When school becomes overwhelming, class lounges serve as a valued private space to destress and socialize for many Baldwin students. 

However, while I comfortably relax in my (not teal) cushioned chair, surrounded by walls of handprints, I can’t help but question the dubious existence of the junior lounge. You may be asking yourself, “Carley, isn’t the junior lounge just a myth?”

Believe it or not, there is a junior lounge, although it’s not technically official. 

The previous junior lounge sat across from the senior lounge, but this space has since been converted into an office. The new junior lounge is the thin platform halfway up the main wooden staircase.

When I found this out, I was surprised: when walking up those stairs, the most frequent occupants I saw in that space were not juniors. This makes sense since the lounge is not officially a junior-only space, but it could be a sign that juniors need an area that is set aside specifically for them. 

After all, junior year is notoriously stressful. Many juniors feel their current space is inadequate, and believe a more private space might help them decompress from their busy schedules. 

Ava Wood ‘24 said, “The biggest problem I have with it is that it’s a very central location, so it’s not very private.” 

She said that because of this, the juniors “push out into classrooms or into the library, so they’re all kind of fractured across the school house.” 

Caroline Parillo ‘24 said that juniors spreading into classrooms could be “an indicator that something is missing” and that the juniors need a spot of their own. She acknowledged that lounges are “a privilege and not an expectation,” but highlighted the importance of juniors having a quiet, communal space as they face increasingly packed schedules. 

Junior Class Dean Mrs. Davis said that she doesn’t frequent the Schoolhouse often, so she doesn’t know if the unofficial junior lounge is a popular spot; however, she doesn’t get any complaints about it, so she believes revamping it may not be a top priority. 

At the same time, Mrs. Davis also recognized lounges as “super important and really something special that you get at Baldwin that other schools don’t provide,” and a great privilege for those who respect the rules. 

Although students have suggested the creation of a new official lounge, or a reordering of the lounge spaces, they recognize that this issue merits more than a quick redesign, and Wood respects that creating a new junior lounge would have to be “a discussion for the entire Upper School.”

Another option could be visiting the new Baldwin Commons, located in the old Assembly Room. 

So there you have it. Few people use it, and many don’t have the first clue about its whereabouts, but an unofficial junior lounge exists and is ready for visitors (but consider bringing a pillow).