Carrying heavy backpacks stuffed with binders, notebooks and a Chromebook has become a normal routine for students. Walking through the halls of FVHS, you may notice a few lockers here and there. Although most of them remain unused throughout the school year, they are still available for students who request them. However, opinions on whether they should be used often remain divided.
According to assistant principal Monica Delgado, students interested in using lockers must request a form from the main office before receiving their locker and lock. Delgado explained that not many students use lockers, and the ones who do request them are usually freshmen or student athletes who need to store their belongings throughout the day.
“Lockers are more for comfort and less stress, but they can also be used to protect valuables,” Delgado said. She explained that students who carry items like iPads, computers or other valuables may turn to lockers for safety reasons.
Students at FVHS also have mixed opinions on whether lockers should become more commonly used again. While some students believe lockers will help lift the weight of their heavy backpacks from their shoulders, others argue that lockers are a ‘hassle’ and carrying your backpack around is more efficient.
Freshman Malia Custis said she supports bringing lockers back because students often carry too many supplies and walking around all day with a heavy backpack could be exhausting. However, she admitted that lockers could become inconvenient when students need to move between classes and multiple floors throughout the day.
“Lockers are easier, so I don’t have to carry around my backpack. I can just go to my locker, get my computer and head back to class,” Custis said.
Other students disagreed, arguing that lockers would create more hassle than they would provide convenience.
Freshman Jocelyn Nandha explained, “I do not think we should bring lockers back because it’s just so much work having to walk around the school just to get your stuff.” Although Nandha doesn’t support lockers overall, she suggested that athletes should receive priority for lockers since they carry a lot of sports equipment and gear, which is harder to carry throughout the day.
Along with that, Shannel Mejia-Velez also preferred carrying a backpack over using lockers.
“I feel like carrying my backpack would be more efficient. I wouldn’t have to stop and shuffle around in a locker to switch off stuff,” Mejia-Velez said.
Diving more into a teacher’s perspective, Wallace Robinson, who teaches English, shared her mixed opinions on lockers. Robinson explained that lockers could help students be organized, especially those carrying heavy textbooks or materials for their classes. However she highlighted her concerns about practicality and student misuse.
“I think it’s probably more practical just to have their book bags on them…I also think depending on the student, lockers may become a distraction,” Robinson said. She added that students having their backpack and materials would be more time effective and practical. She also elaborated that lockers could sometimes create distractions or create excuses for not having materials ready in class.
Whether or not lockers should be brought back to regular use remains a debate, but students and teachers agree that lockers should be more of an individual choice based on student needs and preferences rather than a mandated policy.
