Updated signage, technology help untangle maze of hallways for students
As school doors opened up for the new school year, students were not only welcomed by teachers, but also by many new changes to the school. The first day of freshman year has always been a time where students are late to their classes and end up in the wrong room, wing, or zip code. So to help solve the issue, West decided to add signs that would help students get around. These new signs around the school tell students which way to go for certain classrooms, departments and even bathrooms.
Besides the signs, Door 38 received some new furniture and Door 24 is going to receive a reception desk. The courtyards were cleaned up with the “Adopt A Courtyard” program, and the security camera system went through upgrades.
Assistant Principal Aaron Herm sees the upgrades as common sense when looking at other facilities around the Fox Valley.
“Honestly, I feel like it’s something that’s overdue,” he said. “If you go into just about any other public building, it’s just a basic thing that they have.”
Freshman Camden Martin believes these signs reduce stress and benefit learning.
“They have helped me get to class for the first day or two of school,” he said. “I feel that directly benefited my learning because I was able to get to class on time. It just makes it so that there are less tardies resulting in better grades overall.”
Freshman Alex Fanshaw found that the improved communication worked better than previous attempts that the school used.
“A map would make people stop in the hallways, and that just messes up the already crowded hallways,” he said.
He only had one negative comment.
“Well, it’s not super traditional. It’s not a sign pointing to it [the wings], it’s a sign that’s on it [the wings] which I don’t think people are used to, but it still works,” he said.
However, it’s not just freshmen who are feeling the positive impact; teachers like Kim Kargus-Myers were feeling it too. She has noticed fewer students arriving late to class compared to other years.
“I definitely noticed a difference between new students and previous freshman students, they seem to be able to navigate a little bit easier than in past years,” she said.
Along with helping freshmen, these signs can benefit any student who is lost.
“When I’ve given directions I will direct students with the signs, rather than trying to go into a big whole long explanation to help them get to where they need to get,” Kargus-Myers said.
Beyond signage, technology has improved communication as another big addition this year were the new TVs with information displays placed at key intersections in the building. Herm said that the project started out with the LMC essentially paying for the TVs in the O room.
“The last couple of years if you ever watched the TVs that were up in the O room like they had just things about the library circulating on them all the time,” he said. “This year, we wanted to work with the LMC to expand that and make school-wide announcements.”
The TVs have proved to be beneficial for many students and teachers; the digitalization of parts of the school is proving to be efficient in getting announcements out.
“Well, as a club advisor it is great to have another way to get the word out,” Kargus-Myers said. “Homecoming is coming up, so it’s nice that we were able to put some information on there to make sure that everyone knows.”
Besides improving foot traffic and communication, the hallway makeover has also improved the aesthetic and continuity within the building, according to Kargus-Myers.
“They just make things look nicer and add a little bit more of that West blue and white to the walls which is always good for that sense of community and making things look nicer,” she said.
by Gabriel Balcom
Published October 3, 2022
Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue 1