The Spots: seniors have found their inseparable spots in the school that will be difficult to part with as they graduate

Whether it’s playing catch with the stress balls they found in one of his drawers or snacking on fruit snacks, granola bars and Cheez-Its they’ve stashed away in one of his filing cabinets, seniors Isabelle Crofoot and Paige Peugot have created a safe space in math teacher Christopher Burrows’ room.

Burrows’ room has had a group of students before and after school for years now, regardless if students actually have him as a teacher and needed help with an assignment, or if they just need somewhere to go where they feel welcomed in a safe, supportive environment. 

“He allows us to be in there and be ourselves and it doesn’t always have to be about school in his room, it can be like [having] a friend as well as a teacher,” Peugeot said. 

Peugeot feels Burrows’ room has become a “spot” at East where students can go to laugh, learn and feel valued. Not only does Burrows dedicate himself to ensuring every student understands his content to the fullest, but he also prides himself in the inclusion of all students. 

“He loves all of his people that come into his room, but he always makes sure that anyone new or any student that needs help can come and talk to him as well,” Peugeot said. “It’s never restricted to the people that are just always there.”

Through his sarcastic jokes, always-open ears and caring environment, Burrows has created a hub for students to find their niche in the school by encouraging students to talk to others and find their interests — making room 419 a spot at East that will be difficult for many seniors to leave. 

“It’s all really professional but he’s always willing to listen if we need it,” Crofoot said. “I stop by quite a bit, I’ll probably go more than once a day besides my actual class just to even say hi [even] if I’m not hanging out.”

Pushing through the double doors to room 413B, the Hauberk seniors open the gates to the chaos of student-run hard work. Having started in room 521, the old Journalism room, the seniors have found their place in their new room at East, Hauberk editor and senior Katheryn Nachtigal says. 

As the senior Hauberk members have grown older, they’ve used the J-room as a place for dedicated work, tears, laughs, lunches, power naps and dance parties. 

“[The atmosphere in the room] could be anywhere from dead silent with the lights off working on stuff, to our LED’s flashing and literally jamming out to music,” Hauberk editor and senior Olivia Johnson said. “I think that’s going to be one of the hardest places leaving East for me… just because I’ve done everything in that room.” 

Having spent endless nights of their high school careers working in the J-room on their self-acclaimed MacBooks or snuggled into the J-room couch, it’s become a second home for them. A place where they can receive feedback on their work, get to know each other on a personal level and grow into what feels like a family. 

Through their late nights with their eyes peeled at the MacBook desktops in the backroom, Johnson feels they’ve created undying relationships with each other as well as memories and knowledge about how a staff runs that they’ll carry on with them in their college careers. 

“It’s just going to be so weird never ever walking in it again unless I’m like there to visit,” said Nachtigal. “Like today I had my last class period of yearbook and so walking out was just so weird because I was like ‘unless I stop by for whatever reason, I will not be back in this room.’”

Jumping from conversations about soldering jewelry pieces to creating the perfect texture on a ceramic mug without it cracking to what’s going on in a student’s love life, the lighthearted chaos is the the epitome of art teacher Jennifer Hensley’s room. It’s attracted countless students to gravitate to her room outside of their given class periods to pour themselves into a project, or just chat. 

“She makes everyone’s art and everyone’s conversation feel welcome, and she’s really good at just allowing people to talk or telling stories that everyone can relate to and it’s always really interesting,” senior ceramics student Clara Hampton said. “It’s just really nice being able to stay after school and have a space where you can talk with anyone about art, or just anything.”

Hensley has created an atmosphere where students can learn while simultaneously taking a break from academically-driven classes, giving students more time to grow close with both Hensley and fellow classmates. The open environment that exists within Hensley’s doors have allowed for students to grow close to others outside of their grade level, making it that much harder to accept the seniors’ departures, according to junior Aina Lewis. 

To Lewis, the welcoming, homey feel that Hensley creates for her students through opening up about personal stories and offering advice allows them to feel comfortable coming in before school, after school or during seminar for whatever they need — whether it be to learn a new desired technique for a project, to talk through whatever’s been stressing them out or even if they need nothing and just want people to talk to.