For the majority of the 2018-2019 school year, the sitting area near Cafeteria A, known as the T, has been closed off to students. The ban likely came from the same set of administrative decisions made by Principal Chris Mastrangelo which took away courtyard privileges due to students’ negligence when cleaning up after themselves. Just like the courtyard, the T station was a popular hangout location for students during all four lunch blocks.
Opinions varied on whether banning students from the area was a fair decision. Freshman Alexi Dao believes that it was not fair, especially for the students that want some alone time in which they can use the station as a “quiet space.” Considering now that it has been closed off, she has noticed that those types of students that valued quiet time only have the options of “walking around the school” since the cafe can be loud or visiting the library, which can often be overcrowded as well.
Other students, such as freshman Kayleen Denis disagree, offering perspective on how the ban could prevent “safety hazards”. Thinking outside of the box, she described how most terrorist attacks that occur in today’s society take place in areas that are “really crowded [or] really spacious and serene.” She also added along that the decision to take this initiative could stem from the fact that most of the students still lack the maturity “[they] are supposed to have at this age to be trusted in nice areas”.”
When thinking about certain solutions to resolve the issue, sophomores Ana Dorner, Nina Reyes, and Ayania Garrett said that putting up signs indicating that littering will not be tolerated would serve as a reminder to students in order to affect change in how the T should be treated. Another sophomore Sohaila Ammar noted that “a reasonable solution [would be] for [the] staff to make sure the students are at their best behavior.” That doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to check throughout the whole entire lunch block, but more when the bell is about to ring so students can be more aware.
While there are many alternative courses of action, it is still not clear what the future of the T holds.
