A new bus canopy was constructed this year to shade and streamline the bus line. While the canopy does provide a protocol for students to follow while loading the buses, the new addition to the bus loading system hasn’t been popular with students. 

The bus loading area was formerly a cluster of portables and grass. Students would spread out at their own discretion along the wide expanse of buildings. Small groups of friends formed as they waited for the buses to arrive. The shade of trees and portable canopies helped students from getting caught in the hot sun. The pavilion covers a smaller area than the land that students formerly used for pick-up, and a fence towards the back of the area blocks off the small ditch that separates the houses from the school property. Although intended to improve the bus lines, this development seems to have slowed down the system, according to students. 

“With the amount of room we have in the bus canopy we should fit more buses so we can get people home faster,”  Kaitlin Propes ‘23 said. 

Other students have voiced their disapproval of the pavilion’s design and its lack of protection from the sun. The mid-day heat is a frequent problem for students, especially because it’s estimated that temperatures are at their hottest around 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. 

“It’s terrible,” Luc Brown ‘23 said. “The sun is already so low, that the shade you’d get from the canopy just goes on the road.”

The students under the canopy are often forced to pack together, leaving little space between students. Many see this as an issue given the current COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s not the safest place to be, because everyone’s packed together and trying to get home,” Cole Osborn ‘25 said. “Plus not everyone’s wearing their masks.”

Recently several rectangular blocks that appear to be made of a chalky substance were added along the back of the canopy for seating.  This substance sticks to clothes easily, making it difficult to sit down on them.

“The designers of the school clearly did not attend geometry class, if you add square blocks, the volume of the bus canopy will be smaller”, Seth Zygel ‘23 said about the new additions. “And who forgot to wash them off?” 

The lack of shade and room for movement has overall been unpopular with students, especially those used to the area used for bus pick-up in prior years. Despite student disapproval, it seems unlikely that it’ll receive any alterations given the immense effort and time already being put into construction. In the meantime, students will have to deal with this new and seemingly unwelcome addition to the bus line.