. Beaverton High School (BHS) uses Instagram to convey important information to its students. However, some students cannot afford phones or are not allowed to use Instagram. This poses the question, how do these students get their information? Email is another reliable source, yet students say it is easy to get overwhelmed and not check it regularly. With information so spread out, it can be extremely easy to miss things such as changes in schedules or snow day announcements. 

One of the biggest problems with the school’s communication system is how easy it is to miss important information. The BHS Instagram page and story is filled with random questions and photos. To see anything important, you have to flip through all of that and hope you find something. This is ineffective, per a survey sent out to BHS students. 86% of students have missed more than one announcement since their freshman year. Many students surveyed also stated that they use Instagram as their primary source of information. 

Many people find it stressful if they don’t have social media. It makes it easier to miss important announcements and other information. A freshman who preferred to remain anonymous said, “My parents don’t let me have Instagram, and it’s embarrassing for me. I usually don’t know if I’m missing something important.” This echoes the worries of many other students. If you don’t have Instagram and rarely check your emails, you rely on your peers to give you information. There is also a significant chance you will miss an announcement altogether. 

Some other students are more successful navigating high school without Instagram. As sophomore Hayden Yahna states, “I used to get all my information from Instagram before I deleted it. Now I get it from school closure announcements and the BSD text lists.” The BSD text lists are very useful, but it can be confusing to get onto them. 

It is difficult to make sure announcements are getting out to everyone. Some students can’t rely on Wi-Fi at home, and others don’t know how to efficiently sort their emails. Some students had suggestions as to how to help. Sofia Cook, a sophomore, states, “The most important announcements should go by email; I’d see it sooner. But Instagram is a great way otherwise.” 

Others disagree. Junior Amelia Whitlock states, “I miss announcements all the time because I don’t have Instagram. It would be better if they were sent to Beaver Lodge teachers and put on the official website instead of social media.” The big announcements are made very clear on the official website. Small things, like temporary changes to the schedule, are not.

Beaver Lodge announcements are another great way to see what’s new, but not all teachers play the announcements. This means that some students get information while others don’t. 

In an age of immediate access to information, people can forget how important it is to look for announcments. Information is available to the student body across a variety of platforms. Although this can be a good thing, it’s difficult for a lot of students to follow. As sophomore Charlie states, “I feel like Instagram is pretty effective; it’s all about how the information is formatted.” Although it can be confusing, the information is usually avalible. From snow days to school sports, no announcement is worth missing.