The summer is over, Knights. It is time to leave pool days for the weekends and wake up your iPads, which you have not touched since last May. Jumping back into school habits is a challenge every student faces while entering the new school year. In addition, a new locker policy has been implemented, making the adjustment more difficult for returning students.
In previous years, the lockers were used to store lunch boxes, sports bags, and snacks. While every student was assigned a locker, most relied on the buddy system, creating a communal storage unit for the friend group. However, a new system was implemented to create a less hazardous classroom space. Students are now required to put their backpacks in the designated lockers during class time. However, some Knights were able to reserve lockers but were encouraged to buddy up since space was limited.
This policy has created mixed feelings throughout Hoban. History and Economics teacher, Jason Deal, comments, “it’s a pretty good idea because it keeps the lockers close to the classroom that the kids are in. So, if a student needs to grab something from their bag, it’s right there and they don’t have to walk all over the building to their lockers.”
While Deal does not view this new system as an inconvenience, many students think otherwise. Freshman Harper Deal and Jocelyn Waugh suggest that cubbies should be put into classrooms so that their materials are easily accessible.
It seems as though this has created a butterfly effect. Since students have to access the lockers after class has ended, the through traffic cannot easily navigate the halls with all the new congestion.
“I feel like there’s just way too many people in the hallways. It’s very frustrating because sometimes the traffic is just stopped and no one can get through,” Senior Charbel Abdallah remarks.
The crowded hallways may also be caused by the large incoming freshman class. With a whopping 240 students, the class of 2028 is 30% larger than the smallest grade here at Hoban. Ultimately, there are just way more people navigating the building compared to last year.
Sooner rather than later, Knights, the new locker policy will become embedded in the daily system. As a result, the hallways will begin to flow a little bit better, all it takes is some time. Whether the new rule slams you in your face or not, it will become the norm before you know it!
