ACTUAL MAGAZINES QUESTIONS

What was it like going to school near a major highway? Can you describe it with as much detail or anecdotes as possible?

Going to school near a major highway was always a strange experience because you’d expect a place of learning to feel safe, secure and maybe even pretty. Instead, it often felt chaotic, loud, and sad. From inside the classroom, we could constantly hear the whoosh of cars and trucks, and it was especially distracting during exams. I remember a lot of teachers having to raise their voices over the noise if a truck or car was honking or if it was an ambulance on the commute. It definitely wasn’t a wonderful thing to hear when you’re taking a test. In addition, If we opened a window, there was this unmistakable smell of exhaust that filled the room, which made it hard to breathe sometimes. We don’t open the windows that often because of it, which is a problem because it can get a bit stuffy due to it.

Can you explain the safety issues you encountered near the highway?

Fortunately there have been no serious safety issues with people getting hurt being near the highway, since my four years in highschool. However we were faced with the issue of the building potentialing collapsing since it moves due to the highway. It's a serious concern the school faces, because we often can’t tell if the building is moving due to the highway or due to an earthquake. I say this because when NY was hit by an earthquake, my friends and I didn't even recognize it was one.

How do you think it impacted your learning in the classroom? What about your peers? Do you think it affected behavior?

"Learning was definitely harder. The noise from the highway was distracting, especially for students who already struggled to focus. I think it contributed to restlessness and irritability among students. It felt like we were constantly overstimulated — almost like we couldn’t escape the outside world even in our classrooms. This environment didn’t encourage a calm, focused mind, and I think that, over time, it made students more frustrated and stressed. We weren’t as open to learning when our environment felt hostile."

You mentioned some of your friends developing asthma throughout your time going to school near a major highway. Do you mind speaking more to that? How do you think you and your peers’ overall health was impacted by the highway?

"A few of my friends actually started to have breathing issues by middle school, even though they didn’t have asthma when they were younger. We didn’t think much about it until we learned about the effects of air pollution. Being so close to the highway meant we were inhaling harmful pollutants every day, which took a toll on everyone’s health. Simple things like having gym class outside or even walking to school could trigger coughing or shortness of breath. It wasn’t just asthma — we all felt more tired and had headaches often. I think that constant exposure to poor air quality wore down our health in ways we didn’t even fully realize."

Can you talk more about “school air”? What does that mean?

"‘School air’ is something we joked about, but it was also serious. It refers to the stuffy, polluted air inside and around our school building. When we opened windows, we got the highway exhaust; when we closed them, it felt stale. Unlike schools with fresh air or even air purifiers, our air felt dirty, like you were breathing in dust and pollutants. It was something we were so used to, but in a way, that ‘school air’ was harming us every day."

Why do you think it’s so important for students not to go to schools near major highways?

"Schools are supposed to be places where students can learn and grow safely, but being near a highway adds so many risks — from poor air quality to physical safety issues. Students need environments that support their health and wellbeing, not ones that expose them to daily harm. It’s a basic right to have a safe place to learn, and placing schools near highways ignores that right by prioritizing convenience or cost over students’ needs. Long-term exposure to pollution and safety risks has serious consequences, and it’s unfair to expect young people to thrive in those conditions."

What do you think are the consequences or long term effects of students experiencing environmental injustice like this? I know you touched on it yesterday, but how do you think it contributes to the school to prison pipeline?

1. "Environmental injustice affects everything about a student’s experience in school. When students are constantly exposed to stressful, unhealthy conditions, it wears them down. 

2. It’s exhausting to go to a school that feels unsafe, and when students don’t feel protected, they’re more likely to act out or disengage from learning. 

3. Schools near highways are often under-resourced in other ways, too, which makes it even harder to succeed. 

4. When students fall behind or get into trouble due to these conditions, it increases their chances of getting caught up in disciplinary systems that can lead to the school-to-prison pipeline. 

5. Instead of supporting students, these environments create obstacles that too many never recover from."