Addi Sriram

The band doors, located in the fine arts wing, remain locked after years of use. The decision came after much thought about safety concerns from administration. Students who were accustomed to doors being opened have begun to complain due to administration’s decision to close them.

For years, door 40, more commonly known as the band doors, has provided an easy way to get in and out of the building throughout the day. But when Wildcats returned to school this fall, with little to no warning, the band doors were no longer an option to enter, forcing almost all student traffic to funnel through the main entrance. While the extra time to walk to the main door might not seem like a massive issue to some, it has caused frustration amongst students. What might seem like a small adjustment has led to a congested main entrance, extra travel time and growing frustration, prompting conversations about safety and convenience at the school. 

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE:

While the band doors aren’t the closest to locker areas or core subject classrooms, they’ve long offered students a quick entrance into the school; according to driver’s ed teacher Mr. Brian Wilcox, the doors have been in use since he attended LHS in 1982. With the winter months stretching for most of the school year, shaving off a few precious seconds in the cold is a top priority for most students, especially those who park at Brainerd. Junior Isla Wicklander has been parking at Brainerd since August, and the closures have tacked on extra time to her morning routine. 

“It’s already a pretty long walk, and especially in the winter, it’s just extra time to get there,” Wicklander said “It’s not the worst but it’s also kind of inconvenient, especially since my first class is [in this area] too, having to go to the other side and having to walk completely all the way back.” 

Brainerd isn’t the only parking lot affected by the closures. Seniors with passes are allowed to park on campus, and the closures have taken away the closest entrance to the senior lot. The carpool spots are generally considered to be the best spots in the parking lot, being located right in the middle of the parking lot, but with the closures they’ve lost their perk. The band doors are also viewed as one of the many “senior year perks” by the class of 2026.  Seniors Caroline Waller and Lucy Giovannetti have been looking forward to this unofficial tradition since their freshman year.

“It’s something that everyone looks forward to, parking in the lot and finally being close to the door,” Giovannetti said.

“We pay for the parking pass, it’s just part of the experience.” Waller said.

The closure has also significantly affected the Fine Arts department and its students. The doors have consistently offered easy access for fine art students who often have to carry bulky instruments to school and drop them in their respective classrooms. Senior Lizzie Hamilton has been in band since her freshman year, and the closures have changed her day-to-day routine. 

“As someone who’s in band, having to bring my trumpet and my music all the way around to the main doors and then all the way back through to the band room is so annoying,” Hamilton said. “And so it’s really inconvenient for people in band, or even choir and orchestra, to have to go all the way around.” 

Beyond the inconvenience, students were also left frustrated by the lack of communication from the administration. Hundreds of students who tried to enter through the doors on the first day were turned towards the main entrance with the simple explanation of construction; however, six months later, little to no construction has occurred in the fine arts wing of the school. No email was sent over the summer announcing the change, nor were students ever given a formal reason beyond construction. 

“I actually have no idea [why the doors are closed]” Hamilton said, “and maybe they put [an explanation] somewhere, but I haven’t seen at all where the administration has said why they closed the band doors.”

THE ADMINISTRATIVE PERSPECTIVE:

Safety has always been at the forefront of the administration’s minds, especially at a time when school shootings are at an all-time high. In recent years, schools nationwide have been reevaluating the number of entry points into their buildings, opting for fewer entrances in favor of more securely monitored ones, with LHS administration seemingly following suit. Mrs. Meagan Silverberg is in her first year as assistant principal but has worked at the school for sixteen years.

“It was really a safety factor,” Mrs. Silverberg said. “We don’t have an actual security desk there, and students were letting other students in. And that’s one of the ways that, unfortunately, people that want to cause harm to the school, or even if it’s someone that we know, the research shows that’s how they get in. I always say safety over convenience, and sometimes that’s frustrating, but I just wanted to limit access for outside threats.” 

Studies conducted throughout the past decade have shown that the top two factors in an active threat entering a school are either an unlocked door or the offender is a current student or attended the school within the last five years.  

Listening to the concerns of students and thinking of their convenience is just as important to administration as safety. Sometimes, however, the safety concerns largely outweigh the day-to-day convenience of students. 

“It’s hard, right? Silverberg said. “I think that my goal in the future is to look at other areas when we develop to put more security stations and so if we increase our safety staff and personnel and ability to have more doors open, then it can be more convenient for students, but until that, I think we’re gonna have to just focus on the two doors that have a desk in it.”  

LOOKING AHEAD:

• For now, students continue to make the chilly morning trek, about a minute and fifteen seconds, to the front of the building and navigate the newly crowded main entrance. The potential of the band doors reopening remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: this one seemingly small decision has sparked conversations of communication, safety and convenience in the LHS community.