Trying to make it to class on time is hard, especially in a school with 11 floors and many students. Crowded elevators and hallways are extra obstacles that make getting to class promptly that much more difficult. Unless you’re lucky enough to have classes one to three floors apart, making it to class in eight minutes or less seems unimaginable. 

Junior Kate Warren is familiar with the aggravation of struggling to get to class in the pressuring eight minutes. Eight minutes might seem like a lot of time, but when you factor in 11 stories, 2000+ students, three stairwells, and only eight elevators, the time starts to feel much shorter. “I hate only having eight minutes to get to class,” said Warren. “The freshmen who only go two floors always crowd the elevators and stairwells. It is unfair and frustrating. We should at least have more elevators.”

Elevators aren’t the only crowded thing; hallways also fall victim to overcrowding. Having 2,200 students in one building is not ideal when trying to get to class, and sadly not every student moves at a fast pace. When some people decide to stand and talk, take a slow stroll through the hall, or block any space for people to pass by, it can cause traffic jams and a lot of frustration. “I think that the amount of people in the school makes it harder to navigate everywhere,” said junior Diana Mansouri. “Even though it’s a large school, a lot of students can crowd the hall at one time, and it sometimes makes it really hard to get to class, especially in a timely manner.”

Even though elevators and hallways seem like the biggest of problems, one other forgotten obstacle is the all-dreaded stairwell. Unless you have to go two or three floors, the stairs always seem to be the last resort for students. Just going up two floors can seem like a workout, even for the most athletic of Dubs, and the rush to walk in the door before hearing the screeching bell ring adds to the stress. “Even if I have to go up the stairs two floors, it seems so much more tiring when it’s packed full of kids,” said junior Christiana Campbell. “It would be much easier if we had more time to get to class; maybe even 10 minutes would be better.”

Clearly, the standard eight-minute transition time is not enough for every NAHS student navigating the way to their next class. Even an extra two minutes or more could be the ultimate solution to fewer tardies and less crowded-stairwell-induced aggravation while getting to class. Between packed elevators, crowded hallways, and overflowing stairwells, getting to class on time might be some students’ most challenging assignment.