Recently, Neuqua Valley High School has opened up a locker request form for students to have lockers for the rest of the school year. As a result, many students submitted the form for their belongings and heavy coats for the soon to come winter season. The question, however, remains:  why were lockers not being offered at the beginning of the school year?

This was because of restrictions due to COVID-19. As last year was almost entirely on Zoom, this school year has been the first “normal” school year in two years. However, the school wanted to still maintain social distancing even if more than 50 percent of students are vaccinated. 

“At the start of the year, all three high schools agreed to not issue lockers as all students were transitioning back to school.  From 2019, we also know that most students do not want lockers. When we surveyed them at that time, the total was less than 40 percent,” states Dr. Lance Fuhrer, Neuqua Valley High School’s principal. 

The school wanted to prevent people touching lockers and having to interact in close areas with students. However, this is about to change very soon. As the COVID-19 cases are constantly decreasing, more people are comfortable with interacting without social distancing. This is causing the school to rethink the locker policy and give students a chance to use them. 

Many students also want to use a locker as carrying backpacks is already hard with all the textbooks and folders teachers give them. When the weather gets chillier, students will also wear winter coats and they would not want to carry them all over the school. This is why the staff has decided that lockers are a better decision for everyone in the school.

 “As has happened over the past two years, we transitioned as needed when it came to guidelines.” Dr. Fuhrer expands, adding, “As colder weather approached, we were able to work with our district and all three schools opened up the possibility of lockers.”

Many people at Neuqua are looking forward to receiving lockers for the rest of the school year. As the school year progresses, the school is hoping lockers will act as another transition to normality.