By Derek Mikus/Gator Galaxy Staff
This year, North Star has more students enrolled than any other school in the city. This increase in the population has really taken a toll on how the school is running. When North Star opened up in 2003 they had a little over 1000 high school students. Now, 12 years later, that number has jumped to just over 2250 and counting.
Junior Julia Fomenko said, “I literally sprint to my car after school so I won’t have to sit in 10 minutes of traffic. It’s so chaotic.”
Junior Taylor Louthan said, “We have reached our max capacity. We have a shortage of air and I’m gonna suffocate here at this school.” Even though she might be being a little dramatic, she is remotely accurate.
Senior Ethan Wobken said, “It takes me much longer to get around the school. There is even a traffic jam at the stairs during passing periods.” This makes it seem like five minutes is simply not enough.
To compensate for the students, the school had to make some changes to the building. The two computer labs on the first floor of the school were converted into classrooms. It has made it much harder for teachers to reserve labs, because there are a limited amount of computers.
The increase has also taken a toll on the school’s faculty. North Star Chemistry teacher Ms. Suzanne Wilson teacher said, “Since the school population has gotten bigger, class sizes have, obviously, also increased, which makes it difficult and dangerous in the science classroom to do many of the more complex/fun labs and activities.”
The reason for such an increase in students can be credited mostly to the freshman class. They have more students than any other grade in the school by far. The number is still growing as students were still being enrolled three weeks into the year.
North Star’s ELL program draws a lot of students to the school as well, because it is one of only two in the city that offer the program. A lot of students, who are still learning the English language, have to choose between North Star and Lincoln High.
Life must go on for North Star and the student body will just have to find a way to adjust to the growing pains.
