Oct. 28, 2020
Members of the newspaper’s editorial board are Denis Drachev, Ivo Radev, Victoria Manoleva, Alexander Ivanov, and Prue Salasky. The following opinion is a consensus that expresses the newspaper’s institutional view.
As we all know, a locker room is a must-have for every school for several reasons, including P.E. classes and basic hygiene.
Our school ELS “Geo Milev” has moved from its old building, which it shared with the German Language School, to a new one in Zhk Izgrev, where it is the sole occupant. The new building is not perfectly furnished to suit every student’s basic needs, but the administration is working towards improving it. Most classrooms have already been renovated but many of them are far from done.
However, there is a major problem regarding the school’s locker rooms. The P.E. gymnasium is old and the boys’ locker room doesn’t have a DOOR. Yes, a door, a basic piece of furniture. To quote a student who has encountered this problem, “The entire thing has the atmosphere of a Soviet nuclear bomb shelter.” Most students are guessing that the gym hasn’t been renovated since the Soviet times in Bulgaria because it sure looks like this.
It was also pointed out that there is not enough space for three classes to change and use the gym, and that the toilets are non-existent. Students often change in the classrooms, which can be uncomfortable when boys and girls are together and even the 5/5 solution — boys change clothes for 5 minutes and girls for the other 5 minutes of the 10-minute break — hasn’t been working well. Many students can’t change inside 5 minutes and they also feel weird about changing in their classrooms. Others go to the bathrooms which causes a problem for those using them for their intended purpose. And as we all know, cleanliness is also an issue, especially during these unprecedented COVID-19 times.
Importantly, the administration of “Geo Milev” is aware of the problem but is currently dealing with other priorities. Of course, having a door in a locker room visited by students is a priority and the problems resulting from not having one have proved its importance.
Our Editorial Board has reviewed this issue and we think that it’s a problem that can be easily solved. Having a positive environment for learning and good health is crucial and also fundamental for every student in the school. Poor premises can lead to negativity, cynicism and poor attitudes – and even poor health. Having the problems shown in this article in mind, a door will be a solution to all those problems, right? It is low-cost — most doors cost around 150 lv. — and an effective solution to the problem. Having a door will allow the male students to change their clothes at the place intended for this purpose, which will resolve the problems with changing in the classroom. There are a lot of other things that need to be done but for now a door will save the day! And what better time to install it than when the school is under quarantine and students are absent for the next two weeks?