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Students bear load of heavy texts on their backs
While sitting in Mr.Cloud room Lydia Soifer, senior, attempts to put her journal in her backpack after using her lunch period to get ahead in school work. “It would be nice if it was light but it’s definitely useful to have even though it’s heavy,” said Soifer. PHOTO BY JACELYNN ALLEN
January 7, 2016
The days of struggling with a stubborn locker combination and locker, balancing armloads of books and dashing down hallways to beat the tardy bell to fetch essential materials are almost gone. Almost.
“I carry a book bag,” said Hannah Fuller, junior. “I’ve actually had the same book bag for four years. You have to pick a good one that will last long because you have so much work and textbooks that you have to stuff in.”
Students are generally introduced to book bags at a young age and continue to carry them all the way up to their senior year of college.
“I’ve been carrying a book bag probably since kindergarten,“ said Joseph Chunn, senior.
Using a backpack has certain advantages for students.
“I kind of like carrying my backpack around because it makes me feel organized, “ said Fuller.
Students carry all the necessary items they need to be successful in their book bags.
“I carry my Chromebook laptop, laptop charger, notebooks, folders, pencils, textbooks and binders all in my bookbag, “ said Keeson Taylor, junior.
Since students carry all of these items in one book bag their bags are extremely heavy.
“My book bag is between 30 and 45 pounds on any given day, “ said Chunn.
Although there are ways to keep extra pounds off students’ backs.
“I carry my textbooks so my book bag is not as heavy, “ said Lydia Soifer. “Sometimes I only carry papers that I need for class and not like a whole binder to make my book bag lighter.”
Some students like Halley Jones, sophomore, do not carry book bags at all because of the weight.
“I stop carrying my backpack my freshman year, “ said Jones. “It was extremely heavy, hurt my back and weighed like five thousand pounds.”
Chunn suggested two possible rules that can be updated at U. City to alleviate the problem.
“Definitely more time for passing and if we’re going to start integrating Chromebooks into the curriculum then using media for online textbooks so we won’t have to carry them anymore,” said Chunn.
Even though Fuller prefers to carry her book bag she’s concerned about others’ health.
“I think we need to make sure that kids don’t have to carry all of their work on their backs because it’s really heavy and can cause medical problems, “ said Fuller.
