Forbidden Hallways

By Adrianna DeFuoco

Lunch used to be a time where students could walk around after having been sitting all day, go to their lockers to prepare for their afternoon classes, and hang out with their friends.  Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Due to a recent turn of events and budget cuts previously discussed, the school has had to close down the hallways during lunch because there aren’t enough teachers to watch the students. While that seems to be a sensible and easy remedy to the situation, it has also caused many of the students to complain. The hallways, specifically the Math and English wings as well as the one parallel to the English wing, were important to the students since many of them enjoyed going for a leisurely stroll or sitting down to eat lunch away from the already crowded cafeteria and gym. 

The first and biggest reason why most students are unhappy with the closure of the hallways is because they enjoyed winding down and going for a casual stroll with friends throughout them. Two out of three students agree that the hallways are a walking destination. Nayla Diogine, a 10th grade student, said, “Students would rather walk around because they either have nothing better to do or because they are tired of sitting ̈

Another reason for the upset is because, due to the tight space in the gym and cafeteria, most students don’t really have anywhere to go during lunch. Several of the students that were asked agree that all the locations that they are permitted to eat in are much too loud and crowded. Nayla Diogine said, “I used to sit in the hallway with my friends and it was great. It wasn’t loud and a basketball wouldn’t hit me there. We could just hang out and eat our food, and I never saw any problem with it. We are still in the school, and we are not breaking any rules so what’s the harm in that?¨ 

Of course, the courtyard is a great substitute for the hallways, however the weather might prevent some students from wanting to eat there. The displacement has caused that area to become crowded as well. There also comes the matter of what will happen once winter comes, and it’s too cold and snowy to go out in the courtyard.

Many students also agreed that it is important to have access to their lockers at all times. McKenzie Dingle, a 10th grade student, said, “I can’t get to my locker personally I need to be able to get in there to do projects or homework or I can’t walk into the library to print something because I feel like I’m going to be stopped and yelled at for being there.¨ During lunch is the most convenient time to go and get the necessary books from lockers. Going before lunch does not allow much time to buy lunch, and some students have club meetings to get to. Going after lunch also runs a risk of being late for the next class. 

At the end of the day, there likely won’t be a solution to this dilemma that will satisfy both the faculty and the students. While the current situation is problematic, it likely won’t reach a compromise for some time.