Our boots are made for walking

Students are expected to know the layout of Wheaton by their sophomore year, but how can a student learn about their school if they can’t even leave their classroom? 

School policy tells us that students shouldn’t leave the room 10 minutes before or after the bell. Tiffanie Chen ‘27 states, “There are so many times I’ve needed to go back to get something from another class, but this policy stops me from doing something that could take 2 minutes.” The 25-minute window where students are allowed to be able to leave the room isn’t enough time, considering only 2 students are able to be out of the room at a time. 

Using math, we can see that if students are expected to spend 6 minutes outside the classroom, with a 25-minute window they can be outside for, and only 2 students can be out at a time, that means 4 groups of students can actually go out. 6*4 = 24, and classrooms are usually estimated to have at least 25 people, or more so, only approximately ⅓ of the class even has the chance to leave. In fact, Marcela Hernandez, ‘27 remarks that, “Most bathrooms are closed so you spend most of your time just trying to find somewhere to go.” Leaving students stuck in a hard place when it comes to leaving class for something as simple as the bathroom. 

Additionally, the newspaper requested comments from school administration. According to Ms. Kathyn McLeod, “The 10 minutes is specifically for bathroom passes; teachers can write paper passes for students in an emergency or if they need to get something from another classroom.” Students may seek additional clarification from their administrator or teacher.

Copy edited by Carly Nuique