Credit to Bri Taliaferro

Eight hours a day.
Five days a week.
42 weeks a year.
Four years.
That is how long the average high schooler spends in their school. Students that are heavily involved in extracurriculars may end up spending more time at school during typical weeks than they do at their own homes. A recent Instagram poll on @FHNtoday revealed that, out of the 217 interactions, 59% are at school before and/or after the bells ring multiple days a week.

The switch to the new building last year gave North a brand new space to work with, with many upgrades compared to what three-fourths of the student body had in the previous building. However, this change also came with noticeable rigidity in administration’s rules in order to maintain order and keep the brand new building in its shiny, spotless condition.

In the excitement of the switch, administration seems to have forgotten that the place that they work is not just another
office building, but a school. The majority of the occupants are teenagers. Keeping it the same blank canvas that it was built as fails to replicate what it was built for- a space that students can feel comfortable enough to spend a majority of their time in.

This year, it’s more of the same. Walls are still blank, gates are still blocking off the cafeteria and before 7:05 a.m., students cannot access the rest of the building without a pass.

Not only is this an issue within the school walls, but outside as well. Senior Sunrise, a tradition typically held on the football field at other schools, was held on the pavement between the parking lot and the school.

It is understandable to want to preserve the original state of the new North for as long as possible, but there are ways to do that while prioritizing student comfort at school.

Solution
The majority of students at North want a clean place to go to school everyday. Cleanliness and creativity are two things that are able to occur simultaneously.

For seniors wanting to do the painting parking spots trend, sidewalk chalk could be used on small sections of the large concrete entrance into the school. This would prevent problems like students taking parking spots of seniors and permanent paint needing to be covered each year.

The same idea could be applied to the walls or ceilings in the school. Student-made via paper or another material thatisn’t the wall directly, in areas that aren’t the art hallway. Certain artwork or banners could be put in specific hallways based on what classes are in it. For example, if a piece included science elements, it could be placed in the science hallway. This way, hallways have some character and students can feel like they are contributing to an environment that they want to be in.

It adds to the overall school spirit when there are professional signs, banners and other elements in the school, however,
those aren’t created with much student involvement. Students at North are capable of creating professional pieces to add to the school without ruining the clean aesthetic that has been held onto since the building was finished, and should be encouraged to do so.

The problem is not that this is difficult to achieve, it’s that few have taken the time to prioritize making the school environment one that students want to be in.