Image by Makinsey Drake

The 2022-2023 school year started on the right foot, up the same three stairwells. Now that we’re back to five, our flight to unity is descending back to the boring, spacious halls. Parkway conceptualizes what their next new project will be.

Students returned to school with the highest new staff percentage in history, witnessing many renovations. The most-discussed revamp was the staircase limitation. Faculty and staff believe their decision was a great way to give students more of the experiences they missed because of COVID-19 precautions. And now that the stairs are back, we realize how much it meant when they were not there. 

Parkway cares about student relationships and making everyone feel welcome. Parkway cares about making school your home away from home and creating a family out of the student body. Parkway cares about supplying each individual with the resources, knowledge and environment they need to succeed. To confirm the veracity of this statement, Parkway gifted us with three accessible staircases at the start of the year. In previous years, we had five, but after much consultation, authorities concluded three truly is the lucky number. With fewer staircases, there were more students in the same relative area at the same time, every single day.

New students reported having “never felt more ready” for the year with this new opportunity to meet so many people all at once. Freshman Emma Callahan believes she benefited greatly from these revisions.

“Going into high school, I had a few nerves. But once I stepped foot on the third floor during the passing period, I realized how easy it is to get to know people when all of us are face to face shoving against each other,” Callahan said. 

On top of that, students were much more comfortable. As the school year began with our — also new — air conditioning system, English teacher Erin Fluchel measured the temperature of her room with a meat thermometer that read 62 degrees Fahrenheit. What better way to achieve a comfortable atmosphere for learning than condensing the hallways to help students stay warm with the body heat of hundreds of people right next to each other?

“[COVID-19] took a toll on all of us, and we almost forgot what it was like to be close to others, so close we can feel and smell the hot breath of everyone in a one-inch radius from us. With a large population and little space comes a large feeling of unity and little separation. It’s a perfect way to get us back into the swing of things,” senior Ryan Feng said.

The benefits didn’t stop there. Construction workers were receiving so much recognition and appreciation. Students were overwhelmed with gratitude, so they treated the construction workers like celebrities, staring at them and posting photos of them roaming the halls. Senior Nora Brooks was guilty of partaking in this paparazzi business. 

“The workers looked like superheroes, hanging out around all the caution tape and loud noises like they’re solving a murder,” Brooks said. “They roamed the halls in their reflective jackets, turning heads everywhere. They were always up to something, and it was mind-boggling not knowing what that was.”

This benefitted the student body in ways Parkway never imagined. Though we are back to five staircases, students loved the previous changes so much that Parkway is considering new features to bond students with each other: two toilets to a stall, removing the pit so all students park closer, one community drinking fountain, fewer cafeteria seats and more. The opportunities are endless, and it only takes a few steps to take flight to new elevations. 

“The school surely feels different with the staircases back. I miss making new friends on my way to class everyday. I can’t wait to see what Parkway comes up with next,” junior Ella Rasnic said.