How would you feel walking in the hallways with 2,300 kids in your school? There are already so many kids in one school, but what happens if you add more from another school?
Junior Sam Partin has many opinions about hallway chaos. For instance, when I asked him if it took him longer to get to class, he said, “Yes, it’s taking longer.” This is a valid statement because there are limited ways to get to class. For example, students who need to get to the math hallway now have to go downstairs to the cafeteria, then up a back stairwell to find their classes. Sam Partin isn’t very impressed with the choices with where Jenkins classrooms ended up because, as he says, “There could’ve been different ways to handle the situation with them.”
Sam thinks the placement of the Jenkins kids is frustrating because: “Some classes that got switched are not made for where they got placed. Some teachers don’t have the supplies that they need for their classes.” Some teachers are moving from classroom to classroom almost every period. This inconvenience with Jenkins is not what Doherty was expecting this year. The system that Doherty had was working, but now Doherty students and staff are trying to make due with a cramped and awkward situation.
Some students like sophomore Darin Marschall don’t like the arrangement that they made, but he still thinks they did what they could with short notice. Darin says, “It doesn’t take longer to get to classes [for me], but it is confusing and I do get lost at times.”
Other students might have a different opinion on how to get through the hallways. Aaliyah Xayavong says, “Having the Jenkins kids move here has made things more difficult at Doherty. It’s frustrating that we can’t hang out in the cafeteria during free periods because they have lunch.” Aaliyah has strong feelings about the new system and thinks they should have gone to a different middle school or online.
Karla Lopez had the same thing in mind, thinking that they should have gone online because it would have been smarter and more ideal. Karla says, “I think everybody is overreacting with Jenkins being here because they don’t interact with us. I don’t like that our classes got switched and the English and math hallways are closed.”
Yet Robert Blackerby wonders why they also couldn’t go anywhere else, but he says, “I think it would be better if they put 8th grade Jenkins and freshmen together.” Robert’s opinion is very different from the others, but it might not be ideal for most students and teachers.
Everyone has their own opinion on Jenkins being here and how it’s different to get through the hallways now. Even though nobody was expecting it, however, everybody still found a way to work together and still be able to get our education because that is the important thing. Getting through the hallways might still be difficult, but we still find our way.
