It’s the Friday before finals week starts and you hear the announcements come on. Principal, Andre Bala, announces that the lounge areas in the innovation centers will be shut down for the rest of the semester. Many students feel frustrated with only having the library and the cafeteria to study in because it is a big inconvenience for finals week.

With Bala not giving a clear time frame for when they may come back, the lounge still not being open and it already being over 3 months into the second semester, I feel as if it is unjust as do many others at Smoky.

Emmy Greene, a student, created a petition for the lounge to be reopened.

According to the Colorado General assembly, the Colorado constitution currently requires any petition for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to be signed by at least 2% of the registered electors. For Greene’s petition to be implemented  at Smoky Hill, she needs 43 signatures.

Greene’s petition is currently signed by 237 people.  This petition by Greene should be put into place for Smoky Hill to progress.

Smoky Hill is making it harder for students to find places to sit and study during their off periods. This makes it harder not just for the students, but also for the staff. Many students choose to sit on the ground, and anywhere that they can, which makes it harder for the staff as they have to constantly kick students out or tell them they can’t sit in the area.

It is also difficult for students to go to the library or lunch room. The library has a limit on the number of students which affects the students and also makes it more difficult for the students to make up tests with their teachers. Previously, many students could go to the spaces with their teachers to make up tests during their off periods. Now, no students can sit in the innovation spaces where the teachers can sit as well. This makes the process of making up tests even more difficult.

Bala shutting down the lounge areas in the first place due to the rowdiness and disrespect towards the teachers. I feel this should have been approached in a different way. The students causing the lounge areas to be shut down should be disciplined individually instead of as a whole community.

I feel that Smoky hill should open back up the lounge chairs