Students walk into the locker room, throw their bags in a locker, change into their shorts and t-shirt, and slam their lockers shut. After this daily routine, students don’t bother to lock their lockers, and they just leave. After 45 minutes of P.E., the bell rings to signal that gym is over. Finally, the students are back in the locker room, ready to go to their next period, when they open their lockers to find their valuables- stolen.

According to a survey taken by 50 East students, 23 of those students leave their gym lockers unlocked. Of those 23 students, 11 have had something stolen.            

Items such as money, iPods, cell phones, and even boots or jeans have been reported as stolen throughout the building.            

It’s so convenient not to lock the gym lockers. It saves at least 2 minutes by not having to re-open it again. A lot of times students don’t even know their combination. But what the students don’t realize is that by not completing that two minute process of opening their locker, it just cost them their $300 electronic. No one is supposed to be in the locker room once the bell rings, but that’s not to say that rule stands strong.            

Leaving your belongings under the benches in the locker room is equivalent to not letting the lock do its job.

“My bag was too big, so I left it under the bench one day. When I came back, all the pockets were open and everything was unzipped,” said Sarah Minion (’12).            

If someone leaves a locker unlocked, it is not definite that someone is going to steal the possessions, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Or empty, like your pockets.