LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – As students navigate the bustling campus of Los Alamitos High School, one gripe seems to be on every student’s mind: spatial awareness. Whether it’s kids walking too slow, too fast or not walking at all, everyone seems to have an issue with staying spatially aware of one another. Here are six helpful reminders, so students can navigate the campus with ease.

1. Don’t crowd or stand in front of busy pathways

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of needing to get up or down the STEM building, you know that it is a frenzy, no matter where your path of destination is. With students gathering in front of stairways making it impossible to get past and students walking too slowly and holding up the path, the passing period becomes a battle of pushing and shoving on both the stairs and surrounding areas. We advise waiting to get to an open and clear area before having a family reunion with your peers, this allows students to be able to congregate and socialize while still being mindful of people who need to get past. 

2. Create separate up and down paths within stairways

Both sets of stairs are notorious for lack of coordination between students, resorting to pushing, people falling and even injuries. A way to resolve some of these issues and blockages could be establishing a side that travels upwards and a side that travels downwards, leaving the two directions separated, reducing the need for force to get through. Providing separate directions keeps our surrounding areas more uniform, and crowding and pushing in and out of stairways will no longer be necessary.

“Lack of awareness towards others makes me angry and annoyed because no one watches where they’re going, and people are pushing others down the stairs, especially the ones in front of the new building. There are no rails on one side, and people go down so fast they fall and trip down the large stairs, which is dangerous,” said Victoria Rivas, an LAHS junior.

3. Respect nutrition and lunch lines

In a school full of ravenous teenagers, lunchtime and nutrition quickly turn into “The Hunger Games,” with students fighting to get their food before anyone else and stands becoming crowded and overwhelming. A contender in this problem is cutting: Many students group up to cut everyone else already in front of them. This sets us back tremendously on campus, as our food staff experiences hardship getting the line by fast enough. This results in students not even getting the opportunity to get or eat their food, despite arriving at the stands on time. 

4. Stay aware of yourself

Staying aware of your own footprint on campus is important because many of us don’t even acknowledge what could be going on around us. Being slammed by backpacks and shoulders is an experience that most students have faced at least once in their time here, without even receiving as much as an apology. These instances become tiring and bothersome to some students and a potential danger to others. To negate this issue, please stay aware of your own person and the space you take.

“I’ve been knocked around and shoved over intentionally many times because there’s so many crowds of people not paying attention to where they’re going at all,” said senior Audrey Asbury.

5. Don’t chain up together

Many kids link up in a straight horizontal line walking through campus. Students following behind become stuck behind a wall of people that take up so much space within our halls. Instead of chaining up together, students could have groups linked off together into smaller groups, this provides a good option for both parties. Everyone in the friend group continues to have a buddy, nobody gets left behind and the flow of student traffic remains calm for others. 

6. Walk with purpose

If you’ve fallen victim to other students’ lack of spatial awareness, stand up for yourself against others to walk assertively through our campus. Walking assertively shows others that you have somewhere to be, and most people will naturally stay out of your way. Instead of letting yourself get pushed over, it is important to stand up for yourself and show people the effects of their lack of mindfulness on others. This will build a more aware student body and improve community traffic. 

“Spatial awareness is an integral part of participating in society because whether you have a lot of space or a little, it’s the relationships in those spaces that matter,” said Mr. Carthew, the LAHS ceramics teacher.

Hopefully, this can provide some peace of mind as you navigate our campus. Whether you’re a victim of a lack of spatial awareness or a person who has continued to stay unaware on campus, please make an effort to keep our community safe for all. Stay spatially aware, Griffins!