Throughout the high school, lockers are decorated with signs promoting that individual’s band instrument or what sport they’re in.
I’m in orchestra, and my freshman year we never got locker signs. My sophomore year, a lot of the freshman were unhappy that their orchestral participation went unnoticed, especially since all the band kids got locker signs. Before I knew it, there were orchestra locker signs around the school.
I was indifferent; I didn’t care if I had a sign or not. It’s also not like other students cared or were commenting about me being in orchestra because of the locker sign. But one day, someone wrote a vulgar phrase on my locker sign which caused me to quickly rip it down and throw it away.
Fast forward to junior year and I got a new locker sign for the new year. Less than a week after it was up, I come to my locker after lunch and find it gone. The edges of the sign were there and I could tell someone had ripped it off. I looked around and found it on someone else’s locker. So I put it back on mine.
By the end of the day, it was on another locker again. I finally gave up and took it off the other person’s locker and threw it away.
I was confused. Why would someone do that? I checked other locker signs in my locker bay and they were all fine. It made me feel ashamed to be in orchestra. I couldn’t understand if I had offended someone or if it was just a joke. I’ve never heard of anyone else having that problem. I figured it was some senior and I let it go because they weren’t harassing me personally, although it felt personal at the time.
Now it’s my senior year and my locker sign is still hanging proudly in my locker bay. But my past experiences with my locker signs made me think about a lot of things.
Many orchestra students like their locker signs. “I like orchestra locker signs because it’s just another way to express being a part of a group that you love. It’s nice to have something that’s indicative of being in a group,” senior Mahum Haque said.
Everyone at PV is involved in something from drama to sports to Spartan Assembly to clubs. So why is it that only certain activities get recognized? And even worse, why are certain sports or arts recognized and not others. Have you ever seen a choir locker sign? Or a bowling locker sign? They’re not a lesser performing art or a lesser sport, so why should they go unrecognized?
There are also numerous clubs at PV that obviously have student participants. Why shouldn’t they be recognized too? Maybe this could spark a conversation between people who might not know about that particular club.
Even outside of school, students are often involved in extracurricular activities. Some of the activities take up so much time that students are unable to participate in school clubs or sports.
Senior Emily Preston enjoys the locker signs around the school. “I love seeing locker signs around the school because it shows how involved our student body is in extracurricular activities.”
I think the locker signs are great, and I think they hold potential to create an even stronger and more connected student body. Students could learn more about their peers and locker neighbors, who are often underclassmen.
“I think it brings students together since the signs cheer on athletes and actors and highlight musicians,” Preston said.
