Reporting by Nicholas Bonneau & Aida Ramirez
Living by a school can be stressful. There is frustrating traffic, loud noises, and random high schoolers walking around. How does this affect people that live around James Logan High School? Do people feel like there are more cons than pros about living by a school, or do they feel that the pros outweigh the cons?
There are many disadvantages to living by the school: people dropping off or picking up their students, people littering, loud noises from school events like football games, and air pollution from the emissions of passing cars.
“There’s always traffic near my house which can be difficult especially during the morning,” said Ms. Gemma Remos, who has two kids attending James Logan High School.
There may also be students loitering that can cause problems, people parking right in front of your house to pick up their students, people speeding on the street, and people tending to not care about others. Remos said. They could be so rude and not care about the people living here and even pedestrians.
“Band can be loud,” said an older gentleman that wanted to be known as Marty. “Marty” is referring to when band practices in the open corridor. He also dislikes when people pick up their students and throw garbage onto his grass. Apparently, this is a common issue for most people living next to a school.
There are also many different types of disturbances, like fire drills, that bring loud emergency vehicles to the area. For people that spend the daytime at their residence by Logan, it can often be a frustrating, distracting environment.
However, there are also many benefits to living by a school. Some neighbors feel it is safer because the local authorities keep close supervision over the school area. Also, if a person has children who go to school, they can walk to school and save the hassle of driving them or having them take the bus. Living by a school can also increase the property value of the house for people that are selling their homes. Many schools allow homeowners who live nearby to use their fields and tracks. For some, this inspires the nearby homeowners to start exercising and start living a healthy lifestyle.
“I’ve been living here for thirty years,” said Mr. Dave Landavco. Through all his years of living here, he says he isn’t “bothered by the traffic or loud noises.”
“The lawnmower is kinda loud,” Landavco said. “When the gardeners are mowing the lawns in the morning, it is really loud and can wake people from their sleep. Plus, we like to go to the games, I love sports.”
Landavco is a middle-aged man that went to Logan in the 80s. His mother went to Logan in the 60s, and his son is a junior that goes to Logan right now. Even though there may be some drawbacks, clearly Logan and New Haven is a place that encourages community and keeps people in the neighborhood.
So as anyone can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to living by a school. Some people like living by a school because of how convenient it is and the advantages available. Others dislike it because of the traffic and loud noises, which can be really bothersome for people. Living by a school isn’t for everyone, but there are people that like it.
