Is the New Campus that Bad?

Galloway's high school has undergone immense changes, and there have been a lot of mixed feelings about the new campus. I’ve heard mostly negative feedback about the campus from the students and teachers. While I can see why people don’t love the new campus, I think that it's truly not as bad as people think. 

One positive thing about the new campus is the classroom sizes. At the old campus, the classroom sizes were fine, but they didn’t leave much open space. I remember always having to put my backpack against the wall because there was limited space near my seat or under the table. At the new campus, however,  there is plenty of space in most rooms to put your bags near you, and some rooms even have spaces for couches and extra chairs. For example, Ms. Broderick’s room has three comfortable chairs in the back that don’t take up much space. Plus with classroom size comes more windows. The natural light we get in the classrooms at this campus is really nice. Some teachers even crack the windows so we get fresh air while in class. Not needing the lights on because we get so much natural light is very calming and helps the classroom environment, and then fresh air circulates through the classroom. 

One thing I enjoy is being outside. This new campus allows us to eat outside with a nice seating area with many tables and chairs. At the old campus, you could sit outside but there weren’t that many true seating options, so lots of kids sat on the ground on the green. When it rained the turf would be damp for at least one day after the fact, causing even fewer spaces to sit and eat outside. The outdoor seating at the new campus has umbrellas with each table giving us shade and not letting the tables and benches get too wet. In addition, being able to go outside and play sports with your friends helps distract yourself from school, which is a really great privilege. Being outside as much as possible at school is important for students' and teachers' mental health.

The new campus also offers closer parking for students. At the old campus, students would either park at the upper field, which was approximately a 5-minute walk to the main building or park on the side street which would also be approximately a 5-minute walk to the main building. Now juniors get to park on the green space behind the building which is surrounded by the school and turn the old 5-minute walk into a 30-second walk. Seniors also have the opportunity to park closer to the Northside campus compared to the old campus. They now get to park in the Yellow parking lot, which is next to the school and just about a 2-minute walk up to the campus. The ability to park and just sit in your car knowing you don’t have to make a big walk is a nice relaxing experience in the mornings. You are also able to get your car very quickly when you want to go home for the day or get food. 

This new campus generally gets too much of a "bad rap" for the small things, but if you look for it you can find the positive things fairly easily. I think with time this new campus will be more appreciated by students and teachers.

By Adam Berardi