The McNicholas Milestone

By Alex Minella Stalls, 

*Disclaimer: These rankings are the opinion of the student journalists on the McNicholas Milestone staff and do not reflect nor are associated with the administration of McNicholas High School.  

At McNicholas High School, navigating the halls to find a bathroom or water fountain that meets a student’s criteria can feel like a full-time job. The journalism staff decided to put the bathrooms, hallways, and water fountains to the test. Using criteria like cleanliness, traffic, supplies, privacy, and overall vibe, the results reveal the best spots to visit and ones you might want to avoid during the school day. 

In the main building, there are three bathrooms that students are allowed to use during the school day. The science bathroom, senior hallway bathroom, and lobby bathroom. Our criteria for the bathrooms were based on cleanliness, smell, stock of supplies, privacy, vibe, and busy-ness.  

In first place for bathrooms is the science hallway bathroom, which is “never crowded and pretty clean” sophomore Meghan Runte shared. The senior hallway bathroom is next, which is decently clean. The downside is this bathroom is the most popular, so it can get busy fast. “It just gets worse throughout the day,” said senior Ben Plessinger. In third place is the lobby bathroom, which is the only bathroom in the group that is used by both students and the public during events in the gym and theatre. Because of this, there are always sinks that need fixing or doors that need a little more force to close, making it less reliable than the top two. It is also important to note that both the science hallway and senior hallway bathrooms have both been renovated in the past two years. The lobby restrooms were renovated approximately ten years ago.  

The five-minute switch time between classes is the busiest time of the day, making hallways one of the most memorable parts of the school day. The Milestone focused on four main hallways: senior hallway, cafe hallway, the glass hallway, and the English hallway. Our criteria for rating the hallways were based on crowding, traffic flow, vibe, and comfort and ease of getting through during busy times. 

In first place for hallways is the glass hallway, which is bright, spacious, and filled with natural light. “I love the natural light,” Runte said, who rated it a perfect 10/10. The English hallway comes in second place “it’s one of the easier hallways to move through because there is not much traffic usually,” Runte said. In third place is the senior hallway, which gets very congested. “People just stop,” junior Rosie Smith said. In last place is the cafe hallway, which is the busiest hallway of them all. “It’s always so busy,” Runte said. “It’s like no one knows where to go,” Smith shared. 

To see the rankings for water fountains, check out this video. 

After checking out McNick’s bathrooms, water fountains, and hallways, the journalism staff learned that every spot has its positives and negatives. Some areas, like the science bathroom and glass hallway, make passing time a little better, while others are options for emergencies. At the end of the day, it’s all part of the McNick experience, rushing through crowded halls and hoping for a clean stall.