The Zen Den recently reopened for students following a long-term period of closure due to concerns about student use of the space. In November, Assistant Principal Jessica Graf sent an email announcing the reopening along with new guidelines for its use
The Zen Den was opened in 2019 in the guidance suite as a communal space for students to relax during their free and lunch bands. The calm atmosphere served as a space for many students to “destress and feel Zen,” as Senior Cristian Maroquin describes it.
Senior Jolisa Larangeria remembers the Zen Den as “the most comfortable place in the school to get work done or just to give your mind a break from classes.” When it was shut down, she said, “I heard people complaining about their days feeling longer now that it has been closed.”
Dean Charlene Levi said the main reason the Zen Den closed was that “[students] began cutting classes to spend time there, resulting in overcrowding and safety concerns.”
Ms. Levi said, “Conversations among staff led to the conclusion that immediate action was necessary to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the space.”
Sharing a similar perspective, school social worker Allison Harris, whose office is adjacent to the Zen Den, said that “people were not respecting the space. [They were] leaving tons of garbage around, being loud, and not being respectful of my office.”
“Students were lying on the ground and not being appropriate… it was getting to a point where I was stepping over students,” Ms. Harris said
Three students who spoke to The Classic said that they would often witness students in relationships using the space in an inappropriate manner, engaging in “somewhat intimate behaviors.” Ms. Harris confirmed that she also witnessed this misuse of the space and said that such issues, alongside the issue of students using the space to cut class and generally disrespecting the purpose of the space, all led to the temporary closure of the Zen Den.
With the reopening of the space comes new guidelines, according to Ms. Graf’s email. This includes passes obtained from the cafeteria during lunch bands, limited student capacity, and signing into the room with proof of ID. In the case of full capacity, students can relocate to only the guidance suite or cafeteria.
In addition to the new rules, the use of the Zen Den also changed to ensure the space is being used for mindfulness activities. In her email, Ms. Graf said that the Zen Den “will offer a variety of activities…, including but not limited to art projects, discussion groups, guided meditations and more.”
Students had numerous opinions on the new guidelines and activities.
Junior Barratt Nauth said, “I think the place should be a place where students can take a break and rest during the day, but the new policy actually makes students participate in activities instead of using that time to rest their bodies and minds for the remainder of the day.”
Similarly, Sophomore Alexander Zhang said, “I prefer the way the Zen Den was before it closed because the activities we have to do now interrupt my rest.”
While some students express concerns about the new guidelines, others feel that the updated structure of the Zen Den offers valuable benefits.
Junior Shapnil Kazi said, “Making students sign in reduces overcrowding in a space that is meant to be a place where students can ‘decompress’… the new activities promote this state of relaxation as they described in the email.”
Sophomore Maliha Duggal said, “I think the new rules ensure that the Zen Den stays as a calm spot for students to lighten up rather than just fool around.”
