Students generally don’t love coming to school. While some people don’t necessarily mind it, there is a building-wide agreement every Monday morning that weekends should be longer and week days should be shorter. Every Friday the phrase “TGIF” floats around as well. But why aren’t teens happy to be spending time at school? Students often joke that it can feel like a prison by being locked up for six hours a day, and the physical appearance of most public schools does nothing in the way of curbing these complaints. Blank cinder block walls, harsh fluorescent lights and locks on all the doors all contribute to this intense aesthetic, so why don’t we warm up the building?

Kids used to love preschool and kindergarten, and while recess and play time may have contributed to that, it could be that the buildings are so much more welcoming. 

 A look around elementary schools in the area can further support this claim. The walls are splashed with colorful painting and bright display boards encouraging an overall happier environment. 

It is no secret that colors can correlate to emotions. Big name businesses and food chains do tons of research to create logos with specific colors. Think of McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Burger King etc. All of these are red and yellow logos. A study by Pennsylvania State University details that the “color red makes us feel “comforted and loved”.  It gives us the warm feeling inside that we always have when eating something that was made with love.  Paired with the color yellow which is ‘cheery and exciting’, it causes our metabolism to speed up causing us to get hungrier faster”. 

Schools should be taking advantage of this correlation between shades and emotion to fill the halls with art or even just colored walls to boost the positive emotions of students throughout the day. 

This addition to the look of the school would be easily accessible. Student art could be used in the same way students paint and decorate for homecoming, but to a smaller scale. And while there are already some canvases scattered around the halls, a peek at the local elementary and preschools will put our hallway color pallets to shame. 

Roswell High has already taken steps towards trying to improve the school environment and teens mental health, such as meditation and weeks dedicated to mental well-being. However, physical environment can have such a big impact on one’s mood, and it’s time to brighten up the school.

Should we have more color in Roswell High? Share your opinion here.