Jashlene Cawagas
In October, MC lockers between the D and B buildings were taken down. Eventually, the area will become a new spot for students to hang out during breaks or lunch, as additional lunch tables will be placed there.
The lockers taken down were old and fragmented and needed lots of repair and maintenance. In response, the MC administration decided that the lockers should be dismantled and forever discarded. Instead of rows of old lockers, the area’s tables can be used by kids who typically sit on the ground, or wander during breaks.
During lunch, an increasing number of students sit on the ground near the Performing Arts Center, the stage, and the library. To prevent more students from roaming around the school and hurriedly trying to acquire a table at lunch, the MC admin decided that lunch tables are a useful and needed addition to the campus.
MC has other lockers that are rarely used, so students that used the dismantled lockers were assigned new lockers in between the F and K buildings.
Campus Safety said the PUSD district is no longer repairing old lockers because of wasted manpower and tedious work. For old lockers to be repaired, parts need to come from new lockers, which can be expensive and tiresome.
An announcement was made stating that students had one day to pack all their belongings from the old lockers to clean them out before they were all taken apart.
Some students felt that they did not have enough time or notification to take out their belongings from the lockers. Students who were absent had to retrieve their belongings from campus safety the day they came back to school. Instead, there were teachers who notified their students during class about the plan to get rid of the old lockers and to remind students that their belongings would need to be removed to prevent students from being shocked and worried about their missing items.
At the end of the day, MC removed the lockers to improve student comfort and ensure students’ experiences and welfare were prioritized.
