On your mark, get set, run to class

The+trailer+park+gets+crowded+quickly+in+the+seven+minutes+between+classes%2C+causing+students+to+be+late+to+their+next+class.

Photo courtesy of Zobia Nayyar

The trailer park gets crowded quickly in the seven minutes between classes, causing students to be late to their next class.

Sarah Petrus, Viewpoint Editor

There are footsteps pounding on the ground, hands gripping the fence and propelling themselves over, and arms shielding eyes from the dust and wind.

Now, this may sound like a low budget horror movie, but this is a reality for WS students every day now that the reconstruction has started.

“Getting to class on time and getting water between classes [are some problems with Sparta],” said junior Leslie Lermo. “The water [dispenser] is never full.”

Many students are having issues getting to class and hope that teachers will become less strict when it comes to being late to class so that students going to and from the trailers to the main building won’t rack up tardies. Students are forced to sprint to class in fear of being marked tardy and facing the wrath of their teacher.

“[The teachers] should not worry too much if students are tardy,” said Lermo. “If you’re consistently tardy every day, that probably means it’s really hard for you to get [to that class].”

Whether it’s to frantically finish homework or to socialize with friends, Lunch is a major part of every high schooler’s day, and arguably a high schooler’s favorite time of the day.

With the renovations, it became much more difficult for those with B or C lunch to get to the cafeteria on time if they’re coming from the trailers. Students often find themselves with only fifteen minutes to eat their lunch before they have to race back down to the trailers to avoid being late.

“The teachers have to let you leave earlier to be able to get to lunch, and you also have to leave lunch earlier to get back to class,” said Porter.

Another concern is weather issues, specifically rain or snow, and how they will affect students traveling to trailer classes. Some fear that they will slip and fall, especially if they’re running to get to class. It seems like if a student wants to get to class in the rain, they will have to swim through the pond that covers the parking lot.

“People are going to slip on the ramps, and walking through snow is kind of hard,” said Porter. “Hopefully, they’ll cancel school though.”

This year, freshmen were given very few trailer classes so that they could have an easier time adjusting to the school. They were given mostly classes inside the school, where hallways are blocked off and they are left to wander around with a map in their hands, hoping to stumble into their class.

“It probably would have been easier for [the freshmen] to adjust if [the administration] had put them in the trailers because they’ll just have to adjust to [the trailers] next year.” said Lermo.

The reconstruction is affecting everyone at WS. Hopefully, there will be changes made to the attendance policy to help students later into the year.

“I’ve been late at least three times so far, and it’s only the second week!” said Ariana Porter.