Fix the Traffic at the Stoop

The stoop is the most overlooked danger at SHS

Traffic+at+the+stoop+is+problematic

Michael O'Connell

Traffic at the stoop is problematic

Michael O'Connell, Staff Writer

On the first day of freshman year, the high school may seem to be a maze of hallways and connecting staircases, but within a few days—or hours for some—the school’s layout becomes annoying. There are major congestion issues at the top of the main staircase near the math wing–the 2nd-floor open space commonly referred to as “the stoop” by SHS students. The situation is frustrating when passing between classes; however, it’s especially difficult to navigate the area at the end of the school day when students from the second floor go downstairs to catch the bus home.

Considerable thought and planning went into the design of Scituate High School; unfortunately, it was short-sighted. Today, the hallway layout is largely the same as it was when the building was opened over 50 years ago and it is inefficient. Congestion issues could have been addressed during the high school’s first major renovation between 2001 and 2002, when “the stoop” area was renovated.  

In every sense of the word, “the stoop” is a failure. It’s aesthetically lackluster, functionally ineffective, and a poor use of space. By the nature of its location, the stoop is the most congested student area in the school. Traffic flows from two different levels–in three different directions.  The bizarre three-step staircase leading into the math wing causes a dramatic bottleneck that impedes the traffic flow. As if to compound the failures of the design, the administration has allowed seniors to use the stoop as an exclusive seating and congregation area. Early in the year, the high top tables were removed for this purpose. After seniors approached the administration with a new plan for quiet study space, the high top tables were returned.  

Over 900 students are enrolled at Scituate High School for the 2018-19 academic year, and all of them have places to be. Issues of congestion need to be taken more seriously, and if the stoop is becoming congested from the idle foot-traffic created between classes, one can only imagine the gridlock a serious emergency could cause. The school should spend money on layout improvements—which could be as simple as removing the stoop’s intermediate railing—instead of buying expensive pianos and useless software licenses.

Furthermore, banning seniors from congregating at the stoop would be a cost-free option toward improving traffic flow. In fact, the safety of students and access to an accessibility lift should never be in jeopardy because seniors feel entitled to certain privileges. Do seniors really “need” this study space?

The problem presented by the high school’s hallway congestion is not completely debilitating. Students can still get to classes on time, but as class sizes rise, so should concern about updating the infrastructure students and staff interact with on a daily basis. The new middle school provides a template for how staircases and points of interchange should be designed. It is extremely unlikely that students at Gates Middle School will ever find themselves forced to take the same route to different destinations, thus eliminating a lot of the congestion we see at the high school. For example, if a student at the high school needs to go from a math class to the lunchroom, or if a different student needs to go from the library to an English class, both students—following the most direct route—would pass through the stoop.           

As a result of the high school’s design, the purpose of the stoop and auxiliary staircases can never be met. The stoop, which has the primary purpose of allowing disabled individuals to navigate the school safely, and easily, cannot fulfill its function without causing a major disruption to students. Auxiliary staircases, designed to bleed off some of the stoop traffic, are so inconveniently located, that they remain largely unused. All of these problems are ones that should have been fixed years ago, and yet they persist. The principles of organization and efficiency taught to Scituate students in classes ought to be emphasized to those who have the power to change one of the schools most overlooked dangers, and failures: the oh-so-bad stoop.