Although the new model classroom is not set to open until October, one of its features is already being used by Dean of Students and Technology Brian Powell’s and Senior Project Coordinator Louise Géczy’s advisories. Students in both advisories were assigned the stacked lockers that are beside the model classroom. The new lockers differ from the current ones as they are half the height, wider, and stacked.

According to Powell, the model classroom is experimental, and he felt he would receive the most feedback about the lockers, which was one of the reasons he nominated his advisory for this change. “We gave it to my kids, Ms. Géczy’s advisory got it as well, and it’s just because her advisory is right there and my advisory will be in the model classroom,” Powell said.  

The student’s opinions on the the new lockers are mixed. However, senior Jared Vogel has had an overall positive experience with them. “I like them because they’re wide enough so that I can put in shelves and everything that I usually couldn’t in the other lockers,” Vogel said.

Despite the divisions among their functionality, senior Ashlee Kothenbeutel recognizes that the lockers needed an update. “I think it’s a good idea to update the lockers because a lot of them just don’t work – the combination part on them,” Kothenbeutel said.  

Despite the new look to the lockers, the negatives outweigh the positives, according to Kothenbeutel. “There’s not enough space for us to put all of our books in with a locker ladder. Even if you had little locker shelves to put your books on, you wouldn’t have enough room to also put in your backpack and your lunch. It’s just organizationally a mess and there isn’t a little cubby because there isn’t enough space for a cubby. So everything is unorganized,” she said.  

Vogel acknowledges Kothenbeutel’s worries about the smaller lockers, but he currently has no issues fitting his books in them. “I can fit all my books in it, but I am worried about when it’s wintertime, I’m not going to be able to fit in a winter jacket,” Vogel said.

Junior Maci Moore has found both positive and negative aspects to the lockers as well, but dislikes the stacked component. “I like how they’re bigger, but it’s frustrating because someone is under you, especially if a book drops,” Moore said.

Much like Moore, both Vogel and Kothenbeutel agree that the larger width is a benefit, but the dynamic of having upper and lower lockers causes issues. “[Despite the positives] I don’t like them too much because I am on the bottom locker and it’s pretty cramped,” Vogel said.

Powell has received negative feedback similar to Moore’s, Kothenbeutel’s, and Vogel’s complaints. “[We’ve been getting] not good [feedback]. Sometimes any kind of change, people don’t like it. They don’t prefer the stacked concept, which is good I’m finding that out now before we copy it in the entire school. So we’re just trying to figure out if we can do a stacked model of lockers, but make them be bigger or just what works,” he said.

Powell considers the lockers to be a learning curve and has noticed details that will be considered when moving forward with the rest of the renovations throughout the school. “One thing I learned is that some freshmen are too short to open the top locker, I wouldn’t have known that if we hadn’t done this,” Powell said.

Even though the stacked lockers have already been installed outside the model classroom, this does not mean that the design will be applied to the rest of the school. Powell is looking at other schools with stacked lockers, such as Dulaney High School, as examples of possible solutions.  

“A lot of schools have stacked lockers, it’s a very common thing. It’s more of if that’s going to fit what we have. I talked to Ms. Swift, she went to Dulaney, and they have stacked lockers. Juniors and seniors had the top lockers and freshmen and sophomores had the bottom lockers. So maybe it will work, it’s just how I assign the lockers is what makes the difference, it might be something like that,” he said.

If the stacked lockers don’t work, Powell is considering the possibility of showing students different locker possibilities and allowing them to determine what they like and don’t like.

Overall, Powell considers the stacked lockers to be a learning experience, and he welcomes both positive and negative feedback from their current users. “We’re just trying new things, that’s what that model classroom is. We’re trying things, and if the students or teachers don’t like them, then we don’t do them again. That’s really the concept of the model classroom,” Powell said.  

Lauren Becker is the Media Chief and a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.