Whether it’s your first year, or you’re coming back after the crazy last year and a half we’ve had, South’s hallways can be difficult to handle. Oftentimes you’ll find yourself bottlenecked somewhere in the halls, caught in a crowded stairwell, and swarmed by seemingly endless seas of lively traffic. It may seem hopeless at first, however, with a little guidance, hallway navigation can be a breeze!

The basics of navigating the halls starts at the Hallway Etiquette. 

Generally, stick to one side of the hall, go with the flow of the crowd! If the majority of people are coming at you instead of going with you, find where the oncoming traffic is at a minimum. 

Stay off your phone! Being distracted by really any object in the hallway leads to two things, the first of which being collisions. It’s safe to say that virtually no one wants to run into anyone else. Having to apologize for bumping into someone is embarrassing, not to mention that you or the person you’ve run into could be hurt. The second thing that happens, is that no one else knows where you plan to walk. You may know, sure, but if you’re not looking where you’re going, how will anyone else? Looking where you mean to go, and not at your phone, helps prevent collisions and allows the traffic to flow more smoothly. 

Do not stand idle!! This can not be stressed enough. When YOU stand idle in the stairwells, traffic is blocked for EVERYONE. Keep moving, and if you absolutely need to stop, step to the side so all those around you can continue as they need.

The next most important thing is to be aware of the Traffic Patterns.

For stairwells especially, each has a different traffic flow at different times of the day. Once you know how to successfully get to your desired classroom, start to pay attention to where it is least crowded. Take the path of least resistance to cut time off your walk.

A few times and places to note are:

3rd Period/ A & B Lunch: The atrium, cafeteria, as well as the surrounding stairwells will (almost) always have the most amount of traffic then. Find a different route if you can manage to do so. If not, be prepared to push through the lunch crowd.

B-Wing Stairwells: These are the stairwells you see as you exit the B-Wing ramp. The larger one goes up to the third floor, however the smaller door to the immediate right of it is a smaller, lesser known staircase that leads down to the first floor via the small hall behind the café kitchen. This stairwell is a nice, less crowded shortcut to get to language or history classes.

Lastly, we have Tips and Tricks!

• Be nice in the halls! You don’t want to anger anyone, intentionally or not.
• You can grab yourself a soda from the vending machine in the back hallway behind the cafeteria!
• If you’re ever lost, just walk a lap of the floor your class is on. Eventually you’ll find your way.
• Use the middle hallways and library to cut your travel time in half and avoid the bulk of traffic.