8th Grade Not Missed In the High School Building

At the start of the 2018-2019 school year, you may have noticed more walking room in the halls and possibly less noise when going from class to class. You also might have noticed some empty rooms that were once filled during the previous school year.

With the new Lakeview K-8 building up and running, an eighth grade class is no longer walking on the wrong side of the halls, causing irritating traffic jams. This common occurrence of underclassmen thrown into the high school takes a significant amount of time to straighten out as each new class learns how things work at LHS. Every upperclassmen can recount stories of scattering eighth graders not having a clue where to go to class or where the cafeteria is located.

Understandingly, knowing that at one point in time we were all new to the high school and had to become familiar with our surroundings, the upperclassmen as well as some teachers have agreed all that the high school should be strictly remain 9-12th grade.

When talking to some students and teachers, the responses we got were somewhat alike in certain instances, but there were also some slightly different thoughts on this new switch in the 2018-2019 school year.

Biology teacher Dana Dragash shared her thoughts on the lack of students walking in the halls and on the empty classrooms. “I feel like high school should be mainly for 9-12th grade students because when you’re in middle school, the teachers are supposed to prepare you for high school but you’re also supposed to make the most of your middle school years while you’re in those years of your life. We talk a lot about how we shouldn’t rush our lives and by having the 8th grade in the high school during their 8th grade year, I feel like we’re trying to rush the students and telling them they have to grow up faster than what they should.”

Junior Douglas Gurdak feels slightly differently about the 8th grade and not having them in the building, considering he was here as an 8th grader. “I didn’t really think much about them being here last year but now that the 2018-2019 school year is in session, and there’s no more 8th grade in the building, I have noticed slightly more walking room in the halls. I do however feel that being in the high school while still in 8th grade made it easier to become familiar with the classes and the transitioning of the classes in a relatively bigger environment. I do however like that they are in the middle school this year so it gives them a chance to live their middle school years in the middle school building itself rather than them feeling like they have to grow up quicker than they need to.”

Some might ask, “How will the eighth grade rooms be put to use?”

To start, 8th grade history teacher Scott Chronister’s  old room now belongs to art teacher Jeff Piper. It has always been connected to the art room, but now the doors are permanently unlocked. Piper mainly uses this area to store extra art supplies and paintings.

8th grade science Sean Craigo’s old room is now being used as a lab for new science teacher Zach Brown’s sophomore science class.

In addition, 8th grade algebra teacher Nick Facciolo’s old room is now being used as a lecture room. For example, College Writing I teacher Angela Sarko takes her classes there every once in awhile for discussions.

There are still some empty rooms, but assistant principal Michael Detoro is looking to put them to use in the near future. Some students say a second CCP lounge would be beneficial for extra room.