By Carmela Drossman-Schlossberg
The beginning of the school year is an unpredictable time for many students, and this year, students and staff were tossed an unexpected curveball. Over the summer, NHP changed the numbers on all the rooms, confusing many at the beginning of the year. The room numbers are in blue on top of the doors and go up by twos. This significantly contrasts the previous number system. The even-numbered rooms are now on the inside, closest to the courtyard, and the odd-numbered rooms are on the outside of the building.
“When I started here 11 years ago, I noticed the room numbers were inconsistent. I wanted to change that,” Principal Dr. Richard Faccio said.
Dr. Faccio sat down in a meeting with the head custodian, assistant principals and other staff to discuss the best plan for the school. Their intention was to make the number system easy to follow for all staff and students. The starting location for all the numbers was based on the location of the main entrance, which is labeled Exit 12.
“Many have stated they are used to the school being laid out a certain way and find it off-putting...”
Once the format of the number system was decided, the custodians were responsible for changing the numbers. They did this by sanding off the paint that held the previous numbers and then attaching the sign for the new number. Dr. Faccio also commented that they may put stencils of gladiators over the doors.
The new room numbers were not the only thing that changed; cameras and identification cards needed to be recalibrated as well. Dr. Faccio expressed that the cameras were the hardest to change, followed by the doors themselves.
This change put room numbers in order, allowing newer students to find their way around the school.
“The school is easy to navigate and I can find my classes easily,” seventh grader Hailey Sanassi said.
On the other hand, some returning students and staff have expressed their confusion and dislike for the new number system. Many have stated they are used to the school being laid out a certain way and find it off-putting.
“I was so confused the first day I was here when all of my classes were in a different place than they were last year,” freshman Sharon Xiao said.
Source by Sam Tsui
Some students struggle to navigate the school due to room number changes.
“I have classes in rooms 321 and 322. You’d expect them to be next to each other because why wouldn’t they? But I have to walk across a whole hallway to get from point A to point B. They are one number apart; what logic can justify me walking past five different rooms to get to mine?” freshman Isabelle Chan said.
This is a question that many students have, as varying numbers next to each other have confused many. To combat this issue, Dr. Faccio encourages students to think of odd and even. The reason why two numbers next to each other in order can be far apart is that there is not the same number of rooms on each side of the school.
The change to the numbering system is not the only building change that has occurred this summer. The school has added another office for one of NHP’s assistant principals and a new suite and conference room for the guidance office. The changing of the room numbers, along with other building updates, affects many within the school. But as students and staff are settling into the school year, the adjustment is becoming easier as walking from class to class has become muscle memory for many.
Comments