At the beginning of each school year, it seems the same cacophony of complaints echo throughout the building. Nearing the status of tradition, every year upperclassmen find common ground in griping about the freshmen’s clumsy movements throughout the halls. Students groan at the sight of a packed staircase, or a rotunda-turned-maze of newcomers still adjusting to high school. While I myself am not innocent in this–I can’t stand when people use the incorrect doorway–complaining does no good. Getting used to high school is no easy task, and the last thing freshmen are focused on is how to walk through the halls. Yet, for the sake of sparing upperclassmen’s breath wasted on complaints, it is important for everyone to understand the basic “rules” regarding hallway travel. Below are some basic guidelines, as well as times-saving tips, that should help lessen CHS’s constant internal traffic jams.
- Last I checked, Cranford High School is not in England. Here, we drive on the right hand side of the road. The same concept applies to where we walk in the halls! It is standard to keep to the right when passing through the corridors. This eliminates any collision and/or slowing of the flow of foot traffic.
- Situated right at the entrance to the high school is its nexus: the rotunda. As many have noticed, it gets incredibly crowded with students at the beginning of the school day. This crowding transforms the space into an obstacle course, one traversed by other, frustrated students. While I’m sure many of you are eager to greet Mr. Cantagallo in the rotunda, which is adjacent to the main office, the vast majority are engaged in pre-class conversations with their peers. This interaction is obviously a positive, but CHS holds many other spaces where students can congregate before class without blocking the flow of traffic. Quietly converse on the library’s couches, or grab a quick breakfast with your friends in the large cafeteria instead!
- A personal pet peeve of mine, students frequently fling open the incorrect door to enter the stairwells, directly clashing with the flow of traffic up and down the stairs and further bogging up these areas. Similar to the way we walk in the halls, the correct doorway to use when entering and exiting the staircase is always the one on your right hand side.
These are just some general rules all should follow to mitigate traffic within the school. Yet, even when all follow these rules, the stairwells seem cramped. Migrating from the fourth to first floor at the lunch bell is certain to be a five minute excursion at least! In that vein, here are my recommendations as to which stairwell to avoid and which to take!
- Avoid Stairwell A at all costs! This passage does extend from the first to fourth floor, but it’s narrowness makes it infamous for pushing and shoving. Gridlock in this stairwell during passing time is sure to make you late to your next class.
- Prioritize taking Stairwell E! Situated at the center of CHS’s floor plan, Stairwell E extends to all four levels. What distinguishes it from the dreadful Stair A is its width and general amount of foot traffic. Stairwell E is around two times as wide as its counterparts, yet continuously sees less traveling students. Even if it were to see the massive volume of students that Stair A does, this stairwell’s width guarantees easy movement and access to all four floors. It is a huge time saver that you should be taking!
