The BV administration gives away $10 every Tuesday and brand new iPod Touches once a month for students to enjoy.

These rewards don’t just fall out of the sky and walk into the office five times a month.

Anonymous donors supplied us with $1,972 worth of merchandise this year alone. BV students often take these rewards for granted.

Keep in mind, this is during the worst recession America has seen since the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, schools across the country are having their art departments and sports programs shut down.

In California, teachers are forced to take three days off each year without pay, because the state can’t afford to pay their whole salary.

Businesses in our area supply us with these benefits — we shouldn’t forget that.

We as students are being rewarded for what we are already supposed to do.

Cherish it.

This kind of thing doesn’t happen anywhere else.

But we also shouldn’t expect this to continue if we don’t appreciate or acknowledge what the administration is doing for us.

Ever wonder why it is mostly underclassmen who win these things?

It is because they are the only people meeting the criteria.

The money and iPods are given out to a name drawn at random, as long as that student meets the requirements.

The criteria broadly being ‘be respectful’ and ‘be responsible.’

If you don’t skip school, aren’t late, turn in your assignments and don’t have any referrals, you are eligible to win either prize.

Somewhere along the way, the upperclassmen stopped meeting those easy goals.

It’s not as if we are bad students.

More than one thousand Tiger Tokens were awarded last semester.

Clearly, our teachers like us.

We know how to act responsibly and respectably.

So why can’t we do everything that is asked of us, when we know we could get easy money or a free iPod?

At the end of last semester, we had the fewest D’s, F’s and discipline referrals in BV history.

That’s not enough.

With all the second chances to make up tests or turn in assignments, grading curves, teachers going out of their way to help you understand a subject and being paid to do your work, that isn’t enough.

There should not be a few D’s and F’s.

There should not be any at all.

Just do what you are supposed to — you’ll be rewarded with good grades and maybe an extra $10 or iPod.