New School Layout is Making Everyone Adjust

Now that school is back in session, you may have noticed North has experienced some new changes. Usually it’s only the new students who must walk through their schedule before the first day, but this year everyone was wandering the halls looking for their classrooms. These changes to the school layout have made both students and teachers adapt to a new environment.

If you’re a new student or a current freshman you may not know this, but the school last year had a different layout. The biggest change is the new math wing. This area used to be the freshmen wing, which is where all the freshmen lockers and classrooms were. It is in the farthest corner of the school, away from everything else. Now, the freshmen classes are scattered all around the school, and the freshmen are mixed in with the upper classmen lockers.

“I really don’t mind it. We get to see other people that aren’t in our grade, and get a ‘true’ high school experience,” said Freshman Julia Puhl.

The returning students have mixed feelings about this new school layout. For some, it doesn’t change much for them, while others it’s an inconvenience that requires lots of walking.

“I’m pretty fine with it, I haven’t had any issues with freshmen being annoying in the halls, and it’s nice being able to say hi to my freshmen friends. The only thing I dislike about it is walking all the way to the far end of the freshmen wing for math, and then all the way to orchestra, but that’s a minor inconvenience.” Senior Philip Dowdell said. “I know some people aren’t happy because their lockers are now in the ‘freshmen wing,’ but that doesn’t affect me at all. The change hasn’t seemed negative to me.”

Many students such as Junior Devvin Tisch wish their locker was not in the old freshmen wing area. Teachers, on the other hand, have gotten used to the new layout quite quickly, and some are enjoying their new classrooms.

“It is pretty quiet down by my room now because I am so far away from most of the lockers and the commons.  This can be both good and bad, but it is different from what I was used to for so many years in the old math wing,” said Mr. Wollan.

Mr. Wollan is now in Mr. Midgarden’s old room, which has no windows. However, he’s noticed that the team center and hall in the old freshman wing is bright and full of windows, so in some ways Wollan’s getting more sunlight than he did in his old room. Mr. Midgarden also left some artwork and a few other little gifts in the classroom, and many students reminisce about him and Freshmen English when they enter the room.

Though this change to the school has annoyed some students, it has done its job. Administration decided to get rid of the freshmen locker bay after last year’s difficult class. They thought that if the freshmen were mixed in with everyone else, they’d act more mature, and so far, this has worked out.

This big change to the school has done its main job of helping with the behavior issues that was an ongoing problem last year. Many students have mixed feelings, but overall everyone is content with the new layout and have gotten used to getting a few extra steps in every day.