Lockers? A good idea, or a bad solution?

Every high school movie ever made has one thing in common: a locker scene. Students rushing through the halls, opening up their lockers and getting their textbooks. Many associate lockers with high school. Students here at Chapin seem to have mixed feelings when asked if they’d prefer to have a locker or not.

For many, the answer was an obvious yes, and for good reason. Backpacks can easily become a drag to carry around and can lead to back issues.

“I definitely think lockers would make things easier.” Says freshmen Paul Smith. “Much easier than carrying a heavy bag.”

Binders and books can take up a lot of space, and many teachers don’t think about this when asking students to bring thick, three-ring binders. Many students feel like lockers would make their high school experience that much easier, but not everyone agrees.

“I think having lockers would only worsen things. We’d have crowded hallways, everyone trying to get into their locker, and it would be easier to hide things like drugs or weapons,” said junior Kerstyn Gentry.

Some think lockers would be a security flaw, allowing students to bring things to school that they shouldn’t, and things that could harm others.

This isn’t much concern to all of those opposed to lockers.

“Yeah, they’d make things easier, but having to go back and forth between lockers and classes would take too long.” sophomore Alex Lowry said.

Having lockers would lengthen the time between classes, and overall be an inconvenience to many.

Some students have a harder time making up their minds. Sophia Hayes, a junior, said: “It’s inconvenient to carry everything, but I don’t think lockers are the answer, those might be more problematic.”

While opinions vary, one thing seems to be consistent: Students want a better way to carry their supplies around.

With technology evolving, and textbooks reducing down to a downloadable link, students ask why virtual notebooks aren’t commonly used. Some believe that’s the future of the school. Those students will need nothing more than a laptop to succeed.

“I’m not sure what the best solution is,” Hayes said. “But there has to be one.”