When I look back on my high school days, for the most part they were awesome. The best part of the school day at Oak Park and River Forest High School was the five minutes of passing periods in between classes. There are many things to do during the passing periods: use the bathroom or talk to friends, for example. Of course, the most important thing is to make it to class on time. 

But at OPRF that can be tricky because of the crowded hallways. Getting stuck behind a slow walker in a busy hallway causes a dreadful experience in which you really have no choice but to wait behind the slow person. The other problem everyone has come across is big groups of friends clumped together clogging the hallway. Often it is difficult to maneuver around them, so you are stuck awkwardly inching past. 

This issue seems nearly impossible to solve, but through our research and technical experiments, we are here to propose a solution. By drastically reducing the size of the hallways, students will be able to make it to class on time, and without reducing traffic or having to adjust the bell schedule. According to the National Bureau of Academic Affairs, the average hallway in schools is about 12 feet wide, or four yards. We believe that the average width of a hallway should be four feet. The first reason this would help: no conversations can be had in a hallway so small. There is no space for groups of people to crowd around each other; therefore, the flow of traffic will not be interrupted. Furthermore, this elimination of conversations will reduce the noise of the school environment and help students focus on their studies at all points of the day.

A second reason this would be a valuable solution is that there would be more space for the classrooms. This promotes a larger learning environment, meaning more students are able to fit in the school. By increasing the size of the classrooms, the number of students at the school will increase drastically. This is beneficial for the town of Oak Park because we are able to take in more families and boost the tax base. 

Third, because there are no distractions in the hallways, students will get to class on time. A smart tactic to enhance this is to make the interior a solid color of gray. According to an article published by the West Cook News released in 1932, the color gray has been proven to reduce stress and help people focus. We propose that the floor, walls, and ceiling all match in a solemn gray color so that students of OPRF are not distracted by the obnoxious colors that could be present. It will also help to cover all windows that are near hallways as well so that none of the students get distracted with the outside world. 

Some people may propose that OPRF should lengthen the passing period to 8 minutes and then everyone will have plenty of time to get class, and people can do whatever they need before the next period. However this system would not be beneficial as we cannot be taking away time in the classroom for students. Also, a change in passing period time would mess up the whole schedule and here at OPRF we are very set on keeping the same schedule every day.

Overall, this change will improve nearly all aspects of students’ lives. As former students, we know what teenagers value. And this change will be valuable for students.