A new year at Lakewood High School means that there are brand new policies in effect… These policies improve student ease of travel, the workload of staff, and the safety of students with the inclusion of vape detectors and the restructuring of certain locations. 

Locational and Counseling Changes

For students who attended Lakewood High School last year, one of the most confusing changes was the shuffling of house office locations. 

• House 1 (Mrs. Wojtkun): Grades 9-11, A – K
• House 2 (Mr. Schremp): Grades 9-11, L – Z
• Senior House (Mrs. Firstenberger): Grade 12 (all last names)

The counselors have been changed around too. Check below to make sure you are going to the right one. 

• Abbey Drost – Last Names: A – Cl
• Deb Dalton – Last Names: Co – Ha
• Nina DeChant – Last Names: He – Mc
• Roberta Marcinek – Last Names: Me – Sc
• Lisa Gentry – Last Names: Se – Z

The last of these changes is that the Nurse Office and Attendance Office have been brought inside the Main Office. Junior Nikita Budway’s opinion on these changes is that “Moving the rooms is confusing because some people might not have heard about the switch and it’s unnecessary.”

Vape Detectors

Many students have noticed the new vape detectors that are present in the school’s restrooms and are wondering how exactly they work. The vape detectors sense the presence of nicotine and THC and will sound the alarm, sending a message to the administrators and security including which bathroom the alarm went off in. 

Staff have also warned that trying to cover nicotine or THC vapor with aerosols such as perfume or cologne will also cause the vape detector to go off. Additionally, certain aggressive tones of voice will set off the vape detectors and notify security. 

A junior commented, “They could be used for a good use but they’re getting people in trouble for no reason, and I got body searched.” Time will tell if the benefits of the vape detectors outweigh their negative effects. 

Grade Changes

Another policy that students might find confusing is the new grade structuring policy. Year-long classes are now split by semester to encourage students who might not have been doing their best for the first half of the year. For example, if you were to fail one semester of a class, but pass the other, you would earn one half-credit towards graduation. This means you won’t have to waste an entire year retaking a class when you only need one semester of it. 

Lunch Changes

The last major change in policies from last year to this year is that juniors can leave campus during lunch periods. Associate Principal Bridgette Firstenberger explained that, since most seniors have been using this privilege correctly, they decided that juniors can have it too. Once your guardians sign a permission slip giving consent to leave campus, all you have to do is stop by your house office to receive the white ID sticker that permits you to leave!

Hopefully, this article can be of assistance to students who are confused about Lakewood High School’s new policies for the 2023-2024 school year, and the changes will soon feel normal.