ISL is struggling with the problem of students sitting in the hallways or hiding in the bathroom during recess. As winter nears the weather gets colder and wetter, and the idea of sitting outside during recess becomes increasingly displeasing. Returning to the class muddy, damp and cold day by day turns the seemingly enjoyable idea of recess into a chore. So why are we ignoring this issue instead of solving it? The school has many large empty areas that could easily be transformed into common rooms for indoor socialisation which provides students with an alternative solution to staying outside.

 A teacher is already appointed to monitor the hallways every recess, so why not put their time to better use by assigning a specific place that allows students to interact without worrying about the weather? The library does not meet this criterion because it requires silence for studying and reading. The cafeteria is too loud and crowded, plus the need for year-group rotation prevents people from being able to stay there during the entirety of lunch.

Spaces such as the multipurpose room, the bridge, the lobby, and the sofa space at the end of the IT hallway are all empty during recess and wouldn’t disturb any ongoing classes. Relocating unused seating from around the school or investing in fat boys and couches would be beneficial to lots of high school students and would put the existing resources to better use. 

This matter should be brought to the attention of this year’s high school president as it addresses an improvement that would benefit many. Over years of addressing dire issues within our society, we should start moving away from creating potential problems into looking for ways to further improve existing systems to make them more open-minded, understanding, and comfortable.