By Lux Sheplee, Senior Staff Writer
For kids at River Hill High School, there are several areas students tend to hang out after school. River Hill Square is the closest choice for an after school hangout, and features Starbucks, Five Guys, Blowfish Poke, and Fruitful Juice Bar, to name a few student favorites. For a bit of a longer walk, students meet up at the River Hill Village Center, grab snacks from Giant, enjoy a Kokee Tea, or even sit down for some pizza at Ledos. And across the street from the village center, students congregate at the Clarksville Commons, most typically to eat at the Common Kitchen.
However, on weekends the best spot for many seems to be the Columbia Mall. The food court, AMC, surrounding restaurants, and clothing stores are great to entertain and have a good time with friends. This destination has become a bit more complicated for hangouts as on March 31st, a policy was created stating that all guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult 21 or older at certain times.
The policy goes into effect on Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 4:00 PM. The policy went into effect due to increased “teen chaos” occurring at the mall, such as fights, Orbeez gun attacks, and rowdiness. On the other hand, there are many teens who go to the mall just to hang out with friends or buy new clothes, and the policy has been an added annoyance for them.
Discussing the matter with River Hill students, each person who was asked about going to the mall said that they go on the weekends. They also said that they typically go with their friends. Senior Teni Adejana comments on the policy, stating,“I don’t like it. It’s so annoying to have to wait to go with my mom when I could just go alone.” For students old enough to drive themselves, the policy is very irritating because the independence you gain in being able to go places by yourself is stripped away.
Some students have been personally affected by the rules of the policy. Bethel Bruk, a senior, describes, “I once got kicked out. The policy reduces the amount of times I’m able to go to the mall because my parents aren’t always available to be there with me.” This policy can reduce the mall’s shoppers, as Bethel explains she cannot go as often as she used to. Sophomore Kofi Atta-Poku details, “I think it’s pretty dumb because me and my brother would go before he was an adult and it was fun. But now it has become less fun because we have to go with our mom.” While Kofi used to have a fun time bonding with his brother, he now has to have a parent chaperone at the mall.
The new policy at the Columbia Mall has been very unpopular amongst River Hill students. Student shoppers typically go during the weekend, and being required to have a parent in attendance is complicated. There are many other malls and shopping areas nearby to go to and avoid this policy.