It is with these first hushed breaths of winter that the dismal, melancholy air that will define this season has made itself a presence in McLean. An overcast sky now denotes an undeniable austerity that assaults the subconscious, the lackluster attitude and bleak outlook that is commonly found in the season perpetuated by an undefined sense of dread, the genesis of which can be traced back to the relatively unappealing artisan crafting of the school.

“I mean, I guess it could look better,” junior Kaustabh Bose said, “it’s not particularly inviting.” But is it just the grimly architectural building that makes McLean that much more unappealing in winter?

The putrid halls of McLean High school, rank with a suffocating combination of body odor and pubescence, work to disorient and disenchant the students as they make their way to class. The dim light cast by the few windows throughout the school tease them with a sense of freedom as the dust particles lightly floating down from the ceiling are briefly illuminated.

“The depressing workings of this cesspool (McLean), filled with indescribable filth and broken dreams of a past generation, are only amplified by the inclement weather and dull chill of winter,” an anonymous student said. While it is unanimously decided that aside from social interaction McLean is an institution that, were it not necessary to attend, would be avoided anyways, there is a peculiar sense of lethargy and depression that offers an even more uninviting, oppressive atmosphere at this dreaded time of year.

And so once again, in its ever-timely fashion, the chill of winter will raise its ugly head and cast its ominous shadow over the weathered and homely building that cuts open the land surrounding it like a sore, McLean High School.  All the naive aspirations and boyish fantasies of the underclassmen will be cut short with the bitter seduction of the winter months, and the towering monolith that is McLean will rest as a burden on the eyes, and minds, of all who frequent its halls.