If anyone has taken a look at OHS for the past month or so, they would see a vast pathway of dirt, a demolished case of stairs, and an excavator. This is the result of the expansion of the school’s gym. There have been preparations made to the building with the first stages having resulted in the closing off of the entrance/exit closest to the gym which was replaced by a temporary wall. The answer as to why the gym is being expanded may be due the fact that the school has a four time winning state girls’ basketball team or it may be because of the ever growing student population. If it is the latter then why doesn’t the school also expand the cafeteria?

It has been shown that every grade following the graduating class of 2017 is rapidly expanding in class sizes; there are new teachers being hired just for departments to reach all of the students flowing in. As all students know the cafeteria is already a tight fit as it is; there is always a struggle to find seating. The childish saying, “If you move your feet, you lose your seat.” greatly fits into this situation. As soon as a group of students get up to throw their lunch out and leave there is already another group of students sitting in their still vaguely warm seats. Unfortunately in some cases students are forced to trickle out into the library until the cafeteria lets out the students that finished lunch; like work shifts. It is not that the library is a bad place to be on campus, but the library also has a lack of space and seating for students especially during the winter and early spring seasons when students tend to stay indoors. Even after the fact the basement of the school was remodeled to make the wrestling room smaller it cut into the cafeteria on the first floor because of the necessary handicap elevator which needed an extra side hallway between the basement stairs and the caf.

It is easy to understand that the gym does need an expansion because of students being right on top of each other when they have class but, if the whole school is expanding in class size and there are preparations already being made to adjust why not continue to make those adjustments to all of the school? The gym is one of three areas that need expansions, even after the recent addition of the second floor science and math wing. The cafeteria is cramped and dysfunctional especially with what may be a support beam separating the main and side area of the room. If there is going to be an expansion there should at least be more efficient seating. The four to a table situation is just not working and the addition of loose chairs for students to sit at looks as if it might be a fire hazard; an upgrade might be six to a table. While there are booths and long tables they are also cramped because of the lack of seats in the middle of the room or at the long tables. Correct me if I am wrong some of these long tables appear to physically not have seats; there are just spaces where the seat should have been.

Therefore a growing school should provide to every need of the student body whether it be for physical activity facilities or lunch rooms. The gymnasium does need an agreed upgrade (I mean we have a winning girls’ basketball team that we like to flaunt for crying out loud) but, there does need to be an upgrade to the cafeteria (where are the future athletes supposed to eat?). In today’s society expansion is inevitable because of the growing national population in suburbia. I guess this will just be some food for thought.