With Colorado being the first state where a mass school shooting occurred, the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD)  has introduced many systems aimed towards increasing the safety of students and staff. One of these systems—which was implemented most recently—is room numbers.

  Now, I know what you’re wondering: how can the numbering of rooms increase or decrease our safety? Well, during an interview with Assistant Principal Jullian Jones, he answered this exact question, stating that this change “creates consistency in schools across the district,” as we’re now all following this one unified room numbering system. This makes navigation easier for students and staff, and “for external agencies—firemen, police, etc—” who need to respond to emergencies.

  With that question answered, one more question arises: why now? When asked, Assistant Principal Jones made an analogy, saying that managing a school district is like building a garden, and “when you build a garden, [sometimes] you don’t anticipate how big [your crops] will be, and you end up needing to take a few things out to make some room.” Over the past decade, CCSD has grown rapidly, becoming one of the largest districts in the state, which has created unforeseen challenges. CCSD didn’t anticipate becoming such a large district and, therefore, didn’t anticipate needing to make a change like this.

  All in all, implementing a unified room numbering system in the Cherry Creek School District is a practical step toward increasing safety and efficiency amid the district’s rapid growth. This change reflects CCSD’s proactive approach to addressing challenges and helping everyone feel safer within district buildings.