It is no secret that WT is rapidly growing and changing. With each passing year, a new “monumentally large class” inhabits our brick walls, and while this change provides countless opportunities for class dynamics and involvement, our limited city real estate leaves students begging for more, and though our small, close-knit buildings have been adequate in prior years, it is time to reconsider spatial usage and needs for high school students. While many students (including myself) enjoy these warmer early fall months sitting outside to study, a handful of rainy/colder days have shown this problem’s true colors, leaving one question to be answered: Where are we all going to go?
Filled classrooms, every hallway table crammed, I have had to scavenge for places to quietly work, socialize, and overall use my H-Blocks/Community times effectively. I have actively found myself sitting on the floor of a hallway to cram in assignments, books sprawled out across the locker spaces. As the freezing cloud of winter begins to roll in, I fear for how my academics will be affected. I am well aware that I am not alone when I say that my after school time is precious. Sports practices, extracurriculars, and jobs soak up the seconds, leaving little left at the end of a long day. Arriving home past dark, mind blank from the countless hours away, only to rush through dinner and settle in for more pitless assignments. H-Block times are absolutely crucial for students to finish these assignments, not only to complete them, but to fully understand the content and put the best, clear mind into them. Overflowing hallways, limited space for quiet study, and floor-bound working periods are not effective in fostering the times and spaces that WT students require to succeed with the workloads given. The diverse needs of students during these free times, from looking for a social space to quiet study, creates a contrast that makes it difficult for all parties to effectively use time, and end up having to spend those brainless nights to get by. It is absolutely crucial that WT takes steps towards creating new, separate spaces for study and socialization, to adapt to these growing class sizes and essential need for space.
The ground floor of the Davis Center lacks the same energy and vibrancy that other student spaces do in our school. While yes, plans can be made to hang student artwork to brighten the walls, the only thing that can truly bring a space to life is the human interactions and atmosphere they create. Treated as a “walk through” space, students are unable to stop and enjoy the new, innovative facility, because there is simply (little to) no space to linger. While there is the Hoffman Lounge, which is frequently occupied by students, the space is not large enough to facilitate the gravity of this issue. Rows of chairs sit still, taking up a majority of this open floor, waiting for a meeting to ‘someday’ happen. While yes, you could argue that students could sit in rows, staring at each other’s backs and do homework in awkward lines, I will simply cut to the chase and tell you that situation would absolutely positively never happen. These rows are ineffective in providing a space for students, rather it just creates the expectation that this space should be dormant until that ‘someday’ meeting occurs. Welcoming, comfortable seating and appropriately sized tables must be included to transition this space into student use. We must be able to reclaim this space from the dormant meeting, to use the space efficiently, and to create a welcoming environment for the intended users: Students.
Developing small, pod-like spaces for individual or two person work would be monumental for small, quiet study spaces. Additionally, adding some couches with tables could allow for small-group projects to work together, without requiring an entire classroom of space in the Upper School building. These study oriented areas would finally designate a space that is big enough – and comfortable enough- for students to be able to enjoyably and effectively complete work.
There is no one solution to this subject, of course it is difficult to figure out how to arrange things and fit new furniture, with the existing need for space, however I hope, not only for the benefit of my floor-bound study sessions, that this space can be used and loved by students for years to come. This space has so much potential to create areas for workshops/student led activities, group work, quiet study, but most importantly, space for high schoolers to reinforce community within our school, and I hope that these principles can be investigated for the future of the Davis Center, not only for highschoolers currently, but for generations to come.
