By Isaac Halsey
A once green strip of land beside Paris District High School’s tennis courts, designed as a pickup-zone to students, has turned into a dirt row littered with Juul pods, cigarette butts, and addicted teens. This spot has now been coined as “The Pit”.
Opinions on The Pit vary, and PDHS’s principal Jim Merrick has been witness to the Pit for over 5 years.
“When the Smoke-Free Ontario Act came into fruition, the locations were vaping were entirely off school property. The issue that arose from that was students crossing busy roads, were on the street, and “I did witness a few close calls,” Principal Jim Merrick said. “I’ve been at this school for five years and The Pit has been around all five.”
The current location of the Pit, down by the tennis courts, is on County of Brant land. Merrick said The Pit was put there for the safety of students four years ago.
Merrick said instances where students are caught vaping in school are down, but with the uprise in vaping it’s more difficult to police than with cigarettes.
Students have reported generally that they’ve seen more vaping in the washrooms, especially with the weather getting colder and the extinction of mask breaks.
A main concern about the Pit is the extreme amount of garbage left around the area. Vape pods, cigarette packs, cigarettes, plastic water bottles and bags, and even dirty socks can be found strewn about the grass on any given day
An ex-Pit-goer described the area from their point of view. “It’s terrible out there. They just throw their pods and stuff on [the ground], they don’t care,” they said.
According to Merrick, PDHS has received complaints about garbage blowing onto neighbouring lawns.
When asked about the littering at the Pit, Merrick told him and Mrs. Johnson, the Vice President at PDHS, are regularly out there talking to students about respecting all areas of the school.
All interviewees agreed that having garbage receptacles on the Pit would improve the cleanliness.
“These are formative years, there’s an element of peer pressure regardless of there being a Pit or not. I think we need to look at helping the addicted individuals, because vaping is an addiction. We should have more opportunities for students to discuss the addiction piece,” Merrick said.
Another Pit-goer, who wished to remain anonymous, could speak on the mental and social dynamics of the Pit. “At the beginning of the year [2022], I fell into a deep depression so I went and used the Pit as an escape,” the Pit-attendee said, and added that they think that’s why a lot of people go. “You meet new people who you have similar interests with, but a lot of people have issues against other people at The Pit. I’ve seen fights before.”
The ex-Pit goer had a different opinion. “I started going because my friends were there and I had nothing else to do, but I realized it was really, really toxic. They don’t think about consequences and everyone looks for problems. It’s a very chaotic vibe.” This student left when they got water thrown on them and saw shoes being tossed at people.
A student that has never attended the Pit said it’s a very popular spot, and most of their peers go. “I understand it’s a getaway for them, but they [the Pit attendees] spend their whole 50-minute lunch break at this spot.”
Overall, the Pit was made for a safe place for students to smoke, but has become a tarnished, unkept space to air your grievances. With the right help and disposal placement, it might be able to go back to its true means.
