How to navigate your crowded high school hallway.

Here at my high school, we have roughly 2000 humans in the building. You could say it's overpopulated, but I like to think of it as cozy. The real challenge is getting to class in the middle of passing time.

Freshman year, it's overwhelming. You are shorter than nearly everyone, and you are the one who will most likely be shoved to the side. Getting smacked in the face by someone's backpack is a common occurrence. Unfortunately, seniority figures into this situation a lot. Some seniors think it's their duty to push around lower-classmen. Well it's not. But as freshmen, you also have to tough it out. Also, whatever you do, DON'T tell an upper-classmen to shut up. It does not end well. *Shudders*

Sophomore year, it's significantly better. You are no longer at the bottom of the food chain, and you know that 25% of the population is beneath you. It's a good feeling. But you are still considered an under-classmen. You have to yield to the large intimidating crowd of seniors that barricade in front of the senior bench. They will most likely not move for you out of pure kindness.

Junior year, it's even better. Now you are officially an upper-classmen, even if you still feel like a freshman. The only people above you are the seniors, and for the most part, you could blend in as one if you needed to. But you also have to realize you are NOT on top of the foodchain, no matter how many connections you have. Step down from your high horse, oh arrogant one.

Senior year, I'm sure it's amazing. Being a junior, I cannot say for sure. However, I can speculate that you are more confident pushing aside under-classmen who are under the impression that barricading a narrow hallway is okay.

Now for actual navigation tips.

1) When you're trying to make it across the foyer, the best way to go is with the flow. Cheesy, but much easier than fighting the oncoming crowd. Sometimes you have to go slightly past your hallway, then turn around in order to not be trampled. Fighting the crowd is the worst way to go, especially for under-classmen. Upper-classmen will attempt, merely because they know they can.

2) Now, there's not always clear flows of where the crowds are going. In these cases, it'd be wise to spot someone who looks like they're going the same way you are. It's more helpful if they are larger or more intimidating than you. Grab their backpack without their noticing, and just follow them through the crowd. This has been dubbed as tagging.

3) Some people do believe it's okay to barricade the hall. No, it's not okay. Yes, I realize you may not have seen your best friends since 2 class periods ago, but that doesn't give you the right to rush over for a 15 person group hug. Have some respect for those actually making an effort to not be marked tardy. In these cases, you are justified to tell them to move, or shove a little. You are more likely to get away with this as an upper-classmen, so be careful if you aren't.

Overall, everyone should be respectful of everyone. However, seniority exists, and it will play out, even if you don't like it. The hallways can be dangerous for everyone, just remember we are all one big school, and we are all in this together. For the record, I did not intend to just quote High School Musical.