This school tries and tries to make our life better. It gave us a new schedule, new furniture, new carpets, new tiles, new locker positions, new computers, a new language lab, and new chairs. I want to say that I am both impressed and incredibly thankful for the time and money that the school administration has committed to making our school life great. I cannot express how much the student body and I are grateful for all that this school has done.

But I want to comment on the condition of our facilities that have not been upgraded, which happen to be the ones we see the most. Classrooms, to be more specific, have been left almost untouched. Most classrooms have only been given new chairs or new tables, when what we actually need is more comfort. We now have the comfort we need in our seats, but do we necessarily feel as though a classroom is a niche, or a place that is like a second home?

It may be true that some feel comfort where they learn, but I doubt that first-time visitors could walk into a classroom and not wonder why things just don’t seem, well, comfortable. How could this be improved? It could be helped by having specific classrooms for specific courses (no more math classes in the science rooms), by sacrificing storage space for roominess (to promote comfort), by providing all rooms with white boards (which have been proven to be easier on the eyes), and by reorganizing and throwing out things that are never used (to reduce clutter). Of course these are just a few of the sort of minimal-cost ideas that can improve the overall “look” of our classrooms.

The Library bathrooms could also be improved with minimal cost by hanging up a mirror, or by fixing the deteriorating ceiling, or by changing the way doors to the toilets swing. I occasionally find myself standing on the toilet seat while closing the doors. This is not a problem with the doors in the high school bathroom, given that the cubicles are larger. None the less, the library bathrooms could be improved.

The water fountains can also be fixed, and I know this for a fact. The fountain located near the telephone was once unable to shoot water up any more than a few millimeters. Now, that same water fountain sprays its water gloriously. But what about the poor, neglected other one in the math and science section of the building? Was it “overlooked” somehow? I suggest that this fountain be fixed so that when a visitor is thirsty he doesn’t have to suck on the metal piece of the fountain.

And for goodness’ sake, what about a computer lab for the Upper School???

I hate to seem persnickety. All of this makes me feel like a whiner. But I should point out that I only want this done so as to improve the image of the school. I couldn't care less about the facilities, because I feel comfortable here. When I visited the Gunnery in eighth grade I didn’t like the classrooms, so I didn’t go there. What I am trying to say is that visitors don’t judge the quality of a classroom for the great teaching that is conducted in it; they judge its initial image and comfort. We can improve these things.