The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

    Open the gates for down town access

    One of the most exciting and rewarding parts of being a senior is senior privileges. This includes getting to leave your ninth period study hall early or getting a full year parking spot. Nothing tops getting a slice of pizza from Lennie’s or a sub from Jersey Mike’s for lunch. Senior privileges is one thing that many underclassmen look forward to receiving their senior year. However, with the new TD bank prohibiting students and faculty here at BHS from walking through their property to get to these franchises, many are left frustrated and hungry.

     

    Senior Jenna Whelan said, “I think seniors should be allowed to walk through the TD bank [parking lot] because it is quick and easy to get to town that way, especially because we are not allowed to drive. Also as long as no one is doing anything wrong [or] disrupting the bank or the property I don’t think this should be an issue.”

     

    With students not being allowed to use their vehicles to get to the kings shopping center, it leaves students with no choice but to go all the way around and onto church street to go get food. This is an issue because 42 minutes is not a lot of time to get lunch, and by having to go the long way it is very time consuming. As a result of this, many students don’t want to use their senior privileges to go out for lunch. What is the point of having this privilege if we cannot use it? Student body president Eleanor Taylor said, “senior privileges would be more of a privilege if we were allowed to walk behind the bank, and I hope we can address it this year for ourselves and the future senior classes.”

     

    For years students have been using this area by TD Bank as a shortcut to get to the kings shopping center. Bernards High School was here long before TD Bank was even in Bernardsville. When being constructed next to a school TD Bank should have thought about the atmosphere it was entering. Knowing you would be right next to a school one could make the assumption that at some point that you may have a few students on your property especially with the rest of downtown Bernardsville being right at your doorstep.

     

    The prohibiting of students using this shortcut to downtown affects more than just the senior class here at BHS. This affects our community. Bernardsville is a small town and many businesses rely on students for a majority of their sales during the school week. This is because during a school week it is also a work week and students are sometimes the only sales these local businesses get until school is out for the day. This is why without a doubt the restriction of students using the shortcut next to TD bank is outrageous.

     

    It is understandable that no one wants students climbing over a guardrail then walking down a very steep hill to get to there destination but along with TD Bank came this pavement ramp. Over the summer before this year there were many suspicions that the ramp was the solution that student had been waiting for. Little did anyone know that along with this ramp came a locked gate that prohibits students from walking down it to get to town. This has left many students at bernards high school wondering, why not just unlock the gate?

     

    It makes sense that TD Bank doesn’t want to take the risk and be liable if anyone gets hurt on their property, but even if you put up another fence and lock the gate students will still try and find there way around it.

     

    TD Bank must understand that the students were here first and that no matter the size of the fence it will not stop them from getting to town.

     

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