As any student at LTHS knows, a peculiar quality of Lockport is the fact that we have an entirely separate campus dedicated to our freshmen, also known as the Central Campus. Surely, upperclassmen remember what it was like spending time getting acclimated to a new school, becoming confident in knowing your way around the building and growing into the schedule at Central Campus just for sophomore year to roll around and to have to do it all over again for the second year in a row.
“It felt like I was a freshman twice,” says senior Jessica Smith. Lockport disconnecting its freshmen from the rest of the school is ultimately harmful, as it creates isolation and social stigma, delayed integration into school culture as well as limited opportunities and resources for freshmen.
The physical separation between the freshmen class and the rest of the school fosters a detached community. When condensed into their own building without the ability to build relationships with upperclassmen, these freshmen truly begin to feel a sense of loneliness while missing out on crucial social development that comes with being at a school with peers up to four years older.
A separated environment also creates a mentality amongst students on both campuses that gives students the idea that Central and East are two different school communities. LTHS strives to be a school where “together we succeed,” but being in different buildings creates a divide between Lockport’s students, and ultimately makes freshmen feel like they are not a part of LTHS socially.
The entirely different building for freshmen students also leads them to miss out on the unique climate of LTHS during their first year of high school. Not being able to interact with upperclassmen hinders freshmen from learning the norms, customs and various traditions we have at East Campus, which indefinitely detaches freshman from our school pride, resulting in a weaker feeling of school spirit. When freshmen become sophomores and enter the main building, they tend to feel behind or out of place because it feels to them as if everyone around them has already made connections with others and feel a sense of belonging.
Furthermore, while Central Campus has many great resources and opportunities for students such as the Central Campus Port, East Campus arguably has even more to offer students regarding resources and opportunities. This includes more advanced and rigorous courses, tutoring opportunities and extracurricular activities, which are promoted highly at East Campus. In turn, it does not give freshmen a fair chance to get involved at school.
It is a known fact that there are not as many freshmen as there should be participating in the activities that take place at East, simply because they are intimidated by the distance or size of East, or even unaware of certain activities. This prevents students from exploring their interest early on and can even stunt academic growth.
All in all, LTHS having a separate building for the freshmen isolates them and creates unnecessary blockades to their education and success. Isolating our students, limiting their social interactions with older students, delaying integration into the culture of the school and making it more challenging for them to use the resources is setting up Central students for failure and a potentially rough start to attending East Campus.
Prioritizing creating an environment that is more inclusive to our freshmen is a step in the right direction, and that starts with rethinking our method. It’s time to ask: Are we really benefiting our students by keeping them divided?
