Many people may think that the reason Taft feels so full is because of too many students in the building, or “overcrowding,” but it turns out that is not really the case.
For as long as people can remember, Taft has always felt crowded. Even when there were less than 3,000 students, people still felt like there was no room. Many students and even teachers throughout the building have complaints or something to say about this issue.
Students often have something to say about the current state of the hallways during their passing period. It can be difficult for them to get to certain classes.
“It’s just too crowded,” said senior Gabriela Gonzales. “I can’t get from one end of the building to another.”
This is a popular opinion among students. Another place that overcrowding is happening is inside the classrooms. “Teaching in an overcrowded room is like teaching in a room full of cats,” said Individuals and Societies teacher Timothy Lane.
Contrary to certain people’s belief, the reason that the hallways feel so crowded has little to do with the amount of students, and more to do with the flow of everybody moving. When people stop in the middle of the halls or walk slower than everybody else, it causes a traffic jam which causes a feeling of crowdedness.
According to Assistant Principal Ryan Glowacz, there are actually less students in the building this year than there was last year. “Our enrollment has been steady…It’s not like it just goes up and up.”
One of the main reasons for the overcrowded feeling falls upon the building itself. “It’s like a bottleneck,” said Glowacz. The nature of the umbilical connecting the two buildings causes a buildup of students in that area. This can make it feel like there are more students than there should be.
This feeling of too many students is amplified when a group of people stands in that area without the intention of moving.“If kids didn’t hang out right in that bottleneck it would flow better,” said Glowacz.
