The balcony near the main staircase was once a popular social area for students. Now it is mostly a quiet space with students sitting by themselves or in small groups, raising questions about its intended use.
Phase one of Imagine OPRF, the plan to renovate school facilities, included an extended balcony overlooking the main entrance. When this space was built in 2021, it served as not only a place for socializing but for eating as well.
By 2022 staff presence had increased and student presence had diminished, causing the once bustling area to become a relative ghost town.
Students who currently use the space said they like sitting in the balcony during their lunch periods. “The lunchrooms are very crowded, especially the junior and senior one,” said Frances Berta, a senior at OPRF.
Other students feel similarly. “[The balcony] reduces anxiety and helps you get away from a lot of people, since you don’t have to go to the cafeteria,” said Jaylanni Dukes, a sophomore. He comes to the balcony “pretty often” and also regularly goes to the Makerspace during lunch, he said.
“It’s just nice to do work during lunch, and it’s quiet,” said Avaline Frenandes, a sophomore.
According to Principal Lynda Parker, during the lunch periods, the balcony remains an area where students can sit, but food is no longer allowed.
Additionally, no students are allowed to be sent up to the balcony in the first or last 10 minutes of the period, just like bathroom passes. “We want to encourage students to eat first then come up,” Parker added. Students won’t be sent out of the space in the last 10 minutes, but no new passes can be written.
Last year, a perfect attendance pass was introduced to students who attended school every day for the whole quarter. These students can sit in the balcony area without a pass. The pass only lasts for one quarter; it does not roll over to the next.
One of the biggest contributors to the shift in policy was the cleanliness and accountability of students in the balcony space. This was due to a large amount of food left behind, food smashed into carpeting and remnants of wrappers. Parker explained, “Even though we increased the number of garbage cans, it was still not kept as clean as it needed to be.”
According to Parker, the rule applies not just to students; the Buildings and Grounds division also designates areas within the building that are approved for staff to have food.
Parker is uncertain if the balcony will ever return to its 2021 glory. “I would love to believe we would become this community where, because the garbage cans are there, we use them with regularity,” Parker said. The change starts with the students. “We don’t want to see paper on the floor or food on the floor. We can do better than that. We have to choose to do better.”
Parker wants OPRF to have these designated spaces for students to socialize but “any space that is a social space has to be supervised and monitored by a staff member.” She noted that the balcony is not a space for students to lounge on the couches nor engage in horseplay. The expectation is to respect this space as you would respect any other public space.
Parker wants to get better at communicating policies surrounding spaces like the balcony. “It is my commitment that we are doing this in a way where we are explaining our ‘why’ and doing it in a respectful manner,” she said. In the future, Parker plans to have the official procedures put up on signs around the balcony to make it clear definitively.
