Do you find yourself constantly in a rush getting out the door in the morning? Well, if so, you are not alone. Not because we’re unprepared (though not all of us are all the time), but because of factors like traffic, weather, or family that slows us high school students down when getting dropped off at school. 

The earlier to school you get, the more empty the drop-off line is for cars. But for some who get to school at a normal time, that’s not the case because you end up being late to class.  

It’s not good to be late to class, even more so the first class of the day. High schoolers are expected and required to be in class on time so they can get the proper education they need before they graduate.

For many, they are expected to be in class before the last bell rings with only a small amount of minutes to spare, even if they arrive at school in plenty of time. Yet, in my general experience as a high school student here at Pentucket, those who are dropped off in the morning have a problem.

The number of students who cross the crosswalk sporadically really holds up the car traffic. Unless you can be dropped off before 7:10, which isn’t possible for all families, then you can expect to be stuck in the drop-off line for quite a bit of time. Some parents have already taken matters into their own hands by dropping their students off in the middle lane that goes across the parking lot, which seems to be a great solution, but unfortunately, it causes even more students to cross the crosswalk into school and doesn’t help the people who are still using the original route. 

So, I have proposed a solution to this problem, which  is highlighted in the picture below: 

In my proposal, parents would drop off their kids which it is highlighted in blue only. The two red lines indicate where two staff members would be standing to coordinate and direct the car flow. Only students would be allowed in the green parking area until the bell rings, unless of course there are special circumstances or are handicapped students that need to get to the front door. Buses would continue to use the same plan they always have.

In order for traffic to not build up on the road, you would have to form two lanes once past the football field after you enter, with students and buses on the left and parents on the right. By having parents stop in the blue area and let their children exit and walk up to school, it eliminates the multiple stops at the traffic line. This was the only practical solution I saw for this problem, but what are some other opinions around campus?

Here I have asked two peers about their opinions from their own personal experience with the drop-off situation at Pentucket. Starting off with freshman Josh Tengora, he shared that “the drop-off line is pretty empty,” when he arrives at school. Tengora quotes that “he leaves his house for school at 6:50 am.” In other words, Tengora’s experience is easier because he gets to school so early, but in freshman Mia Covey’s case, she has a normal experience getting to class on time because she takes the bus to school in the morning. 

Covey waits 10 minutes for her bus every morning at 7:10 am and arrives at school at 7:20 am, allowing her plenty of time to get to her first class in a timely manner. The experience of both the students I interviewed is that both get to school fairly early. One is due to the bussing system and the other, a car rider, has the ability to leave extra early.

What are your experiences during the morning drop-off at Pentucket?