Go to almost any high school in the US — even perhaps the world — and there is one constant in all of them: lockers. Nevertheless, our high school is one of the few — maybe the only — where the student body does not use lockers.

Our high school did not always used to be this way. At its opening in 1992, students always used their lockers. According to RCHS graduate and current teacher Mrs. Clay, students would congregate at their lockers to chat and see friends before school started. Long time teachers Mr. Loy and Dr. Bradley claim that students would gather their books for all the morning classes, and then would reconvene at their lockers after lunch to switch out for their afternoon classes.

Although students used lockers at our school’s opening, the trend eventually fizzled out. The administration has made countless attempts to revitalize lockers and for good reason because they actually are beneficial  to school spirit, community, and the overall safety and convenience of the student body.

Let’s face it: school spirit has slowly gone downhill over the years. Nowadays, students skip pep rallies and basketball games to get out of school early or watch TV late into the night. Lockers would help correct this problem by spicing up the hallways and giving a great opportunity to celebrate achievements at the high school such as state championships.

Likewise, lockers would help build friendships and community at the high school. With lockers assigned based on last name, students are not guaranteed to know their locker

mates. This presents a perfect opportunity for people to get to know their class better and create new friends.

Additionally, school lockers are both more convenient and safer. They would greatly decrease the current damaging weight of an average student’s backpack. And, they would eliminate the tripping hazard posed by our brick-like bags, which can be especially dangerous in an emergency. Furthermore, carrying everything in a backpack makes it easier for students to transport contraband such as vapes and alcohol. Lockers would make it harder for students to carry these contraband items.

Although it is obvious that school lockers would be beneficial, this issue can not be solved by the administration. The student body decides whether we use lockers or not, and, considering a recent poll of the student body, it is unlikely that lockers will ever be used again. So, if we ever want to give lockers another chance, we need to do more than speak to teachers and administration, we need to talk to our friends, our peers, our teammates — the student body of RCHS — and convince them that lockers are worth embracing.