Hundreds of lockers go unused every school year

Lining nearly every hall in the school are relics that have faded into the background for many students: lockers. An estimated 90 percent of them will go unused this school year, and of the 10 percent issued to students, only a fraction of those will be visited on a regular basis.

“People don’t use [lockers],” junior Kristal Lopez said. “Maybe cause they’re too lazy. I think a lot of people are also afraid to go ask the staff for a locker.”

Management assistant Mary Noack is in charge of issuing lockers to students, and she explains that the process is actually very simple.

“All [students] do is pick out which locker they want— as long as it’s not in the main hallway, it has to be off in the wings— and bring a lock, and just come tell me which locker they want,” Noack said.

Despite how accessible lockers are, only 120 students out of the 1,690 enrolled at McCallum were issued a locker in the 2015-2016 school year— only a little over 7 percent.

“I would say [having a locker] is just a hassle,” Noack said. “Say if your classes are on this end [of school] and you decide to have a locker [on the other end of school] and then you’re back at this end [of school] at lunch. You’re just back and forth, back and forth.”

Unused lockers are more than just an annoyance, as they can present legitimate security concerns.

“We close [unused lockers] off so that students can’t vandalize them or put stuff in them,” Noack said.

Despite these precautionary measures, things can sometimes manage to slip through the cracks.

“I think a lot of kids find a way to stick things in lockers,” Lopez said. “You never know what’s in there.”

Years ago, lockers used to be required for all McCallum students. They became optional about six years ago, and Noack explains why.

“There aren’t [textbooks] anymore because everything is online,” Noack said. “The only books that are being issued are foreign language books, and if you’re in sports or you’re in an activity like band you’ve got a locker. There are very few students that even want a locker.”