Hoisting your backpack further onto your shoulder, you weave your way through the throngs of people, down the B-wing hallway. There’s an ache where the polyester strap rests, and you struggle to stand completely upright, walking hunched over to balance out the weight of your biology textbook. On the way to second block Algebra, you pass a stretch of navy blue lockers lining the hallway, most of them vacant and unused. When you finally do get to class, you toss your backpack next to your desk and slump down in the seat, relieved that it is off your back for ninety minutes at least. If you don’t have a locker, this is probably how you feel.

Urbana High School is home to almost 1,800 students and almost 1,500 lockers. That means that there would be enough lockers for almost every Urbana student. There are only 24 lockers currently being used. Why are there so many vacant lockers?

Assistant Principal Office secretary Ms. Jiron said, “It’s a combination of small size and a lack of time between classes. The school is so large, it’s hard to get from one end to the other and back to a locker.” Many UHS students agree with this statement. Sophomore Cheyenne Thrasher said, “It’s too busy in the hallways, there’s too much traffic to stop at a locker.” Going from middle school where lockers are widely used to a high school where hardly anyone uses lockers has been a welcome change for many freshman…(To read the rest of this story, pick up a copy of The Hawkeye from the newsstand near the front office or the media center)