Under Construction or Underdeveloped?

The walls of Gloucester High School were once filled with beautiful art and inspirational quotes, but as construction progressed, the artwork disappeared along with the memories, motivation, and inspiration. When we came back from our break to start the new semester, we were all excited to see what they had done to the old A-hall, but what we all came to see was a great disappointment. Old A-hall, now known as the 100-hall, had nothing but white walls and shiny new tiles. 

Research has proven that color stimulates and improves learning. Color psychologist and co-founder of  www.colorcom.com  Jill Morten says, “We are color-seeking animals.” 60 percent of our brain is used to process visual information, so having color can stimulate our brains’ ability to learn. Color can even affect students’ morals, attention span, and perception of time; students have expressed that “ it feels like we are stuck in a mental hospital.” Not only are the hallways bland, but so are the classrooms; the teachers have tried to decorate the walls with student’s projects and posters, but there is only

so much that they can do. Worst of all, the 100-hall is filled with mainly academic classes that are crucial for students’ graduation. We can’t be expected to excel in an environment that makes us feel tired and uninspired. After interviewing a few students and staff, I think that we all have a general idea of what we could do to make Gloucester High School feel a bit more alive. One student, Jadon, said, “ I think that the empty walls are a great opportunity for an art project.” A staff member said, “ The empty walls are like a blank canvas, they hold so much opportunity.” I think that with some help, the walls could be filled with inspiring quotes, murals, and beautiful pictures that make the students feel awake and motivated. While the new 100-hall might’ve been a bit of a disappointment, it has a lot of potential to be something great for the high school. Bringing some color to the school will benefit us all. Since we are getting a new school. We could use some fresh paintings. All it needs is a little TLC, and it’ll go from bland hallways that make us feel tired and trapped to beautiful murals that inspire us and stimulate our minds to do something great.