Lining the long halls of Berkley High School are the ever-present, yet highly neglected Berkley lockers. In almost all media depictions of high school lockers are constantly used. Characters are usually seen standing by them for minutes at a time while swapping their books. Meanwhile, here at Berkley, our realities are backpacks trucked from class to class, and everflowing hallways with no room for pit stops. Yet, unconnected from this mob mentality is a grouping of students who put their lockers to use, and they’re wondering why they’re the minority.
Junior Lily Tuite has been using her locker since freshman year, and is confused why people don’t do the same. “I don’t understand how some people neglect lockers. Some days in fall, I bring four pairs of shoes—some classy Drill Masters for marching band, running trainers, running spikes, and regular shoes—so I don’t see how people with soccer bags or art projects live without them.” Sophomore Sidra Tami, also a locker user since ninth grade, is similarly perplexed. “I’m very surprised that almost no one uses their locker,” she says, “It’s convenient to not have to carry my jacket or books around all day.”
However, others argue that tiring factors of locker-going aren’t worth that relief. A common thing that draws high schoolers away from their lockers is the extra time it takes. Many students’ schedules already require long commutes from class to class, with very little time to spare on locker visits. “I don’t want to dig into my passing time by walking across the school to get to my locker,” remarks Junior Sophia Bernzweig “Going to your locker is a big time commitment.” Tamim agrees with Bernzweig, expressing “since I use my locker in between classes, I do have to hurry up.”
However, not all cases of locker usage happen during passing periods. Junior Emily Chandler comments, “I use my locker to store things that I need for after school, like my swim bag for work.” This seems to be the happy medium for locker users, as it lets students experience the convenience of having their own space without the pressures of time. Chandler goes on, stating, “But I would never use [my locker] during the day. Why do that when I have a backpack?” Berkley junior Izzy Lyskawa agrees, remarking, “The only time I used my locker was in middle school when backpacks weren’t allowed. Now I prefer having everything with me. If I need gum, or a charger, or a snack, it’s all at my side.” This argues that while lockers offer the perk of having a place to store student’s belongings, backpacks are a portable, possibly better option.
It seems the majority’s opinion classified lockers as practically worthless, yet the locker users of Berkley strongly defend their routine. “I will absolutely use my locker for the rest of high school,” voices Tuite, “Not only is it useful and conveniently on my way to first hour, it’s become a social place where my friends meet up, so it’s built into my routine.”
While locker usage is on a steady decline, the choice to visit lockers entirely depends on what a student prefers. High schoolers have the choice to either sacrifice time for comfort or vice versa, and many are siding with the latter. While lockers appear to be officially out, it seems that in small ways they will always live on.