The first day back to school this year, Trucker Hour was introduced to the incoming freshmen and sophomores. The next day it was canceled unexpectedly for the rest of the school year.
Trucker Hour is basically where students have a whole hour to themselves to eat lunch, go in the courtyard, do work for classes or tutoring, and hang out freely with all of their friends.
Ms. Burden, the assistant principal, thinks it's a great opportunity for students to become better. Burden revealed after being asked if she wanted Trucker Hour back she said, “Of course!”
A lot of students and staff said that they wanted Trucker Hour back and that it was a missed opportunity for everyone.
There are many more things you can do if you don't like going to the cafeteria or courtyard.
“You can play video games on the PlayStation, play basketball, study and hang out with friends,” a sophomore named Ronnie said.
Some people don't like being in large crowds, and there are a lot of people that are in the cafeteria or out in the courtyard which could be overwhelming to some people. To help with that, students can go to the gym or the library. Students can also participate in clubs and still have time to handle everything they need.
There are many questions about why Trucker Hour was canceled, and there are a lot of reasons why, but the main reason is because of Covid-19.
Principal Millaci says, “It is my hope (that it will return), but it will probably not be this year, based upon different covid mitigation strategies that we have to follow.”
Some think that it was Milaci's fault, and he just took it away abruptly. But that is not the case.
“̈Mr. Milaci was the one that came up with the idea of Trucker Hour based on what he saw in other school systems like Virginia Beach, so he was the #1 fan and advocate of it - he did not shut it down,” says history teacher Ms. Ellison.
There were so many problems happening at the time like with the food services, masking, and not having a lot of students gather in large groups other than designated areas, that also led up to the cancellation.
Still, Burden says, “Depending on how the covid numbers go down, we might get Trucker Hour back.”
But the only way the school board would consider bringing it back would be if we get covid numbers to a low.
Freshman Dymond Mills said, “The reason we don't have Trucker Hour is because of covid, but I think we'll get it back next year.”
Since Covid-19 was the main reason it was canceled, students need to practice a lot more social-distancing so administrators can see we are working hard.
“It can be a safety concern if it's not well planned to look at the areas that's going to be off limits because, keep in mind, the entire building is open,” Burden said.
In the past, there were some students just walking around in the staircase trying to leave the school.
Student Ahnya Madison said she “personally doesn't like Trucker Hour because it's too long,” but she wants it back because she doesn't like staying in class.
Some students say they don't like Trucker Hour for a variety of reasons, but one thing those students have in common is that they don't like their regular lunch.
Photo: Dereon Coleman
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