This school year we have gone through many changes, and the one we are all talking about is the phone ban. Last year, the bell would ring and phones would be pulled out immediately. The most common thing you would see is students walking around with headphones in, but this year you won’t see any. Gayvn Hogan has cracked the system and found a way to keep enjoying his tunes in the hall. The junior has started bringing a boombox to school and plays music off of that.instead of using his phone with headphones or earbuds.
The big question is how did he think of this? How do you come up with the idea of bringing a boombox to school?
Hogan explains how the idea came about. “Mr.Fuller ultimately gave me the idea because they said no headphones in school anymore but if someone brought a boombox to school and carried it over their shoulder the whole time they would let that slide.. I don’t think they said that knowing I have a boombox, so of course I had to do what they were joking about. It is a little embarrassing, I mean come on, walking around with the boombox like it’s the 80’s.”
On the days when he brings his shoulder speaker, Hogan plays music after almost every class, and every day the music is a little different. One day he’ll play pop, the next he’ll play rock. Walking into school at eight am to music playing really brings the spirit up, the school feels happy and more positive.
“I play late 80’s and 90’s music, and a little bit of early 2000’s, and the reason being is that the music I like is the music that a lot of people will jive with, whether you want to admit it or not, you know I play good music. The hard thing is keeping it ‘school friendly’, I feel like everyone can be mature enough to listen to some good music in all of its glory.”
The first day he brought his speaker, it was blasting the nineties song “Doin’ Time” by Sublime. Vice principal Justin Pond was overheard saying he liked the choice of music, if not the volume.
Another big question is, do people complain about the music?
“Yes.. but you will always have someone complaining when you’re doing something that’s not in their ‘normal’ day,” Hogan says.