As students stroll through the halls of Haldane High School, they may notice lockers lining the walls on both the first and second floors. But how useful are these lockers to Haldane students?
For some students, in all the years they’ve been at Haldane, they have never used a locker to hold their school supplies. Senior Eleanor Chew has never used her locker. Chew said, “It’s more practical and time-efficient to carry around everything in my backpack.” She then elaborated, “The time between classes is pretty short, and there isn’t much time to access your locker.” This is a complaint that has been recognized by other students within the High School, such as sophomore Sophia Taylor. Similarly, Taylor doesn’t find the lockers to be a helpful resource. According to Taylor, her locker is “annoying and it doesn’t fit anything in it, especially not sports gear.” She finds it impractical due to the lack of time between classes and the locker’s small size, which prevents it from holding the necessary supplies and personal items needed during or after the school day. The issue of size is particularly relevant for students involved in athletics who often need to store bulky equipment like sports gear or a change of clothes. Many students often prefer to leave their equipment in the locker rooms, where they’ll be after school, instead of in the high school, where their lockers are far away and inconvenient. The small dimensions of the standard locker don’t accommodate the various personal needs of most high school students.
Other students do find lockers useful. Sophomore Scout Thakur de Beer chooses to use her locker throughout the school day. Thakur de Beer said, “[I choose to use it] because I don’t enjoy dragging all my stuff around with me to every class.” Thakur de Beer noted that using her locker made going up and down the hill simpler. She noted, “It’s nice to have a spot to drop it all so I’m not lugging 10 pounds of extraneous items with me everywhere I go.” The weight of textbooks and binders, compounded by personal items, is a burden that the lockers help avoid. Despite the lockers’ value, their placement can be quite a problem. Thakur de Beer stated, “The second floor is [such a] hassle to get to before French.” Despite the convenience of having a locker, the lack of strategic placement based on a student’s daily class schedule can cause problems throughout the day. For students whose classes are on the first floor and must go to the Mabel Merritt building, where many foreign language classes are held, having a locker on the second floor creates a time-consuming detour in between periods.
The use of lockers at Haldane High School ultimately boils down to personal preference. Due to the inconvenient placement or time in between classes, students who benefit from the lack of a physical strain from a book bag run the risk of arriving late to class. For others, it’s the choice between a heavy bag or a rushed schedule, changing this resource’s usefulness based on personal preference and schedule.
