Walking to lunch or class, every student has to go through multiple doors, but one specific door can make or break their commute. 

Any Lakeland High School student that has walked through the door between classes 11 and 12 knows that it can knock people off their feet if they are not paying attention. 

It is heavy to open, and in the words of Miley Cyrus, it comes in like a wrecking ball.

When the door comes swinging back, students must brace themselves for impact in order to stay on their feet. 

Reilly Saxe, a junior at LHS, was hit by the door recently when looking at his phone and not paying attention. It swings hard and is sometimes heavy, possibly because it looks light, so students brush it off. It could break an arm. 

“It is a good door; we should keep it around,” Saxe said. 

The door can be scary for some students who frequently skip leg and arm day. 

Not only is the door heavy, but for teachers close to the end of the hall doors, they are burdened with opening it for stray students. 

Kaila Shaffer, a teacher at LHS, teaches in the classroom on the right side of the door, where she watches many traveling LHS students get hit by the door. 

Students get injured by the door a lot more when students kick it open hard or body slam it. She has noticed that the right door is heavier than the left, and with such a heavy door it can be a safety concern. 

Constant knocking to open the door during class can get annoying. If students bang loudly on the door, Shaffer will not open it, but if they politely knock, she is happy too.

“Gentlemen should hold the door for ladies; it shows chivalry,” Shaffer said. 

Proper door etiquette is essential to keep both passing periods and general hall walking safe, especially around heavy doors at the end of hallways.  

I personally think the door is scary to walk toward, which is why I walk behind a big kid when going through it. As long as students are smart and have good door etiquette, the door should not be an issue. A good, strong door is important to add structure and safe passage in a school. 

I sometimes laugh when I watch students stumble after getting struck by the door, but I immediately make sure they are okay after. 

Walk safely!