Nandini Kirwin
Stairwell at H-B going between the 3rd floor and the 4th floor.
Many students at H-B slide down the railings as a form of transportation. However, administrative staff have made the decision to remove the railings from the stairwells. The choice has been a prominent issue in the past few town meetings. This decision was the result of numerous injuries in students and faculty after they fell off the railings.
One prominent injury occurred when Teresa Torgoff, the French teacher, fell off the railing while sliding down. When asked how this happened, Teresa told us, “Most days I actually get to school early just to slide down the railings.” Teresa was devastated when she fell off the railing, not because she was hurt, but because she was scared people would find out about her secret hobby. As she told the Current, “One of things that really drew me to H-B were the stairwells.”
Christy Gill, 9th grade English teacher, told the Current that “it can be really annoying sometimes because during our teacher work days, instead of doing anything productive, Teresa will just spend the whole day playing in the stairwell.”
Teresa isn’t the only one who is unhappy about this change. “I just got here, and now they are taking away the railings. I am pretty disappointed. I think I might transition back to my home middle school,” a 6th grader told the Current.
On the other hand, a 10th grader told the Current that he’s glad the railings are being removed from the stairwells because people are always bumping into him while sliding down. “Sliding down the railings doesn’t even save time,” he said frustratedly. “It’s just dangerous.”
Although there are many different opinions on this topic, a final decision has been made and the removal of the railings will begin in as soon as two weeks.
(Happy April Fools Day from The Current!)