Footsteps, chatter and laughing are all common to hear before the warning bell in the morning. Recently, however, one sound has been missing: lockers slamming. In a time where large textbooks and folders are not as commonly required, the need for lockers may be phasing out. What is the purpose of lockers when everything students need can be stored on their chromebooks?

Rae Dahlman, a senior at Woodland Regional High School, does not use their locker due to the inconvenience of it all.

“I don’t have enough books to put in [my locker],” said Dahlman. “I also don’t have any classes near my locker.”

In a building where there are three floors, you are bound to have classes on floors nowhere near your locker. This distance can create a problem for students who have to go down or up the stairs to go to their lockers, open their lockers, get their supplies, close their lockers and then make their way up to their classes. Students use up a lot of time that they don’t have to spare.

“When I was using my locker for my chemistry book, I was late for class a lot.” said Dahlman.

Students like Carter Davis use their lockers for things they don’t need to get in between every class.

“I hold snacks like my breakfast and any coats I might need in my locker,” said Davis. “Lockers are important so students have a place to keep their things safe.”

While it is inconvenient to go to your locker between classes, it is important for some students to have a space to keep their belongings safe, especially if they do not always go back to the same house after school. The reliability of lockers provides a space for students to keep their things without having to worry about bringing them from school to home everyday.

Even though most work is on student’s computers, having the option of lockers is important to some students while an annoyance to others. In a time where most of the students’ work is online, the sounds of lockers opening and slamming in the morning may one day be no more.