Picture this: You are almost late for your next class and you get stuck behind the most unhurried, completely relaxed, slowest walker of all time; there goes your tardy-free record. 

To all the slow walkers at Latin, please hurry up. (And note, this plea is not directed to anyone who is differently abled or injured.) From freshmen to seniors, every grade has its slowpokes, and enough is enough. Whether people are talking to a friend or just lazy, it is mega-annoying, and they do realize that there are other people in the hallway. While this is not suggesting you run to your classes, a little speed would be nice. You would think living in a city most of your life would make you learn the appropriate speed on the sidewalk—or in this case, Latin’s halls—but no, not even close. 

Ironically, Latin’s competitive runners might just account for the majority of Latin’s slow-walking community. How can you be so fast on a track but so slow in the hallways? Maybe if Latin put finish lines up around school, things would change. Quite possibly the slowest walker in the school, maybe even in the city, is freshman Ben Gibson, a member of the cross country and track teams who can run a mile in 4:26. Ben said, “I just think there’s no need to be so wound up when walking and instead like to enjoy my surroundings and vibe.” 

Another well-known slow walker of Latin is junior Devin Abraham. When asked why he walks at a slow pace, he said, “It’s about the journey, not the destination’ is a saying that is important to me, and, evidently, reflected in my so-called slow walking speed.” Devin’s mindset may be better suited for vacation than the Upper School halls, but, hey, you do you. He also said that it’s not “a conscious decision to walk slow; it’s just the speed that is natural and feels comfortable to me.” 

I understand many of you upperclassmen may be reading this and thinking, well, freshies are the biggest offenders. That’s true; maybe the hallways were wider in people’s middle schools, but here you have to move with some haste. The lap around the fifth floor before Global Studies class should not take five minutes.

Now, we all understand the longer it takes to get to that test the better, but then move to the side of the hallway so people can pass. Maybe Latin should implement a slow-walkers lane in the hallways. As senior Meghan Farley says, “Hurry up.”