Richard Fan

Junior Nirvan Shah faces off against junior Brady Liang at lunch on Sept. 16.

Near the end of last school year, students turning the corner of the 00 Wing may have been perplexed to see arrays of lockers being removed. Over the summer, the space underwent major renovations and was transformed into a recreational area dubbed the Falcon Nest, featuring a couple of tables, chairs and — most notably — a ping pong table. 

While this welcome addition to campus has potential to act as a haven for relaxation and fun, there are many issues that need to be addressed if the Falcon Nest is to last.

The Nest, first of all, is a great place to wind down after a long period of work. As juniors who are already burned out from this school year’s new rigorous coursework, we often use the ping pong table to take a mental break after spending hours studying in the library or student center after school. In the first few weeks, this physical activity provided us with the refreshed drive to return to finish our homework, but in recent weeks, both ping pong balls and paddles are being destroyed in the frenzied activity that passes for playing ping pong.

In fact, just two days after the Falcon Nest opened, there wasn’t a single intact ping pong ball to use, and many of the paddles were missing entire sections of their grips, forcing us to bring our own equipment. The Nest obviously needs more rules and regulations, but in the meantime, we as students need to conserve the limited resources we already have, because we simply cannot expect the school to keep buying supplies like balls and paddles. 

Beyond the balls and paddles, the Nest’s basic upkeep has fallen into a state of neglect, with abused equipment and trash piling around the tables. Despite a trash can located adjacent to the ping pong table, those who hang out at the Nest during lunch (cough, mostly boys from Class of 2028, cough) regularly leave their empty food trays, strange juices and half-empty milk cartons on the floor. 

Students need to put more effort in making the area a cleaner space, or the administration might have to close off the space. It’s our job as students to prove that we have the capability to take care of ourselves, be neat and respectful and still have fun.