Almost everyone has memories of high school lockers.  Whether stacked double or skinny and tall, or for those who went to a less populated school – wide and tall enough to fit a skinny kid in – lockers have been a memorable part of the school experience.

Getting your first locker was always an exciting experience, perhaps more exciting for some than others.  Right after learning the combination, decorations and organization topped the list for many a student, while others choose to just let it all devolve into anarchy.  Drawings and notes from friends, mirrors and pictures of favored teen idols were taped up year in and year out.  Maybe you had a picture of Ricky Nelson in the 60s or maybe you were a part of the 90s - displaying pictures of his sons, Matthew and Gunnar.  Maybe you had a ripped out page of a magazine with Charlie’s Angels star, Farrah Fawcett or your favorite sports hero.  The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cheap Trick, the Bee Gees, KISS, Duran Duran, Bon Jovi, Blondie, The Beastie Boys, New Edition, Boyz II Men, Vanilla Ice (yes, even him), New Kids on the Block, Nirvana, and Janet Jackson… the list goes on for musical heroes that have adorned the insides of lockers throughout the decades.

Of course, the beauty of the newly-decorated locker would only last for so long.  By the time winter break came along, it was probably near impossible to find anything, unless you were in the habit of giving it a regular cleaning.  Come Spring Break there might even be a veritable avalanche at your feet, including items that you weren’t even aware were in your possession.  And hell hath no fury like a tuna sandwich that has been left to fester over a weekend, or a semester.

While the locker was a great place to store stuff, it was an even better place to watch the goings on of the high school social circle.  Some were lucky enough to be in the same alphabet range as their friends, while others on the fringes of the alphabet seemed stuck in desolation and often trekked to their locker less frequently.  Friendships and relationships have been made and broken based solely on locker location.  In the few moments between the bells, locker gossip raged endlessly as students gathered their books and got the latest news.

Gym class and after-school sports, of course, had their own unique locker scenes.  A bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, a towel or two and a change of clothes were the key ingredients to gossip and in some cases, mild embarrassment.  In this most intimate of settings, the locker room was also one of the first locations of self-discovery. Most everyone has a vivid recollection, for better or worse, of their first gym locker room experience, where everyone got a better view of the student body and vice versa.

Lockers were pretty special. Sure, you occasionally needed some locker assistance, when you absent-mindedly forgot your combination or lost your key – or were the unwilling participant in a practical joke. That’s what custodians were for, ready to clip a padlock off with ease and save the day, and your dignity. And of course, some bad apples learned the hard way that a locker wasn’t the most secure place to store their illegal contraband. Truth be told, you didn’t really have as much privacy as you might have thought. Still, it was a few precious square feet of space to call your own, to do what you pleased. And that alone was worth keeping locked up for safekeeping.