For years, Farmington High School students took full advantage of using the handicapped buttons to open doors. Whether the door was open or not, every student knew to hit the automatic push buttons for everyone behind them. You have several options whether you push the big ones on the walls or the half-sized ones next to the door handles. While this was one of the only traditions our school continuously had, the effects of Covid-19 may have destroyed this habit. Students do still tend to hit those buttons often, but studies have shown that a higher percentage of people are getting hit in the face when the door shuts in front of them.

“I think they’re incredibly handy because you don’t have to pull the door open, but also, just as many germs are being transmitted to and from the hands of high school students. I remember the door shutting slowly and my friend Madi running straight into it which left a bruise, from what I can recall,” senior, Abbie White, said.

There is also the issue of the doors being locked once they are shut. When students push the automatic door button, there is still time for other students to book it inside and make it to class just in the nick of time.

“I think that they are very useful when you’re carrying like a thousand things. One time I was holding a lot of stuff and I used my foot to open the door, all thanks to the button,” sophomore, Mae Olson, said.

“Sometimes I just push the button and stand there waiting awkwardly even though I could just open the door,” an anonymous student admits.

All-in-all, most students here at Farmington would agree that it is common Phoenix courtesy to push the button on your way in or out of the building. If you happen to be a Germaphobe, you may want to focus your efforts on squeezing through the door before it closes, although that leaves other students to fend for themselves when opening doors.