J-room a cozy haven for journalists, non-journalists alike

Classrooms can be mundane, cold and hostile at times. Students sit in the same position but in different spots. They stare at the same board but with different strings of some sort of “required” knowledge across the board. They fall asleep in the same position but with different neck cramps and different classmates judging them.

But not in room 303.

The journalism room, lovingly nicknamed by students as “the J-room,” is located toward the back of the school and is my personal on-campus heaven. Home to the Journalism 1 classes, the Talisman yearbook and most importantly, the Falcon newspaper, this room is the epitome of perfection due to its many beautiful qualities.

For starters, no; I am not biased. Being a part of the third-period newspaper staff this year is an honor and a privilege, as it could not be a better family to be a part of. However, whether one is part of any journalism staff does not change the fact that the J-room holds ideal aspects that outweigh those of all other rooms on campus.

The room is primarily made up of long desks, seating three at a time. Lining one side of the room are 2007 model iMacs, with more filling the tables in a small cove in the back.

Now, one would probably expect the best part of the room to be the two couches located at the front of the classroom. On a daily basis, anywhere from two to five students will be squished together on one couch with maybe an additional one sitting on the armrest.

While these couches are extremely advantageous toward remedying my lack of sleep while I battle junior year, they cannot compare to the one thing that makes the J-room as special as the students themselves.

The best part of the J-room is the people who fill it up both during and after the school day, with students sometimes staying until 8:30 at night. They are devoted but quirky, responsible but peculiar and individualistically dedicated to all the pages this room spews out, whether they are yearbook spreads or copies of newspaper layouts.

No other room can find siblings Nikil and Arjun Ramanathan shooting each other down in subtly humorous ways in the midst of story discussions. Nor is it possible anywhere else to spot senior Jonathan Young turtling backpacks (thanks a lot, by the way) and scaring chickadees (students in their first year in the newspaper staff), while senior Matt Foley proudly dons senior Cristina Curcelli’s beanie.

This is only a glimpse of all the amazing people on the various staffs in the J-room. But to fully comprehend these peculiar situations is impossible without visiting the J-room at least once. Upon entering, visitors will be able to realize that no other class on campus can compete with the cozy and chilled vibe this classroom gives off.

Walking through the door greets one with a wave of talkative students. Whether they’re racing to complete homework due next period or spinning in the editor-in-chief chairs at the front of the room, one cannot help but feel content right away.

Talk has been circulating recently that the out-of-date iMac monitors may be replaced with new iMac screens in the future. Frankly, this could not upset me more. Filling the J-room with fancy-shmancy chrome computers will take away from the comfy-cozy feel that our current annoyingly stiff keyboards and small resolution iMacs contribute to.

Working at the old-fashioned iMacs has a much more nostalgic and homey feel than working on the industrial-looking computers in the library, if I’m being honest. And anyone can become an honorary member of the

J-room’s printing club by paying $5 or 10 for a semester or a full year of access to the printers, respectively. Completely worth it for the ease of printing.

Though admittedly, it is quite difficult to venture to the printer without tripping on a backpack thrown on the ground or almost colliding into a student who seems to appear out of thin air.

The beauty of the J-room is that one can always spot something never seen before on the walls. Large posters given to journalism advisor Mike Tyler by alumni from past staffs cover the walls. San Francisco Giants memorabilia is found here and there, and staff mugs are grouped together on the wall. (Take note of the lack of fourth-period’s staff mugs, while third period’s are proudly posted next to the yearbook staff’s.)

OK, rivalries aside, it isn’t necessary to be a part of any journalism staff to be able to bask in the comfort that is the J-room. Just another beauty to this room is the comfortable atmosphere that allows anyone and everyone to enter without ever wanting to leave.

The temperature is also always perfect in the J-room. Cooled with a nice AC closer to the summer and perfectly warm and cozy during the winter. Never too warm nor too cold. And come on, how can anyone argue with couches? Isn’t extra sleep incentive enough?