Big brother will be watching.

Now that we have begun a new year,  we have noticed many changes to our bell schedule and our Spartan times. Some less noticeable changes, but still just as important, are new security policies. And of course, who can forget the costly plan to add interior cameras?

The cameras are scheduled to be installed later in the year and will serve as an added bonus to the security of the building. According to the WS web page the cost estimate for the installation will be $42,210. The school system will pay $8,000 for the cameras in the cafeteria. For the other ten cameras that will be installed in other parts of the school, WS has already begun to raise the funds.

The cameras that will be placed in the cafeteria will further help administrators in making sure everyone is safe during the lunch periods as well in the mornings during breakfast.

“We are going to have cameras in all four corners [of the cafeteria]” said safety and security specialist Mike Ukele.

The cameras in the cafeteria will have wide angle and zoom so that in case of an event, such as the food fight two years ago, administrators will be able to more effectively assess the situation. The other ten cameras will be placed in areas like the sports lobby and the stairwells.

WS is always updating policies and procedures to keep us safe; interior cameras aren’t the only thing that is new.

The hallway in front of the cafeteria is no longer being used as seating area during lunch.

“It’s a little easier,” said Ukele. Administrators can now more efficiently monitor students during lunch. The crowded hallway also posed a problem to fire safety and had to be remedied.

Spartan Park, the shaded area along the front of the school, has also been put into retirement. The only outdoor setting for students to eat during lunch will be in the courtyard next to the cafeteria. Spartan Park had just raised too many safety concerns.

“You’re right next to Rolling Road,” said Ukele. “It was just too easy for students to skip.”

Administrators found that the hallway and the park were doing more harm than good and now that lunch has been moved to four lunches instead of three, there is plenty of room.

“[It] has always been a headache,” said Ukele. “You get a lot of horseplay.”