There are the chest-out jock struts.
There are the shy paces of the head-in-book intellectual.
There are the classic class clown sprints.
They’re are symbols of the raw, electric vibrancy that courses through the jungle of Staples’ hallways.
They are the different ways in which Staples students move.
“My hallway walk is one to be modeled after. After watching [now college freshman] Kyle Murray stride with swagger down the halls of Staples last year, head high and all, I knew that was going to be me this year” said Richie Eldh ‘13, a linebacker and class clown in his senior year.
Eldh does not take hallway walks lightly, seeing it as a defining action of each student’s character. Each and every Staples Student is special and unique in their own way, as too is their walk in the halls.
Dylan Hoy ‘13 doesn’t have a hallway walk; he has a sprint. “I don’t really walk in the hallways, I always sprint. It shows I’m punctual and lets people know not to get in my way,” Hoy said. He recommends “Asics or track cleats for this type of lifestyle”.
Not only is one’s lifestyle characterized through his hallway walk, but the way a student walks from class to class identifies their strengths, weaknesses, and attributes, positive and negative.
Megan O’Shea ‘13 reflects on her hallway walk as one of dominance and aggression. “This is my last year, I am at the top of the food chain, and at least the girls underneath me should know to clear out.” O’Shea said.
Interpretation of walks can be influenced by one’s tenure at Staples High School, and for freshmen and transfer students, the way of life in Staples’ hallways can be quite bizarre at first sight.
Junior George Kokkalis, a transfer student from Framingham, Massachusetts, found the walks at Staples to be quite proper in comparison to his old high school in Massachusetts, “My boys back in the bean would walk layed back and chill, like they owned the school and stuff,” Kokkalis said. “And the kids here walk around all proper and stuff.”
The paramount fear that haunts Staples Students of all ages during passing time is the awkward eye contact. It happens to everyone, and there is no true solution for it. It is the inevitable fear of awkwardness that worries so many. Meghan Coyne ‘13 dreads those situations, knowing them all too well. “The worst is when you see that person you kind of know but are not friendly enough to engage in a conversation with him. That is the absolute worst.” Coyne stated.
