The leftovers that we call lockers

How Battlefield would be different if students actually used lockers

Lockers+in+the+main+hallway+of+Battlefield+High+School

Lockers in the main hallway of Battlefield High School

As little kids, students grow up watching television shows and movies that highlight the typical high school experience. Productions such as High School Musical, Ned’s Declassified, and Victorious all idolize the in’s and out’s of high school that new students would think are a big part of the school environment. However, as high schoolers around the country know, the shows are targeted towards little kids, which although have many similarities to actual high school, tend to also differentiate with how school actually goes. In relation to Battlefield, one thing that many rising students do not realize until they step into the building is that, unlike their favorite shows, most student do not use their lockers in high school.

Any student who has been at the school for more than a week knows that using a locker is uncommon at Battlefield. Although the school has lockers to accommodate for around 1,800 students, most students just flat-out do not use them, and in fact, most choose to not even get one assigned on the first day of the year. This all started around 2009, when Battlefield started getting significantly larger in student population. When the school began to grow to the point of having more students than lockers, students casually began carrying backpacks around from class to class instead. Although a handful of students still chose to use a locker, they became heavily outnumbered. Since then, less and less students have requested lockers at the beginning of each year, all the way up until now where it is very rare to even see a locker opened. The question is: what would happen if Battlefield went back to using lockers?

Assuming that Battlefield did have enough lockers to house the 3,100+ students currently enrolled, there would need to be many changes that would have to be made for it to work. First and foremost, because of all the foot traffic in the hallway, more time would have to be made between classes so that students could get to their lockers and to class without being late. When asked about using lockers, senior Maddi Koch says “a negative about students having lockers would be that they only have one, and it’s either upstairs or downstairs. It’s already very hard for students to get to class on time, and if you have a locker upstairs and have to get to a trailer it would be really hard.” Battlefield’s current bell schedule grants students six minutes between class periods, which is already barely enough time for students going from the second floor to the outside modules or trailers between classes, so a new bell schedule would surely have to be made.

In addition to a new bell schedule, the morning and after school routines of students would also change. In order to get to their lockers, students would most likely have to arrive at school a few minutes earlier. Everyone at Battlefield knows that in the morning every second matters, especially when trying to avoid traffic, so that would be a very big change for the morning routines of students. When asked about what would change, sophomore Kennedy Moran says, “If students had lockers in the main hallway, then not only would it affect traffic outside because of time, but it would also create more traffic inside than there already is.” After school would be in the same ballpark, as students storm the parking lot after school everyday to try and beat the buses and escape the traffic in the parking lot. If lockers were a usual thing at Battlefield, students would have to make time to stop at their locker before olympic-sprinting to their car and trying to get home.

On the other hand, having lockers could really benefit students who have a difficult time locating their class materials when at home. By having an assigned locker, any student can organize their locker in any way they would like to help them keep all their supplies all in one place. Koch adds “having all your materials in your locker could more make space in your backpack to make room for other items. Also, it could prevent stealing.” Plus, with one of Battlefield’s goals being trying to make the school more colorful and diverse, letting students design and personalize their lockers could be a good way achieve that.

Although lockers have many pros, are they outweighed by cons? Sophomore Blake Marterella says, “While I don’t think lockers are the most efficient option, I do think it would add a nice aesthetic feel to our school.” Marterella is a member of both SALC and SCA, groups that pushed to let students be able to paint their parking spots this year. Another way that students could enjoy using lockers again could be as simple as having a locker next to their friends. Every summer many students miss out of having the chance to get a parking spot next to their friends, but getting a locker next to them could very well make up for it.

In conclusion, although there is little to no chance that Battlefield would be going back to the “locker method” anytime soon, it would be pretty interesting to see how the school would change if it did actually happen. Plus, who knows? With the construction of new high schools coming in the near future, which could drop Battlefield in numbers, the lockers could quite possibly return.