Rachel Chernok ’10
A&E Editor
There is nothing like sitting in the never ending line of traffic on North Avenue at 7:25 a.m., knowing there is absolutely no way of getting to class on time. Yet once in awhile, a walker is spotted. From the distance, it seems impossible for that person to get to school before you.
In the bitter cold, or under the warmth of the sun, the walker usually wins the race. It seems like there is no way to outdo the speed of a car, but the walkers continue to manage victory.
However, getting to school on time is not a concern of the students when the weather is so brutal. Even in the summer, the students who live a close proximity to Staples to opt to get to school by wheels rather than by foot.
Lauren Byrne ’10 lives very close to school. However, she still drives every single day. “It’s too cold out in the winter, and in the summer it’s too hot. Riding a bike would be convenient, but I don’t want to have to carry my backpack on my shoulders while I ride to school. I have a car, so why not use it to drive to and from school everyday?” said Byrne.
Finding a student who walks to school is scarce, but Misha Strage ’12 lives close to school, and uses it to her advantage. “I live close to school and my sister is always late, so I just walk.”
“On my walk, I think about how I wouldn’t have to be so cold if my sister could get up on time and drive me to school”, Strage said.
Lucy Colgan ’10 wishes she were able to walk to school in the morning. “I wish I had the opportunity to start my day with endorphins. Getting fresh air on my way to school is the perfect solution. If I lived closer to school, I would definitely walk.”
Andrew McNair ’10 takes a different outlook on the upsides of biking to school. McNair has his own car, but several times a week finds that saving money on gas and biking to school is the better option.
“I do it because my car is a gas guzzler. There’s nothing like strapping on my wrist guards, helmet, and kneepads as I bike down North Avenue and get a breath of fresh air every morning. I always think that I am slowly saving the environment by biking to school a few days a week rather than driving,” McNair said.
Like McNair, Kyle Mikesh ’12 walks home after school during the spring months. “I walk home after practice when the weather is nice. My mom isn’t home so it’s my only option,” Mikesh said.
Senior Justin Honegstein ’10 really enjoys his morning walks to school, as it is part of his daily routine, which he would feel unordinary without.
“I walk because it’s quicker than driving, and I didn’t want to pay for my senior parking sticker spot. I wake up about five minutes before I start walking to school, so my mind is still sleeping and not really thinking. The cold weather in the winter wakes me up,” Honegstein’10 said.
“If I stopped walking to school every morning,” said Honegstein, “I would miss the cold and the fresh air that wakes me up before school.”
