Students at Sandburg make the decision every morning in the winter of whether or not they should bring a winter jacket to school. In the cold Illinois weather that can sometimes reach as low as -30°F, it seems that many students would rather power on through the cold than bring a jacket to school.

In a recent Google Forms poll conducted on the Aquila Instagram page, Sandburg Eagles were asked whether or not they wear a coat to school, and, if they don’t, what their biggest preventers are. 

Only 14% of students responded yes. This leaves 44% that rarely wear a coat during winter, and the 42% that never wear a coat.

The biggest reason most students do not bring a coat is their inability to put it in their locker. From the lack of time to get one in their locker, to the distance their locker is from their classes, it all goes back to the inconvenience their lockers put them in. 

¨I honestly think that a lot of people just think that it’s too much of a hassle to bring a jacket to school since they are inside all day. It can be annoying to carry around if you don’t drop it off somewhere,¨ said Alexandra Vazquez-Gutierrez, a junior at Sandburg.

The lack of space to put a coat and the struggle to get it in their locker before and after classes is a common theme as well. Several students mentioned the rush they feel to get to their bus after school after grabbing their coats creates a further delay.

The lack of importance that coats play is another reason coats aren’t a priority to students when getting ready to go to school. The short amount of time it takes a student to enter the building every morning makes coats more of a bother than a benefit. 

Whether they are bus riders or car riders, entering school and leaving the building is a short walk, but a cold one in the winter. Julia Humilier, a sophomore, said, ¨We aren’t really outside that much anyways, so it’s not that necessary.”

In agreement, sophomore Abagail Bonarigo said, ¨I think it’s unnecessary to wear one especially when you’re driving to school or taking the bus because you’re outside for like 2 minutes.¨ 

Winter coats are seen as a necessary piece of clothing every morning by some students and a time-consuming item by others. Depending on the value of a coat in students’ lives, it is a consideration students have to think about, especially in this cold Illinois winter.