Trinity’s campus looks immensely different from last school year. With drastic changes in our parking lot, phone policies, and Grille, students have turned from sending each other TikToks to trying to navigate the traffic in the parking lots.
New Parking Lot:
The new junior parking lot in the practice field has created morning and afternoon chaos due to the rain. When thunder, lightning and severe weather hit, the long trek across is now even more painstaking.
“ The worst part is when it rains and there is lightning alerts, we get stuck and we can’t walk to our cars,” junior Isabella Moore said. “Leaving is also a pain because in order to get out of the parking lot we have to go through carline which takes a lot longer.”
Although there are minor inconveniences created for the junior class, there are aspects to the new parking arrangement that juniors like better.
“I leave at the same time because only juniors are allowed to park and I’m not fighting for a spot like I had to last year,” Moore said. “I’m not so worried about getting to school as early as I did last year and I am less stressed.”
On the other hand, sophomores have been completely inconvenienced because they can no longer drive to school.
“The reason why it has been frustrating is because sophomores are getting to the age where they’re going to be able to drive and don’t think administrators understands the hardships now created,” sophomore Monely Balouchian said.
Many parents depend on their students to drive themselves, but now with this new rule, sophomores have to rely on their parents to get them to school.
New Grille Changes:
The Grille has implemented newfood options for students, even bringing back pre- COVID-19 options such as the panini station and the salad bar. Other stations were added like the soup bar which has been greatly appreciated by all students. Even the stations that already existed have been upgraded like the grab and go section has new sandwiches and wraps adding to the level
of variety this school year.
“The new stations are great and create more variety allowing more options for each and every student,” Balouchian said.
The new stations create more varieties but allows for more crowds creating frustration.
“More options for food have created longer lines, the panini station and hot lunch lines have become longer now that there are more food stations in the same small space as last year,” Balouchian said.
The large volume of students adds to the crowds formed in the Grille. Although there are obstacles created the new stations and new options for pickier eaters allowing the Grille to appeal to a bigger variety of students. Students have enjoyed all the changes and are excited to see how they develop and other changes made in the future years.
The New Phone Policy:
Sixth through ninth graders are not allowed to have their phones this year. In the morning, the phones are taken and are locked up until dismissal. Many ninth graders are upset that they are included in this rules since they feel they are mature enough.
“We shouldn’t be included since we’re already in high school,” freshman Kamilah Herniquez said. “We finished middle school so I think it is unfair to include us as well.”
Students are having are harder time connecting with their parents and friends. If needed to be picked up there is no easily accessible way to contact parents. During breaks students can’t easily text their friends to locate them.
“If I need to leave early or have an emergency, I have to schedule a time for it and know beforehand and it’s not some-
thing I can always plan,” Herniquez said.
Picking up their phones at the end of the day has become a new hassle.
“It’s chaotic because there was a time that my advisor wasn’t in the room and she had the key,” Herniquez said. “I had to wait 10 minutes for her to come after school and I was almost late to practice.”
These challenges hinder students social lives which is a source of frustration.
