Since September 4, you’ve spent almost 300 hours sitting, standing, stressing, laughing, working, and slacking within the walls of Great Neck South High School. By the time you read this, that number has steadily increased at the rate of seven hours per day. You probably know this building by heart: walk through the main entrance, and there’s the lobby. To your left? Courtyard. To your right? Auditorium. Keep moving, and there’s the social studies hall. Turn left for the library and science hall, right for the language hall and lower cafeteria. Everything is ingrained. Rote. Boring. You’ve seen all there is to see.
Or have you?
South High may not seem as novel as it did during your first week of high school, but it holds a surprising number of “secrets”—most in plain sight. Keep an eye out for them on your next trip through the halls, and you might reclaim just a bit of that sparkly, shiny novelty that you used to know.
1. The Observatory
Did you know that South High has an observatory? Or that you’ve probably seen it before? Next time you’re in the courtyard, look up. It shouldn’t take long to spot the huge gray dome.
South High’s observatory was originally intended for the school’s now defunct astronomy course. Currently, it is most frequently used by our astronomy club. Every Wednesday, the club powers up the observatory’s Meade LX200 telescope—tied for the largest scope on Long Island, by the way—and scrutinizes everything from moon craters to sunspots. If you want in on the action but aren’t part of the astronomy club, don’t worry—Ms. Cipriano, the club’s advisor, plans to hold monthly observatory nights. These viewing sessions will be open to the school and free of charge, so if you want a closer look at the moon (plus free food), keep an eye out for the flyers posted around school. If you want more consistent access to the observatory, though, you’re welcome to join the astronomy club. Besides observatory nights, their activities include rocket building, astrophotography, and, for those seeking something more academic, Earth Science Olympiad. Here’s their Google Classroom code: FOYGZF4. Happy stargazing!
2. The “Dungeon” Aquarium
You’ve probably heard of the “dungeon.” Make a wrong turn on your way to the east gym, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by lockers in a dingily lit dead end. But don’t leave just yet—stay for the fish! Room 621, located in the depths of the dungeon, is home to everything from fantail guppies to genetically-modified glo fish. Ms. Brighton and her marine biology students care not only for these fish, but also for the fish in room 616A, room 617, and the library. However, you don’t have to be a marine biology student to enjoy them. Students are welcome to come down to room 619 during their off-periods and unwind with the fish. Just remember to respect your surroundings. In Ms. Brighton’s words, “Don’t touch the tanks, don’t make loud noises, and don’t leave garbage. But you’re totally welcome to come in, sit, and relax. Some of the fish are really cute, and they’re all interesting to observe.”
And if you need to part with your pet fish for any reason, contact Ms. Brighton. Over the years, she and her students have adopted many fish, all of whom are currently loved and well cared for. If your friend needs a new home, consider South High’s mini-aquarium.
3. The Auditorium Control Booth
Next time you’re walking through the lobby, look a little closer at the brick wall between you and the auditorium. See that tiny wooden door? That’s the entrance to the auditorium control booth. With its sprawling panels, snaking wires, and harsh industrial lighting, the booth almost feels like a different world. Not to mention the imposing metal stairs leading up to it—they’re so steep that they might as well be vertical. The tiny room’s only tethers to reality are its wide windows, which offer a panoramic view of the stage. If not for this view, you would never guess that the booth was part of South High.
Senior Bonnie Lu, the lighting crew chief, is one of the control booth’s regulars. She does lighting for everything from concerts to Board of Education meetings. During events like the musical, she and four other crew members crowd into the booth and read the show’s script using a lamp. As they follow along with the show, they light the stage according to their cues. For smaller events, Bonnie is sometimes the only person in the booth. “Most events have a surprising amount of lighting cues,” she says. “Whenever there’s anything happening on stage, lighting is required to some extent. That’s where the booth comes in.”
4. The School Store’s Storage Room
Everyone knows about the school store—its metal shutter is a staple of many a student’s hallway commute. But not everyone knows about its storage room. Predictably located behind the store, this space holds its surplus: Starbucks Blended Frappuccinos, instant ramen, chips of all kinds, and much, much more. Mr. Vine, who oversees the store, goes on the occasional Costco run to replenish its stock. The storage room also keeps cards and party games for its student managers. Said students used to hang out in the room, but due to overcrowding, now only four people are allowed inside at a time. You can find the store’s “employees” gathered at the front of the shop, probably playing Exploding Kittens. If you’d like to buy something, though, don’t hesitate to politely interrupt them—they don’t bite.
5. The Journalism Room
And here we are. The room from which all these thoughts, words, and articles spring. Only first-year journalism students know the bewilderment of seeing “room 199A” on their schedule, asking everyone under the sun for directions, and coming up vexingly empty handed. And when they finally find room 199A, they find a broom closet. It’s freezing in the summer and sweltering in the winter. Chairs are a valuable commodity—too valuable, in fact. Lockdown drills, which take place in the broom closets of this broom closet, feel like a scene from a bad comedy sketch. But this broom closet is also the site of raucous laughter, of new and old friendships, of the kind of bonding that only occurs at 6:00 pm during final layout. Every day, this room’s students brainstorm, research, interview, and write, write, write. They poke at Otter.ai, fill blank Google Docs, and wrestle with InDesign. And from all this time and energy spring new editions of The Southerner, each one a labor of love and effort. Room 199A may be cramped and loud and remote and a million other things, but at the end of the day, there isn’t a better broom closet.
