Once upon a time, a student could make it from the E building to the upstairs B building in a matter of two minutes.  Lately, traveling down West’s hallways has become similar to an I-80 traffic jam. It’s nearly impossible to make your way through the hallways as large groups of students move less than 3 miles per hour.  The less fortunate students who make the trip from E to G probably agree that making it to class on time requires some sort of sprint down the D building.

Lunch is even more of an adventure. The lines for 4th and 5th period are so long they merge together while it’s still passing period.  By the time students actually pay for their lunch, they might as well head straight towards the trash. There’s five minutes left in the period, and the food is still hopelessly waiting to be eaten.

The symptoms of this year’s overcrowding are obvious.  This year’s freshmen class has reached 755. Over 108 students have transferred from other schools, most notably Joliet Catholic.  This means that many honors and college prep classes are up to at least 30 students.  Spare desks and lockers are becoming a rarity.  After years of being deemed ticket worthy, students are actually being encouraged to share their locker with a sibling.

We all know a new addition is currently under construction to provide more space. In the meanwhile, it’s surprising not much has been done to ease the chaos. There aren’t an equal number of students in each lunch period. If there was, the long lines would probably be eliminated. Some schools have actually set up different passing periods for upper and underclassmen to avoid congestion in the hallways.  If more students keep coming, this is something West could consider. 

Although dealing with West’s increased population is a hassle, little things could be done to decrease everyone’s level of aggravation. Basic concepts, like walking through the hallway (instead of stopping on the stairs to make out with your significant other) would help the day move by just a little faster.