As I embark on my last semester at WJ, I look forward to walking the halls stress-free and enjoying school. However, I still find myself feeling frustrated when walking to class. I realized that the cause of this is that I don’t walk to class; I trudge through the crowds of students who are preventing me from receiving an education.

Over my past three and a half years at WJ, I have noticed that there are different causes of traffic congestion in the hallways.  A common problem is that students do not use both doors to stairwells, which causes the entire student body to stand in a single-file line to wait to go up the stairs. And, students also walk ridicuously slow to class…you are walking to your next period, not taking a stroll in Central Park.

Another problematic way people walk in the hallways is a style I like to call “Red Rover.” This happens when five or so people are walking abreast, creating a barrier, which leads to an awkward attempt at the old childish game. This is high school, not elementary school; I gave up that game a long time ago.

The worst pet peeve of mine is when a mob of students stand, immovable, where hallways cross. I literally have to push people to get to class while others push me. I feel claustrophobic and become extremely frustrated while the mob continues their conversations, not observing all of the students angrily trying to break through their blockade. I understand the importance of the social aspect of the school day, but students have to be considerate of others. If you are going to stand around and gossip, please choose an area of the building where 2,000 of your peers aren’t trying to get to class. It only gets more frustrating when I see security guards or administrators standing beside them, not doing anything to break up the group and instead telling me to “get to class!”

Before WJ went through its modernization, the words “No Standing Zone” were painted on the floor by the staircase in between the now Senior Hallway and first-floor English wing. Unfortunately, we high school kids think we are just so funny, so the “No Standing Zone” paint faded away from so many people standing right on it. Although this attempt to fix hallway traffic failed, I applaud WJ’s efforts.

The school needs to bring back the “No Standing Zone.” The zones need to be in the busiest hallways and painted in neon orange to catch everyone’s attention. They should be in effect all day during the school week except during lunch and after 2:30, once 2,000 students are no longer trying to get to class. If a security guard or administrator sees a student violating the “No Standing Zones,” they should write that kid a ticket, and then if one receives two tickets, they should have to pay the “fine” of an after-school detention. With teamwork and cooperation, this movement of traffic-free hallways will thrive and prosper for WJ.

As I spend my last few months at WJ, I want to be able to walk down the hallways knowing that I won’t get stuck in a crowd of people or encounter the possibility of being pushed by a fellow student. Within the next months, the only time I want to be waiting in a single file line to go up the stairs is when I am about to walk across the stage at graduation.