The senior lounge, where U-High’s oldest students frequently spend their free periods to socialize and play pingpong, has been a point of tension so far this school year, resulting in multiple warnings and a temporary closure.
After a Nov. 19 lockdown drill, Dean of Students Ana Campos posted a Schoology announcement stating the lounge would be closed until the seniors who were in the lounge during the drill individually contacted her. The senior lounge was reopened after Thanksgiving break on Dec. 2.
Additionally, Ms. Campos posted a Dec. 12 Schoology announcement: “The name says it all… only seniors may be in the senior lounge.”
These two incidents have raised questions as to what the expectations are for using the senior lounge and whether students have been meeting those standards.
“The senior lounge is a privilege,” Ms. Campos said in an interview with the Midway, “and what I always say to seniors, and I said it to this group of seniors, is that I always am a defender of the senior lounge. I think it’s an important space for seniors to have.”
Ms. Campos said several seniors were in the lounge on Nov. 19 when the lockdown drill began around 10:55 a.m. Project assistant Devita Smith and U-High attendance project assistant Kimmerly Hayes brought the students into the storage room next to Ms. Campos’ office. Students are supposed to sit silently during the drill.
Ms. Campos said the seniors disrupted the space.
“The seniors were disrespectful — disrespectful of the drill itself,” Ms. Campos said, “the seriousness, and disrespectful of requests to please be quiet, to not touch things, to sit tight.”
After the incident, Ms. Campos made the Student Council aware of what happened and had a brief discussion about it. Maya Pytel, Class of 2025 Cultural Union representative, said the lounge is an important place for her peers.
Maya said, “I think it’s vital to make the lounge a place where the emphasis is placed on connecting with each other.”
Ms. Campos underscored the value of the lounge as a place for seniors to learn how to share a space.
“I’m always a big fan of the senior lounge,” Ms. Campos said, “but it’s still in a school, and people still need to be respectful.”
