New skateboard lockers

Over spring break, Samo installed a rack of skateboard lockers by the stairs near I101 in order to reduce the distraction the boards cause in class.“The installation was part of a grant that our school received,” Samo Principal Dr. Antonio Shelton said. “This is part of the ‘Safe Routes To School’ program.”The administrators started the discussion about skateboards after teachers complained about students constantly playing with and leaving them around, forcing teachers to find space to park them.“The fact of the matter is, skateboards were never meant to be inside a classroom,” Science teacher Vijaya Macwan said. “They are noisy and students leave them when they are in a rush. The lockers should be a great help but they need to be advertised.”Though the administration believed that the new lockers would help decrease the noise and distraction level in classes, many students believe that using them is more bothersome than carrying their boards from class to class.“I actually didn't even know there were skateboard lockers,” Jasper Collins (’18) said. “I don't think I'll use them though because they're out of the way and they are probably not very secure.”While some people are more apprehensive to use the new lockers, others are excited.“I’m really happy they added skateboard lockers,” Adam Williams (’18) said. “It was getting really annoying to have to carry it around to all my classes, especially since most teachers don’t really like skateboards in their classes.”There are plans in place to add more lockers in the coming months. In order to make the last two months of school more productive for teachers and students, administrators advise anyone who carries a skateboard to utilize the new lockers.