A few weeks ago, I walked into the library after the afternoon extension to try to get some work done. It was a mess. The couch was out of place, tables and chairs were scattered about, and two freshmen had decided to get into a paper throwing fight, resulting in a mess of papers scattered all around the library. In addition, the chairs of the silent study had been moved all around the library. Some tables had one chair, others had six. But the library hasn’t been the only area of the school to have turned into an uncontrolled chaos during the afternoon extension. Most of the school, in fact, has turned into somewhat of the free-for-all, where students use their free time to goof off with friends in the lower commons. As a result of this problem, new changes have been implemented, to try to combat the growing chaos.

After expressing my outrage over the library being a mess, I came to realize that the library was in the condition that it was in as a result of large amount of students in the commons. So many students are let out for the afternoon extension, that there isn’t enough room for all of those students in the upper and lower commons. As a result, many students flock to the library to get some work done. However, when so many students are in the library, one is bound to get distracted.

This school year in particular, it seems like the afternoon extensions have been used unproductively by students. What was once used as a coveted time to get some homework done, talk with friends, or play a quick game of basketball, has turned into a time of yelling, chasing, and fighting. When asked about the loudness of the lower commons, junior Chase Snyder replied, “Yeah, it’s pretty messy.” Another student agreed, saying, “The tables in the lower commons are always dirty, and it’s not like it’s filled with things that are hard to pick up. It’s actually the opposite. The tables are covered with things like empty water bottles and snack rappers that are easy to pick up.”

I decided to go to Dr. Daughtrey for answers, and I found out that the teachers and the administration had had a meeting discussing the problem of too many students during second extension. He explained to me that when the administration looked at the amount of students in commons throughout the day, they noticed that there was a severe imbalance in the number of students between the morning and afternoon extension. The administration noted that many teachers were running through the morning extension, but then left their students out for the afternoon extension. The administration simply asked teachers to relook at when they let students out for extension, to lessen the amount of students in the commons at a time, and create a balance between the two extensions. Dr. Daughtrey told me that since this recommendation to teachers, there has been a restored balance in the number of students able to roam free during each extension, and everything has gone back to the way it was.

In spite of the teachers’ recent initiative to get the school under control, its time to address the problem as what it truly is: an issue with the student body. Instead of relying on the faculty to forcibly change our behavior, its time to take responsibility for our actions and treat our school with adequate responsibility, loyalty, and consideration.