SOUTHWORDS
September 1967
Student enrollment increases, causes close quarters for all
Overcrowding at Maine South creates problems in every department in the school.
The building itself, which was built to serve 2,400 students three years ago, now houses classes and activities for 3,070 students.
Overcrowding forces larger classes, crowded study halls, crowded cafeterias, and greater traffic problems in the halls. The cafeterias have a capacity of 260 people. Several lunch periods now serve 258 students. At one point, it was thought that tables would have to be placed in the halls. The cafeterias and library are the only areas which serve every student. In scheduling classes, an attempt was ade to limit classes to thirty students and to keep each class equal in size.
Currently, the physical education facilities are inadequate. More classes are held each period than there are physical education facilities to hold them in. As a result, classes must be held in the halls and in the locker rooms.
Overcrowding is bound to increase the discipline problem. Tempers are expected to rise amid the mass of people. The attendance office has been "swamped."
Benefits of crowding are few. Eyrie, the school yearbook, should benefit by more sales, as will the creative writing magazine and Hawk Tawk. Athletic teams should be better now that there are more students participating in sports.
Next year, if the additions are not yet completed, a nine or eleven period day is conceivable. Planning for the improvements has been slow and very much behind schedule.
Dr. Watson urges all students to be cooperative. "Every student should be more considerate of each other and in understanding that crowded conditions are only temporary. Added facilities should remedy the situation."
"Closer cooperation between students, teachers, custodians, cafeteria and office personnel will relieve the situation. No one has enough room," Dr. Watson added.