Curtis High School just opened it’s new wing in September 2017 and it requires students to depart from the swim gym exit or from the auditorium exits and walk to the new addition.  It is far.  An average walker will take 1 minutes and 36 seconds if the walkway was clear.  However, that is never the case.  Between the bells, it takes an average of 2 to 3 minutes to travel between buildings during a busy period and this does not include the actual walk to the class or climbing the 52 stairs to the first-floor classrooms in the new wing. Because of the height of the gymnasium, there are a lot more stairs than usual. This makes lots of students late for their classes.

Ms. Susca a foreign language teacher said, “I make kids sign the late book, but I also try to understand for the kids that come from the other wing.” Mr. Delin, the AP European History teacher, said, “as long as they are trying their best to come on time  and the other kids coming from the same spot are coming with them, I try to understand.”

One of the outside staircases is so narrow that students must walk single file,  the indoor staircase in the new wing also only allows for single file movement. Mariachiara Cerniglia, a sophomore said, “the building is nice and updated, but the walk to and from is tight and it’s a constant struggle to get through the crowd to get back to the main building. The passageway is not wide enough to accommodate the number of students that pass through, therefore I am always late for class.”

The majority of Curtis’s corridor is covered with scaffolding although the section outside the pool exit is not. The rain, snow, and sleet fall on students and teachers head as soon as they walk out of the building. As soon as there is any sign of bad weather the traffic tends to slow down, resulting in further lateness. Amberzine Johnson, a senior, said, “it is slippery; they should add a roof where the stairs are, so it is safer. The traffic is crazy and makes me late to class.They need to add a roof soon, I often slip and fall.”

The scaffolding also obstructs several of the security cameras that are mounted throughout the corridor.  Mr. Burbano the AP of security would not comment on the exact amount of cameras because he felt it might compromise the security of the school.  A cursory look at the corridor shows 5 cameras that are functional or partially functional.

Some students say the walk is worth the central air, new desks, and the modern classrooms while others say it is a “work out” just walking there and it’s “not worth being late to class”. Mia Kwok, freshman said, “I really like it because it’s really clean and the rooms have a lot of light which I think helps me be more productive.”