New Additions Spark Opinion

Kayaks

According to WestportNow, in 2013 the Staples P.E. Department received a grant of $936,722 from the state to expand its learning facilities. Since Staples already has an indoor pool, an indoor track and an outdoor track, among other facilities, the grant was spent on kayaks, paddleboards and other indoor sports equipment. Unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of the new pool equipment.

“I think the kayaks are absolutely useless and honestly a little bit dangerous because our pool is not big enough to properly use the kayaks,” Abigail (Jasper) Lafler ’16 said. “And it’s just going to end up with somebody tipping over and getting some sort of concussion.”

Frozen yogurt

Returning from April break, there isn’t much to look forward to — AP tests, finals, colder weather than in the Caribbean. This year however, following the dreaded return, the cafeteria introduced frozen yogurt to its menu. The self-serve machines can produce an assortment of flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and cherry among others.

Before going to tennis practice, at 2:20 Sam Effman ’18 fills up his container with vanilla frozen yogurt  for some extra nourishment before heading to the courts.

“Everyone seems to like it and it’s good for sports,” Elizabeth Rhodes ’17 said. “So I think it’s a pretty good addition.”

But on the other hand, some students are skeptical of whether the cafeteria should be promoting such a sugary snack. “I do like the frozen yogurt,” Abigail Lafler ’16 said. “I don’t know if it’s what our school is really trying to promote in the cafeteria, but I’m not going to complain.”

After school snacks

Many Staples students play a sport after school and find themselves hungry since they haven’t eaten since lunch at 10:50. To cope, some students pack a small snack bag from home to relieve their hunger, meanwhile others just deal with it until they reach home. After April break this school year, the Staples cafeteria solved this problem when it introduced after school hours in which they open at 2:00 and close again at 2:45 after school each day. The food options usually consist of leftovers such as wraps, chips or cookies that were not purchased during lunch.

Tess Rubin ’17 is on the school tennis team and says that she appreciates having the opportunity to buy a quick snack before practice. “It’s really helpful right before practice,” Rubin explained.

Though they are not offered after-school, mozzarella sticks are a favorite among the new, tasty additions to the cafeteria. These mozzarella sticks are sold with tomato sauce for $3.50 in the cafeteria near the burgers and fries or at Out-takes.

Locked doors

Amid the numerous violent attacks on schools in the past few years, many students are worried about the possibility of a terror attack at Staples. Over the summer, Westport Public Schools installed an auto-lock on all of the classroom doors so that as soon as the door closes, it is locked from the inside. Although this addition was meant to protect the Staples students and put their minds at ease about possible terror attacks on the school, many students find that it’s more of a nuisance whenever they leave the classroom for a short period of time to get water or use the restroom.

“I respect the idea behind the locked doors,” Lafler said. “But I hate them with a raging passion from the inside because the number of times that I have gotten locked out of class is much greater than the amount of times that they have protected me from anything.”

Anina Hoffman ’17 knocks on the door to get back into her classroom. Since the start of the 2014/2015 school year, all classroom doors in Staples High School automatically lock after being closed in order to protect students from intruders.

However, other students can appreciate its importance. “It’s a good idea because say something happens, they just lock right away,” Ben Shmaruk ’17 said.

Jay Mudholkar ’17 agreed that it was a great way to keep Staples secure. “Yeah it’s good that there are no complications if the door needs to be locked, that was a smart move,” Mudholkar added.

Tables outside of library

This year Staples introduced tables outside of the library for socializing, doing homework or anything really — except eating. Many students chose to sit at these round tables if the library is too crowded or if they’re looking for a place to meet their friends.

Alejandro Perez Elorza ’18 shares a laugh with friends while sitting at the round tables outside of the library, which were bought for the Staples downstairs hallways for the start of the 2014/2015 school year.

“I actually really like them because now my friends and I can go and sit there in the morning and just talk,” Melissa Alvarado ’16 said. “It’s really nice.”