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The Highlander

The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

Overcrowding by the facts

Walking through the halls of Mclean High School, it is not hard to notice the problem of overcrowding. What once was a simple walk through the halls, has now become a fight through the seemingly unmoving masses.

Moreover, large classes have become the norm at McLean High School.

1. Where the red hallway meets the blue hallway: Darwin’s theory of evolution is put to the test as each student struggles to survive the fight towards their next class and emerge victorious against the masses. “The hallways get really crowded [and it] makes it harder for students to get to classes on time,” junior Katie Hoskins said. 

Students flood through the intersection of the blue and red halls after the final bell. Photo obtained by Anjalie Chauhan

2. The electives: Students fight for a spot in their favorite elective, often competing with large class sizes to gain entry. “The space in the [elective] room[s] and also the equipment — I have 30 computers with digital editing software — I’m kind of restricted to have not many more than 30 students because I cannot accommodate them,” art teacher Kenneth George said.

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Elective classes such as photography, ceramics, and others have experienced an increase of students as class sizes exceed their caps. Phot0s obtained via Creative Commons,

3. The student cap: AP classes, with already higher class size caps are filled to their maximum capacity, leaving teachers with a higher workload. “Usually classes, especially the elective classes— [for] AP Psych our cap is 34 students in a class. That’s huge, especially when you think about the amount of grading the I have to do with a very large class,” AP coordinator Cynthia Hawkins said.

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Photo obtained via Creative Commons.

4. The freshman: The incoming freshman class is currently at around 600, the highest it has ever been. “There has been a rise in students taking our courses, I think it kind of grown in trend with the entire growth of the school,” George said. 

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The incoming Class of 2019 is greeted during the Freshmen Orientation. Photo obtained via McLean Highlanders Twitter.
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