Locker 3193 hasn’t been opened in forever. Time after time it’s assigned to a new student, yet another year goes by with its lock untouched and insides left bare, collecting dust. 

But it wasn’t always like this.

Talk to any alum from the ’80s and ’90s, and they’ll tell you their locker was a place for storage as well as a social stop. Today, though, most students don’t even know where theirs is. 

So think to yourself, when’s the last time you used your locker? Be honest. 

For many students, the answer might be freshman orientation,” but then never again. 

“I put my textbooks in my locker freshman year for storage. But, as the year went on, I forgot they were in there. With the stress of school and sports, I totally forgot where my locker even was,” said senior Tess Uihlein. 

The leading cause for this demise seems to be impracticality. The locker is easy to forget: the combination, or even the location. 

These lockers once symbolized high school life. Now, most remain untouched and empty. So do we still need them, or are they just relics of the past? 

Picture peak John Hughes movie era, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Students hustling and bustling, crowded hallways, slamming lockers, trading notes. That’s how alumni described lockers and their use in their everyday lives. 

“When we were seniors, several of my friends were on the executive board of the student council and had lockers near the senior star as a perk for being Stuco royalty.  We would hang out in the hallway outside my now office during our free periods and keep an eye on the senior star,” said alumna Melanie Walsh.

Now, they’ve essentially become obsolete. Just a mere decoration on the wall. A reminder of scout’s past routines. With all textbooks being moved online, backpacks are filled mostly with notebooks and folders instead. Students don’t have much reason to switch and swap materials when they all fit on their back. 

However, these social patterns have not disappeared- just shifted. Although we might not socialize directly in front of an open locker, chaos has yet to cease in the hallway. During the 10-minute passing period, people tend to congregate in the cafeteria or senior commons, and most can’t fathom making it to their locker during a regular passing period. 

“Making it from the basement to third floor is hard enough, I can’t imagine myself stopping at my locker and still making it to class on time,” said senior Claire Lynch. 

Lockers used to be the heart of the hallway, often sparking new friendships and bringing people closer together.  

“My locker neighbors were Joy Somogyi (who ended up being one of my best friends because of our locker location) and Matt Stauffer, with many other friends in our quaint little part of the 3rd floor,” said Walsh. 

On the bright side, lockers have not been universally abandoned, some students still find them useful. 

“Last spring, I had an early bird class and was in season for lacrosse. I would shove my coat, lacrosse stick, and my bag in my locker before the locker room opened because it was convenient for me. I think lockers can be especially helpful if they are on your route and near your classes. It definitely helped me stay organized,” senior Sydney Keck said. 

So, locker 3193 might stay untouched, but not totally forgotten, just as a reminder that school routines will continue to change throughout the years, but the lockers will remain the same. And now I ask you this: in 20 years, what do you think will be the new ‘locker’?