By Piper Simons
Trying to walk through the hallway during passing time is one of the most daunting tasks of the school day. Traffic flows in one direction and leaves only certain areas for opposing traffic to clear through.
Here at Loy Norrix High School, there are over 1400 students. That means for five minutes every seventy minutes, there are 1400 teenage bodies trying to navigate around the school. Recently, oncoming traffic takes the entire width of the hallway.
At Maple Street Middle School, they have an effective way to prevent hallway congestion like this. They have a thick piece of blue tape running down the middle of every hallway. No matter where you are going, you always walk on the right side of the hallway, much like driving a car.
“You can always tell who’s a Maple Street kid because they’re walking down the right side of the hallway,” said senior Alyssa Hartsig.
Although students here are much older and should be able to perform a simple task such as walking in the hallway properly, there should be more regulations as to how problems in the hallway are handled.
At the moment, students are forced to weave in and out of packs of other students in the hallway, or to turn around to avoid getting hit by students shoving into each other. This seems like something students shouldn’t have to worry about.
Doors can be kept open, as well. Doors to the C-Wing and K-Wing are always closed, and students coming from both directions try to go in and out one door. Students aren’t going to check to see if the other door is unlocked when it’s closed. Both doors should be kept open. This is a major factor in hallway congestion.
“Why are they not open? We’re not quite sure. They should be permanently open like the other doors. People act dumb, they don’t try to open the door,” Hartsig said.
Putting tape in the hallway is a drastic measure, but there should be more regulations in the hallway. There are plenty of rules for dressing and being late, but none to help in getting to class on time.
Hannah Roberts • Oct 10, 2011 at 8:39 pm
Dear Editor,
I agree that the hallways are to0 crowded during passing time. I went to Maple Street where we did have lanes made by blue tape on the floor. I helped but I can tell you students did not like it. It would allow a path for students going both ways down the hallway. But if we were a step over to far we got in trouble. Even if we were in no ones way and it was clear. I saying there are pros and cons to blue tape to create lanes. Still there will always be some confusion in the hallways.
Hannah Roberts
(A helpful hint is to make the articles more persuasive and interesting)
Andrea • Oct 10, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Some of these articles I think are kind of pointless. I mean if you don’t like school dances then just simply do not go to them. But there is nothing you can do about the hallways being so crowded. Or the fact some people walk on the wrong side of the hall waye slowing things down even more. As long as I get to class somewhat on time there is nothing much I can really say. But then again my classes are not really all over the school.
Dominique Ollis • Oct 10, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Dear Editor,
I strongly agree. I am a freshman and of course I am in the B wing and a lot of the kids in high school still haven’t taken on certain responsibilities and they act like kids. The pushing and shoving causes much more chaos. Students tend to get very angry, like myself, when this happens. You are right though we should be able to manage a simple task like this one, but all the immaturity makes it difficult. Maybe we should consider putting a line in the hallway. Some of us are becoming drivers and need to learn the rules anyway but someone should make a difference to help us out.
Sincerely
Dominique Ollis
Daniel Coffey • Oct 10, 2011 at 7:11 pm
I agree, The hallways here are always crowded and unmanuverable. trying to get to class is like getting through the amazon rainforest. At Maple Street, it was easier to get to class because of the precautions they put into place. Here at Loy Norrix, It’s almost impossible. I also agree that we should all understand how to get through the hallways properly. We shouldn’t have to go back to what some of us did in middle school.