Despite all the recent progress made on the massive Master Facility Plan, there has been little to no talk of how the current elevator system will be improved. As someone who was recently on crutches, I find this frustrating, and I surely cannot be alone.

As it stands right now, in order to access the elevator a student must have a special key from the nurses office. It is nice to keep the elevator limited only to those who need it, but the keys do not always call the elevator even when they are inserted the same way every single time. In short, the elevator is currently the bane of my existence.

To avoid a “traffic jam” in the hallways, those with elevator keys are allowed to leave their classes five minutes early. This time cushion saves students the trouble of getting out of the way of those around them.

However, these five minutes are voided if the elevator has not arrived by the time they are over.

There have been multiple instances over the past month when I have spent three minutes or longer praying for the elevator to arrive, usually while on the second floor, despite having put my key in the right way and twisting it until it clicks. I have had to wait longingly on the second floor as I hear the elevator go past me to the first or third floor, despite having called it while it was stopped above or below me.

For example, a few weeks ago I left my fourth period class on the second floor at 11:35 to get to the lunchroom for 5A, and since I had to wait for the elevator, I did not make it into the lunchroom until 11:46.

While these problems are prevalent now, the renovations coming to the elevator system will provide a chance for them to be fixed.

Buildings and Grounds Supervisor Michelle Cannan says the current main elevator that goes from the first through third floors, as well as the existing freight elevator, will be removed. In their place will be a new elevator, located near room 170, which will go from the first through third floors.

Cannan also mentioned plans to add a second elevator near the current Commons which will go from 050 and the underground track all the way up to the third floor, which has not previously been doable in a single elevator ride.
The only existing elevator that will continue operation past this year will be the one that goes from the Fine Arts wing to the fieldhouse.

The new elevators will make it easier to access different parts of the school but until the issues with the key system are fixed, students will not be able to use the 10 minutes given to them to effectively get from class to class.

They may as well have left at the bell.