Over the course of a few days, staff on The Talon went around the OHS campus and asked students their opinions on what they think should be changed about the school. Here are the results.
There were two main categories that received the most criticism from students: passing periods and campus cleanliness. Surprisingly, a large percentage of students claim that there is nothing wrong with campus, and there is nothing they would want to change. 29% of students interviewed at OHS had something to say about how clean the campus is, with most mentioning the bathrooms.
“The girls’ restrooms are really messy, and the sinks can get bad,” said Violet Flores, junior.
The problem of clogged sinks is not unique, and it was pointed out how badly they can get backed up.
“The 600 bathrooms keep flooding,” said Brooklee Nelson, junior.
Students also note the persistent issue of vaping that often takes place in the shelter of the restroom. The proposal of heavier bathroom monitoring was mentioned in a last-ditch effort to stop the cloud chasers.
“I think the only thing that I would like to change about O’Connor is I would like stricter bathroom monitoring, because people are vaping all the time,” said Zaely Bielenda, sophomore.
Others agree, mentioning that it is just not something that they want to see while at school.
“When I go into the bathroom and I see people vaping, it brings a pretty bad vibe,” said Ayan Gupta, junior.
People not keeping the OHS campus in its best condition was another big topic, raising issues of how accountable students really are.
“There is so much trash on campus- people need to pick up their trash and be responsible,” said Payton Ivy, senior.
Another main concern of 29% of students interviewed was the length of the passing periods here at OHS. Many people mentioned how many students are in the hallways at the same time, and wish there were a solution.
“I wish there was a way to change passing periods so that there were less people,” said Dylan Smith, senior.
Others agree, noting how stressful it can be trying to get to class while fighting through crowds of people.
“I would definitely change the hallways because they are so crowded- it feels like I’m drowning in them,” said Evelyn Fa’asamala, sophomore.
Students also ask for extra time, specifically when it comes to lunch. While the schedule allocates 30 minutes, that includes the time it takes to get to and from the cafeteria.
“We don’t have a passing period before lunch, so getting there takes time out of it. I think there should be an extra 5 minutes before and after.” said Ruben Nikolov, senior.
There were various other complaints amongst students; however, only 6% had something else to say.
“They should change detention because now, when you go to ISS, they just have you sit in there. I think they should have you do something instead of just isolating you,” said Vic Lopez, freshman.
Overall, students’ complaints were fairly minimal, with most understanding that there is not much that can be done about it. In the end, many even said that they do not believe there is anything that needs to be changed at OHS.
“I wouldn’t change anything [about OHS], it’s perfect,” said Elijah Gomez, junior.
