Our school is loud. With a student body well over 3,000, the Commons and its exposed study spaces often don’t feel like a suitable option for study time during most hours of the school day. This presents a challenge for students with open hours or who wish to complete their homework during their lunchtime. Thankfully, a solution can be found in the Port. Ms. Martinson suitably described her domain as an “oasis” away from the rest of our busy school building. However, the Port is much more than a study space and offers a variety of often overlooked service. 

The Port’s list of offerings is longer than you’d think. It functions a lot like the media centers offered at both MME and MMW, but on a much larger and wider scale. On top of being the home of the morning news show and a vital study space, the library provides technical support (for both students and teachers), textbook checkout, support for the testing room, and student printing services through the open desktop computers.

She also noticed that students tend to forget that the Port, with all its different purposes, is still a functioning library with a sizable collection of books for student checkout and personal reading.

Many students do take advantage of the Port’s offerings. Audrey Hauser, ‘27, described not only using it for completing morning homework when she is behind but also as a meeting place for one of her clubs, “Best Buddies.” Adjacent quiet rooms within the library are used by a variety of groups throughout the school day, such as by AP Seminar students for their presentations. Tessa Veagan, ‘26, said the Port proved useful for working on her PSEO studies, taking advantage of not only the “comfortable study space” but also the printers, so she can complete much of her work on paper. 

In our massive and chaotic school, the Port succeeds in being a functional spot for media services. Whether it’s simply a quiet study space or your saving grace amongst technical issues, the Port is truly a vital part of MHS.