By JACOB CHRISTIAN- This past August, the administration at IHS decided to convert the men’s restroom to a gender neutral bathroom in the art wing of the high school. This action was not unprecedented, as many schools around the country have been allocating gender neutral restrooms over the past couple of years. Surprisingly, this was not even the first one at IHS. The first gender neutral restroom was placed in the ideal lab, but was essentially inaccessible to students who are not in IDEAL.
Concerning the motivation behind the change, principal Wade McElheny stated, “Our tech-ed IDEAL students already had this courtesy available to them, so we just extended the courtesy to our brick and mortar students.”
A small selection of students were interviewed about their awareness of this change and were asked to give a short statement about their thoughts and opinions of it. They were interviewed over the course of two periods, and selected at random from the students in the Upper Commons study hall.
Laken Bonatch, a senior, was not aware of the change but thought that, “It’s a really good change because there haven’t been any in the school so far.”
Sophomore Andre Rubinstein was also unaware, saying, “I kind of support it because there could be other students who appreciate what they did and not feel out of place.”
While many students had positive feelings about the change, a portion of the students seemed apathetic towards the change and a couple were a little uncomfortable about it, saying that they wouldn’t use it any time soon.
Junior Brady Kodman expressed, “If you define as something else, that’s your choice and that’s up to you.”
In total, twenty students were interviewed, and seven issued statements about their thoughts on the matter. Four students were aware of the change beforehand, and the rest had no awareness about the change.
While this seems to be an occasion that would normally stimulate discussion in the student body, the change went over quietly and most students aren’t even aware that it has even happened, with only about 10% of those surveyed having any awareness of the change whatsoever.
[Photo by Jacob Christian]
Photo Caption: “The placard was installed over the summer, replacing the previous men’s restroom sign.
Jacob is a senior and a first year reporter for the High Arrow. He joined journalism to use as a creative outlet and as a way to challenge himself and improve his writing.
By Emma Buterbaugh IHS students are giving a warm welcome to Mrs. Brittany Anderson, the newest attendance officer. She comes to IHS from Eisenhower and Horace Mann Elementary. She worked there until this year and moved to the senior high when this job opened. The IHS community is very excited
By Gabi Isenberg IHS Leadership is back this year, planning influential events for the community and IHS students alike. MiniTHON, a teacher luncheon, and fun tenth period activities are just a sample of the efforts Leadership has made to bring a variety of opportunities to the IHS community. Leadership Seminar
By Hayden Yankuskie Deanne Magolis, more formally known as Mrs. Magolis, taught at Brookville Area School District for 3 years, then Homer Center School District for 17 years, before joining the IHS community at the beginning of the 24-25 school year. She is an English 10 teacher. Mrs. Magolis taught
By Samantha Aljoe Miss Amy Kukula is a new addition at Indiana Senior High School. She is the new 9th grade English teacher. Miss Kukula went to the Cook Honor College at IUP, where she majored in English education and dance. Miss Kukula brings many new perspectives to IHS. In
By Ella Mosco The Fulbright program is a prestigious international exchange project that allows teachers from other countries to visit the United States schools. Fulbright scholars began in IHS on September 11 and were in classrooms every Wednesday for six weeks. This program encourages foreign teachers to immerse themselves into
By Gabi Isenberg When the air gets crisp and the leaves turn orange, it can only mean one thing – IHS Homecoming is right around the corner. 2024’s Homecoming festivities will be disco-themed and held on October 4 and 5 at IHS. Student Government Association is hard at work to
