Lockers are made for the storage of a student’s valuables. Yet we are told there are not enough to go around, so no one should have the right to have their own space.  Wouldn’t this cause more weight for the students who have to carry their heavy books along with their sports gear? Students do not deserve to suffer because the school’s architecture was designed poorly.

This term, MHS seems to be more heavily enforcing a rule that girls who are in Physical Education can no longer keep their valuable items overnight in the lockers provided. The reason for this is there are not enough lockers for each individual girl.

As I am currently in gym, I can see how this might bring major frustration among some of the students, but not having the option of a locker at all is even more irritating.

“It is an inconvenience having to carry my gym bag around every day along with my backpack. These new rules can also increase the chance of people forgetting their clothes when they can’t leave it in a locker,” said Ireland Hurney, junior.

Not only were neon posters plastered around the locker room reminding students to remove their locks, the signs also threatened that leftover locks would be cut if the new regulations were not followed.

The question of whether lockers are necessary in schools is a very controversial topic to begin with. As for the opposing side, according to Debate.org, a website focused on popular controversial topics of the time, parents are concerned about their child forgetting their textbooks or items in their lockers since they cannot go get their belongings at night, which can lead to unfinished homework.

Yet not offering P.E. lockers at MHS can also lead to the forgotten gym clothes. Not only does it lead to forgetfulness, but it creates extra weight students have to carry around for eight hours a day or more.

“It’s unfortunate to not have enough lockers for the girls whether it is per week or the entire term. I believe the P.E. students should be able to have their own space for the time they are taking a gym class,” said P.E.Teacher Nancy Toland.

Some students disagree with this perspective because they did not like seeing the tension between girls who had lockers and those who didn’t.

“I feel the rule is fair because I was getting a small locker, and people who had already taken a locker were not in that certain class period,” said Lindsay Dickens, sophomore.

Even though that is true, students know that if they want to have their own locker throughout the term, they have to go within the first day of school and claim their space. An example would be the MHS parking lot; everyone knows if you want a spot in the senior lot, you have to leave your house earlier to get your wishes granted. Since there are not enough spots in the senior lot, everyone plans accordingly.  The same should go for P.E. lockers.

But really it would be nice if the school provided enough lockers for each student.  Students should have a space within the school where they can lock up personal belongings, so they do not have to carry them around all day every day. Even though there are lockers around the school, those are only guaranteed for freshmen and sophomores, which leave the upperclassmen with only the locker rooms to hold their items.

MHS needs to re-evaluate the space for the gyms along with the locker rooms.  The locker rooms could use a makeover since the showers are not even usable.

If MHS cannot come up with the money, they should offer a buddy-sharing system. Before the heavier enforcement of this rule, I always had a locker with my friend in the same gym period as me of which we both knew the locker combination and could access it anytime we needed to.

“I think this situation is ridiculous because you can easily share a locker with a friend. It’s really not that big of a deal,” said Ashley Adams, senior.

But Wellness Department Chair Alison Finn believes there is hope for future MHS students.

“I will note that the district is looking into renovating the locker rooms to accommodate a larger number of students in the future. A completion date has not yet been set for this potential project at this time,” said Finn.

At this moment, there is nothing we can do but bring attention for the potential change in the near future.

UPDATE: The print edition of this article referred to this P.E. rule as “new” twice in the article—once in a student quote and once in a transition. The locker rule in P.E. is not new, as it has been listed on all P.E. syllabi for 11 years. The student was making the argument that she feels it is now being more heavily enforced, but it is not a new rule.