Change after change. Last year we were given total freedom of the school during the new Soar Time, leaving space and seating for all students. It was brand new, and we were warned that it may change again, but none of us expected the change to be this substantial.

This year has been a different story. All but the main stairway, gym halls and theater/band hall have been closed leaving students to be packed into the cafe and balcony areas during lunch. The halls have become lined with students.

“It was hard finding my friends and somewhere to sit,” freshman Sadie Dunlap said. “So we just ended up sitting here on the floor. Which isn’t that bad, but the only downside is doing homework because we don’t really have anywhere to put our papers.”

Dunlap wasn’t the only one who found it slightly difficult to find somewhere new to sit with friends. Several of the students interviewed had similar concerns and found it strange to be sitting out in the open cafeteria instead of in a hall or stairwell, as was done last year.

“The halls being closed is not my favorite thing. We’re all so close together, there’s more than 1,000 kids, almost 2,000, so it feels a bit close,” sophomore Naudia Watson-Booker said.

The halls being closed isn’t the only new adjustment to Soar Time this year. Visiting teachers during their office hours has changed from last year as well. The previous year, students could drop in to their teachers’ rooms during lunch to ask simple questions, or even just to say hi and ask how they’re doing, and then they could leave at any time to do something else during Soar Time. Now, if a student wants to visit a teacher during office hours, they must stay the entire half hour. 

Most students aren’t thrilled with spending half their lunch in a teachers room, but what about the teachers?

“It’s okay, but it’s not necessary,” Mr. Schaper said. “I understand where they’re coming from, they want to keep the halls clean, and know where all the students are, for safety purposes, but when a student has a quick question, and then ends up having to stay in the room for half an hour it could be a bit much.” Schaper went on to talk about how he wants his class to feel welcoming and comfortable for all his students, providing games for students to play who have completed utilizing Schaper’s abilities.

The only question left is: why? Why were the halls closed down? Several students seem to believe it’s in order to prevent fights and stop students from doing inappropriate acts such as vaping and leaving school grounds. 

“If they want to keep a better eye on us, close down the stairs and open the halls, that way we aren’t so condensed,” sophomore Louis Stoyanov said.

However, none of the above is the reason why. According to Principal Nelson, the reason these areas have been closed this year is because, “students were leaving areas destroyed with trash.” Therefore, to try and limit this problem, the hallways and stairwells were closed.

With the halls being closed this year, and administration as well as teachers realizing how many students are forced to sit on the floor due to limited seating, they’ve decided to order more tables and seating for students. 

Change after change, high school students always seem to adapt to whatever the world may throw our way. So, no matter what other adjustments are possibly made to school policies, with new phone rules, Soar Time changes and bathroom passes, the students are ready to handle whatever is thrown at them next this year, and the years to come.