by Mackenzie Armstead | staff writer

If you’re a student here at Johnson, you know how “convenient” a trip to Sonic was. If you had a few minutes before practice or were just in serious need of a grape creamslush, it was so easy to walk through the secret pathway through the woods to get to the slushie heaven. Simple enough, right? Now, a new fence is in place blocking this path.

“Without a fence there, it is real easy for them to shoot across…you got traffic coming through there and we’re afraid kids will be getting hurt when not looking for cars,” Principal John Mehlbrech said regarding the new campus addition.

The gate was completed in early August, just in time for the new school year.

“This has been in the works almost last year, working with central office and risk management, who also deals with safety issues, making sure the kids are well protected…[it’s] something that we tried to put in for years, and it finally came to fruition,” Mehlbrech said.

The fence serves its purpose by protecting kids from getting injured and directing them to the safest route.

“We’re responsible, as an employee, a principal in particular, me, for the safety of other students and if they’re cutting across, going through the woods, to Sonic or any other eating establishment, then I’m putting them at risk,” Mehlbrech said. “So it’s my responsibility to try to prevent that as best I can.”