Lockers

 This year, lockers are back in use. Last year, students had to drag notebooks, textbooks, folders and sports bags to each class, making backpacks heavier. Now that more students are in school and vaccinated, administrators feel more comfortable allowing students to use their lockers in between classes, according to Mr. Robert Snyder, assistant principal. 

“I use my locker to keep heavy books I don’t need all the time, my lunch box and my winter coat,” Kate Krawczyk, senior, said. “It’s super helpful so I don’t have as much to carry throughout the day.”

If students wish to access their lockers, the number and combination can be found in Power School.

Contact time

Contact time is available Tuesday. Recently, there was a misunderstanding among students that a teacher can issue detentions if a student does not attend contact time. However, this is only if a teacher has made a unique rule to their class.

“I think (contact time) can help me realize what the common mistakes are so I can preemptively address them,” Mrs. Samantha Schnitzlein, math teacher, said. “It also helps me get to know the students more.” 

On top of teachers establishing better relationships with their students, some students have found contact time helpful to learning and adjusting to the eight period schedule.

“We’re learning eight periods of new material and that can get overwhelming,” Casey McNulty, junior, said. “I got my grade where I wanted it to be since I’ve been going in almost every Tuesday.”

Passes

Previously, some teachers adopted a digital pass system. However, due to a trend of bathroom vandalism, the importance of having a visible pass led to teachers using physical passes again. As a result, this year has brought an influx of handwritten passes. Since passes are a legal recording of students’ whereabouts, teachers have to record when a student exits, reenters and where they went.  

Although passes have become more strict, it is only expanding on an established rule. In the student handbook, it states, “students who are issued a pass and fail to report to the specific location or use the pass to visit another location will be subject to discipline.” Additionally, students may not leave the lunch room unless they have a pass to the Media Center or the Commons. 

These rules, despite their strictness, are only meant to protect teacher and students.

Photos by Henry Hofferth and Anthony Young.