
2 minute read
Walking the (Hall)Ways
from Wordle Wisdom
by Statesman
Administration adds new mandatory Walker’s Education course; hands out Loss of Privileges for poor walking
By Hallway Menaces
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For the 2022-23 school year, the Stevenson administration will require every student to take Walker’s Education as part of the graduation requirements. The new class will teach students the basics of walking in the hallways to encourage orderly and safe travel during passing periods.
The curriculum of the one-semester course consists of walking in a line on the right side of the hallway, abiding by the newly-established minimum walking speed of three miles per hour and following the right of way at hallway intersections. Students will be expected to follow the rules of the hallways or face a Loss of Privilege (LOP).
Dean Cathryn Wescott helped formulate the curriculum and class to address poor walking habits after witnessing numerous students break their bones from walking into others. Outside the classroom, Wescott has worked to combat irresponsible walking by issuing LOPs.
“Students will learn proper walking behavior or face LOP, like 30-minute study halls, revoked parking passes and the requirement to retake Walker’s Ed,” Wescott said.
Wescott has encouraged security guards and teachers to report students who break the laws of the hallways to their deans. However, Hugo Samuel ’24, who participated in this semester’s pilot program of Walker’s Education, said he felt that the punishment for incorrect walking is excessive.
“In one of our lessons, we learned that walking on the left side of the hallway results in a LOP,” Samuel said. “Everyone accidentally walks on the left side of the hallway at some point, so it’s really dumb that we’d receive an LOP for it.”
Despite these punishments, Samuel predicts an improvement in the hallways. Statistics gathered from the pilot program revealed an improvement in students’ timely arrival to class.
“We noticed that students would get to class an average of 36 seconds earlier after completing Walker’s Education,” Wescott said. “It truly is a miracle.”
As a result of the reduced travel time, the administration will shorten passing periods by 15 seconds to allow for more instruction time. Shawna Wilt, the teacher of the new program, will prepare students for the changes in the hallway by teaching speed, direction and manners. After the pilot program, she says she looks forward to educating all students and believes that this class will help in an irreversible way.
“Looking around the hallways, it’s clear that students are in desperate need of a class teaching them the basic etiquette of walking,” Wilt said. “For example, when anyone walks through the Link, it is extremely congested and diffcult to walk through, especially if someone’s distracted while walking because they’re texting.”
Wilt highlights the poor traffc in certain spaces of the school and works closely with the administration to create rules that are appropriate for the spaces that they cover. Samuel said he feels confdent that more students will walk in the hallways respectfully and responsibly as a result of the new policies.
“I expect to see more order in the hallways, and I know that my stress will decrease when I don’t have to fght through clusters of slow walkers and be late to class,” Samuel said.
“I’m excited to have more time to send GamePigeon games to my friends.”
MINIMUM SPEED STOP
ALL WAY