April showers bring May flowers, and the Jefferson administration is fully prepared. Due to the long walks outside between classes, green bins filled with blue and white striped umbrellas have been placed around the school for student and administration use. These bins have been placed at various locations for students who need to go outside, including several doorways and in places near the trailers.

The umbrellas were purchased by the Jefferson Parent Teacher Student Association (TJ PTSA) with a total of 500 umbrellas. There are currently six bins with 50 umbrellas each, but once it rains, the other 200 will be assigned to areas where there is more need for it.

The umbrellas are a kind gesture to a struggling student body. Some students who walk to the trailers, especially the Weyanoke trailers, get soaked in bad weather and are miserable or even get sick. These umbrellas will help students, especially with the coming increase in the level of construction. And the umbrellas will be placed strategically for maximum benefit to the students.

This was especially thoughtful considering only students can benefit from this: teachers and administrators rarely change locations, unlike students who are in and out of the main building all day. Considering the negative impact to our learning environment, every little bit helps.

But even if the umbrellas were bought cheaply in bulk, the sheer number indicates that this was probably a very expensive endeavor. Although they were purchased by the TJ PTSA and not the administration, the amount of money it would take to purchase that many umbrellas could easily be put into new equipment for classes and extracurricular activities. The umbrellas may prove highly useful, but many students, especially upperclassmen, already carry personal umbrellas to account for the long walks from the parking lots, rendering these unnecessary. The TJ PTSA should be applauded for attempting to improve student life, but should consider the cost of these efforts and reevaluate what they spend on projects like these.