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Hamlin gate to be closed? by Marc Mazzuca
Twenty-five percent of Maine South students who walk or ride to school may be in for a big surprise in upcoming months. The Hamlin Gate, the most convenient access point for students entering or leaving the east side of the school grounds, may not be open much longer. In fact, if it were up to some area residents, it would not even be open today. "This has been an ongoing problem," according to Principal Thomas Cachur in a recent interview. Dr. Cachur has received numerous complaints concerning property damage, vandalism, loitering, and reckless driving, to name a few. .There have been complaints about stu'dent behavior in the Hamlin Gate area dating back fifteen to twenty years. This past June, a number of area residents had a meeting with the Maine Township Board of Education, and in the fall they met with Dr. Cachur to discuss their concerns about student behavior in the Hamlin Gate. They also asked, as a solution to the problem, that the gate be either closed during school hours, or sealed up, permanently. The school administration has been very deliberate in attempts to deter disruptive behavior in the Hamlin Gate area. Every year, at the Freshman Dean's assembly, the students are informed that the Gate is off-limits, except for the purpose of commuting to and from school. The deans inform the students of the automatic three-day suspension for students caught loitering or being disruptive in the area. In addition, parents have been informed through the mail not only of the problem, in two letters by Principal Cachur, but also of the punishment, in the Disciplinary Handbook. Even with these deterrents, the problems have continued.
Photo by Yasmine Kiss
"We're about ready to throw up our hands about the whole thing," said Cachur. Although he does not feel that closing the Hamlin Gate is the solution, there are not many alternatives open to him. The school security guards try to patrol the area as often as possible, as do the Park Ridge Police. Unfortunately, there is not enough money for either the police
"We're about ready to throw up our hands about the whole thing" or Maine South security to station people in the Hamlin Gate at all times. To try to curb some of the traffic outside the gate, i.e., the students who park there illegally, Maine South has recently issued an additional fifty parking permits to students. If the Gate is closed, though, there are significant drawbacks. The loitering will move, to some extent, to the next nearest breaks in the fence; to the south on Devon and to the north on Talcott. The vandalism and traffic problems will also migrate in that direction.
Some students might also decide to try to climb the fence on the east side of the school, and begin their new route from school in somebody's backyard. And even without these violations, there are approximately 400 students who wiU not be happy about travelling another onequarter to one-half mile every day, both coming and going to school. "I live nearly five miles away," says junior Lizz Wilk, "but I couldn't get a parking permit this year. Hamlin Gate is the only way I can get to my car before and after school. I have to park two blocks from the Gate, and walking to Talcott or Devon would add 15 or 20 minutes to my day, as if getting to a 7:40 class isn't hard enough." Principal Cachur feels that the best course of action right now is to publicize the problem as much as possible. He feels that the students should be more responsible in their actions toward neighboring residents and property. On the other hand, he also feels that "there are some things that you have to expect when you live next to a high school." "Closing the Gate is a last resort," said Cachur.