With the start of the 2023-2024 school year, students at Lambert High School have noticed a change in their usual routine: announcements in the middle of the day. Seeing that school has been in session for two weeks, this leads many Longhorns to wonder if there will be future modifications to their school day.
“I preferred announcements at the beginning of the day,” Junior Madyson Somerville stated. “It was a better way to understand what was going on and I don’t really listen to them now.”
In addition to having announcements commence at the end of fifth period with time allotted to both class change and real announcements, pep rallies will also be split into two sessions to accommodate the amount of students here at Lambert. The reason for keeping announcements at the beginning of the day was twofold: help make sure the most students are on campus to hear them and allow our custodians more time to clean for the next lunch period.
“Having that ten minute kind of intermission to give the custodial team time to just do a quick sweep of the halls is really good with that goal [improve cleanliness of the building]” Principal Amanda Thrower explained. “It also ensures that if you have sixth period lunch, you’re not walking into a dirty hallway to eat, and you’re getting the same benefit the fifth period lunch kids have.”
There will be a new hallway addition that is projected to be completed by fall break. The hallway is made to benefit students in career pathways and will include submersion pools for sports medicine, a dining room for the culinary program and a biotech lab for iGEM. Having such a large number of individuals allows for the expansion of specialty programs, which is why it is important that these modifications are done with extreme care and discussion. Each change, big or small, affects all 3,200 students.
“From the amount of out of district requests that we receive and from the amount of people moving in for Lambert into this community, that’s the reason it’s growing,” Thrower stated.
With a record number of students at Lambert and a new principal, these adjustments have been made to account for the sheer population occupying the building. However, it is not just reserved for logistics, but also to accommodate students’ needs.
Principal Thrower is highly considering school spirit and the well being of students, seeing as she is partnering with SGA (Student Government Association) to hold more senior events and is establishing a student panel.
“I am going to meet with groups of students each month to get input on what’s going well at Lambert, what suggestions they have and where we can get better,” Thrower stated. “The first one is August 25, and it’ll be a mix of students that represent, so we have all types of students represented.”
It is important to the administration that our school has students that not only are able to walk the halls to get to class on time, but also is a place that develops young adults that embody Lambert’s values.
“I have Longhorn pride, and I love being a Lambert student,” Somerville stated.
Going into the new school year, there is one ideal that Principal Thrower is eager to maintain and amplify: Lambert’s strong community and a positive mentality for students.
“If I was going to capture [Lambert’s image] simply I would just want us to know that our kids are well rounded and just good people,” Thrower said. “They’re good students, but they’re [also] good people.”
As we progress into this school year with more changes yet to come, one thing is certain: the Lambert spirit will shine through its students and their hard work.
