[CRIER Munster High School
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Issue 6 Volume 53 Jan. 25, 2019
8808 Columbia Ave. Munster, IN 46321
Behind closed doors
Students discuss the after-school policy
[photo by Lilia Brunetti]
NOTHING BUT TIME Waiting after school, Trinity Espinosa, junior, and Casey Wallace, junior, lean against the front entrance doors. Students waiting after school are told to wait in the vestibule for their rides. “I understand the purpose and the intentions of the policy because there’s a couple people who do inappropriate things while waiting, but at the same time I don’t think we should be locked in the vestibule—there should be a supervisor or two in the Commons or by the vestibule,” Casey said. story by
[Alexis Lindenmayer] Page Editor
More recently, the school has been imposing and enforcing more safety policies. Last month specifically, an email was sent Dec. 12 from Mr. Morgan Nolan, Assistant Principal. The email says that the school will be “cracking down on students who are loitering unsupervised in and around the building.” The email continues to say that any student caught loitering after 3:45 p.m. will be disciplined— beginning with a Saturday detention. While this isn’t a new rule, it is now being pushed for school safety, there are three types of students who have specific discomfort with the policy. Plenty of students are finding trouble in having to wait in the front entrance vestibule for an extended period of time. This is where all students are told to wait around 3:05 p.m. when they are still in the school and not with a club or sport. “My dad is a police officer, so he gets calls all the time and my mom works out in Crown Point, so it’s hard for me to wait for them,” Camryn Hayes, junior, said. “My dad’s calls could be from 45 minutes to an hour, so I’ll just be sitting there waiting for an hour.” Camryn describes the
[Inside look]
pg. 4
Crier Staffer reviews podcasts
alternative of walking to the library to be unpleasant. “I hear it’s packed there. It’s not a quiet library,” Camryn said. “Also, I don’t feel comfortable walking places by myself.” Next are the students who stay after school for extracurricular activities that may start later in the evening. Whether it’s a slightly later practice or club meeting, students express their annoyance with having to leave the school and then return for their commitment. “Jazz band is at 4:30 (p.m.) and people can’t go home because they don’t have a ride,” Chris Mathew, sophomore, said. “A lot of people stay after school to work on musical stuff, and a lot of people can’t get home because their parents have jobs.” Michael Collins, freshman, believes that it’s simpler to just wait in the school for his practice instead of walking somewhere else and then coming right back. “I just don’t understand why we can’t wait in the Commons,” Michael said. “If I have track conditioning around 3:40 (p.m.), it is a waste of time and energy to leave the school and then come back in 20 minutes.” In addition, there have been various complaints about how early the gates and doors get locked after school.
2:55 p.m.
3 p.m.
3:05 p.m.
HEADING HOME School ends and students leave or go to extra curriculars.
CHATTING IT UP Students waiting for a ride or activities sit in the Commons.
ABANDONING THE HALL As students asked to leave the Commons are empty. [photos by Lilia Brunetti]
Students who have their license are finding themselves walking long distances just to get to their car. “I believe the policy is a little bit flawed, especially for students who do extracurricular activities,” Emma Stricker, junior, said. “I frequently stay after school for DECA, debate, and Spanish Club, and the doors are always locked to get to the south parking lot and I can’t get to my car, without having to go through the front doors and walk around the school. It’s really a hassle to walk all that way, especially in the cold.” With all of these specific complaints begs the idea of whether or not the school will accommodate for them.
pg. 7
Freshmen playing on Varsity sports
LONG HAUL Max Lindenmayer, freshman, runs a cross country race as a freshman on varsity. “Finishing a race is so rewarding,” Max said. [photo by HR Imaging]
Mr. Mike Wells, principal, has already been notified about the gate issue and is working for a solution, but there is no indication of changing other aspects of the policy. At the end of the day, the policy is there for safety reasons. We live in an era where administration believes locking doors and strong supervision is completely necessary. “I understand (the policy) for the kids who are just sitting around waiting for rides because they aren’t supervised,” Emma said. “But for the people who are doing extracurriculars associated with the school, I think there needs to be another solution in regards to when and where things get locked.”
[Upcoming] Munster Dance Invitational tomorrow, Jazz starts at 9:12 a.m.
Improv night, tonight 7 p.m. in the auditorium