As the new semester begins, students are finding it increasingly difficult to use the Spartan Commons, such as during study halls. The commons is meant to act as a gathering place for students so they have a more comfortable place to meet during free periods, before and after school and for lunch overflow.
Students feel like they can’t take advantage of what the commons can truly offer. The commons can’t be used during any study hall period except for fifth period and can’t be used during any lunch except for D lunch.
Students express concerns about using the commons as more than just a gathering place. “I think the commons should be used as a space for study hall,” senior Nadia Meeks shared. “They’re unusable for the whole day since they’re only accessible during specific times of the day,” Meeks added.
As the times to use the commons become more restricted, students end up using the commons less. Meeks adds that she rarely uses the commons, much like other friends that she knows.
The commons was a part of a larger renovation of the school in 2017 and cost 10-15 million dollars, yet it remains empty for the majority of the school day.
Students wonder why the commons isn’t available for study halls. “Study halls require supervision,” administrator Jamie Homb shared. “It is all about the safety of students and to make sure we have a counting of all students.”
This exposes a larger problem in the school. With fewer teachers available to teach and supervise and more students attending the school, it is difficult to accommodate student requests and the growing student body. The commons is already used as a space for an overflow of students, but using the space for study hall isn’t practical right now.
Still, students don’t understand the need to repurpose the commons and would rather keep it comfortable. “I feel like the commons is a cozy space that has multiple purposes,” senior Sophia Pomykala said. “If it was repurposed into a space for a singular use, the commons would lose what makes it so special.”
While addressing this problem for the future, it’s important not to just consider how students feel about using the commons, but to also address the practicality of using it with the resources the school has.
