By Saffia Tiba
Pioneer High School has become a top choice for many students enrolled in Ann Arbor Public Schools, causing a large increase in students. There are 1,828 students at PHS this year, compared to last year’s number of 1,776. Pioneer has experienced a large increase in students this year, yet it seems like we were not ready for it.
During lunch, students are not allowed to eat in the cafeteria annex, which can overcrowd the cafeteria. Late lunch is especially crowded since the classes of 2020 and 2021 added up equals 941 students. The annex has been turned into a study center during lunch, yet this seems pointless. If students want to study during lunch, they usually go to the library or a teacher’s classroom.
With the increase of students, there will be larger classes. Some classes are well over 30 students. In multiple Geophysical classes, some students need to sit on stools because they have not enough desks. There have been many studies that prove that class sizes can affect a student’s growth. According to Matthew M. Chingos and Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst, some states require class sizes to be reduced. When students are in smaller classes, they have higher performance rates. According to the study ‘Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR)’, students in smaller classes had higher achievement rates equivalent to 3 more months of learning. Pioneer High School has a lot of teachers, which requires some of them to travel between classrooms.
Some schools with a large number of students have portable classrooms. Portable classrooms are installed outside to temporarily provide additional space for educational purposes. They can provide a short or long-term solution for however long it’s needed. Portable classrooms would fix the problem of overcrowded classrooms. Students would have more space to learn and some teachers would be provided with their own classrooms, which would benefit teachers that travel from classroom to classroom. The cost of portable trailers would be $100-$600 a month or an upfront cost of $10,000- $50,000. Along with the cheap cost, portable classrooms can be assembled in less than a week.
The student population at Pioneer has increased drastically since last year. It doesn’t help that the annex was turned into a study center during lunch, increasing the number of students in the cafeteria at one time. Classrooms have become overcrowded and student achievements may be affected. If Pioneer doesn’t fix these issues soon, it it might be time to bring out the trailers.
Pioneer High School has become a top choice for many students enrolled in Ann Arbor Public Schools, causing a large increase in students. There are 1,828 students at PHS this year, compared to last year’s number of 1,776. Pioneer has experienced a large increase in students this year, yet it seems like we were not ready for it.
During lunch, students are not allowed to eat in the cafeteria annex, which can overcrowd the cafeteria. Late lunch is especially crowded since the classes of 2020 and 2021 added up equals 941 students. The annex has been turned into a study center during lunch, yet this seems pointless. If students want to study during lunch, they usually go to the library or a teacher’s classroom.
With the increase of students, there will be larger classes. Some classes are well over 30 students. In multiple Geophysical classes, some students need to sit on stools because they have not enough desks. There have been many studies that prove that class sizes can affect a student’s growth. According to Matthew M. Chingos and Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst, some states require class sizes to be reduced. When students are in smaller classes, they have higher performance rates. According to the study ‘Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR)’, students in smaller classes had higher achievement rates equivalent to 3 more months of learning. Pioneer High School has a lot of teachers, which requires some of them to travel between classrooms.
Some schools with a large number of students have portable classrooms. Portable classrooms are installed outside to temporarily provide additional space for educational purposes. They can provide a short or long-term solution for however long it’s needed. Portable classrooms would fix the problem of overcrowded classrooms. Students would have more space to learn and some teachers would be provided with their own classrooms, which would benefit teachers that travel from classroom to classroom. The cost of portable trailers would be $100-$600 a month or an upfront cost of $10,000- $50,000. Along with the cheap cost, portable classrooms can be assembled in less than a week.
The student population at Pioneer has increased drastically since last year. It doesn’t help that the annex was turned into a study center during lunch, increasing the number of students in the cafeteria at one time. Classrooms have become overcrowded and student achievements may be affected. If Pioneer doesn’t fix these issues soon, it it might be time to bring out the trailers.