BY ALEXA BARRETT

As Mamaroneck High School students, we’re all familiar with the hustle and bustle in the halls between classes. Many of our schedules require us to sprint from one building to the other after every period, so that we have to face the dreaded traffic jams in the overpass up to seven times per day. As someone very vigilant about my academic performance, I find myself in constant fear of jeopardizing my grade due to lateness. But no matter how hard I try, I find that even jogging to class puts me through the door only a few seconds before the bell rings. It’s ridiculous that on top of all the other worries that cloud our minds during the school day, our students have to deal with the added stress of running to class in order to be on time.

“It’s really aggravating having to be late for class every single day because the overpass is jammed,” Rachel Moskowitz ’14 expressed. “Sometimes it just isn’t possible to get from one side of the building to the other in the time we’re given.” We are allotted six minutes from bell to bell to finish copying the notes on the board, pack our belongings, leave one class and get to another. In many cases this process involves a trip through the ever-crowded overpass, and all students know how hectic and frustrating it can be when there are so many people packed into the one narrow passageway that moving forward simply is not possible. Globe staff member Mark Fallati ‘14 joked, “It’s more like the unable-to-pass.”

There is a very easy solution to this time-constraint issue. Adding just two minutes to our travel time would put hordes of students, who would otherwise be late, into their designated classes on time and would reduce the amount of stress present in our daily schedules. Fewer students would have to feel guilty about using the infamous “crowded overpass” excuse as they shuffle into class after the bell’s fourth ring.

This would increase our school day by just fourteen minutes, a thought that might make many high school students cringe. But an extra few minutes in school is not as bad as some teens may make it out to be. Adding this time does not mean extending the time we are in class. No class time would have to be added at all. School could let out at 2:59 p.m., and we would all be happier without the stressful rush to class.