Jones is famous for just how many floors students trek up day by day. Seven floors encompass the new building, and six make up the old building. Students often remark on just how many floors they must traverse to get from class to class, finding the whole process incredibly inconvenient. However, have students ever wondered what floor tops them all? The Jones Blueprint took the important and essential responsibility of reviewing and ranking each individual floor, and compiling it in a list for all students to read. Let’s get into it.
15. Third Floor – Old Building | 1.5/10
What goes on here? There are no student bathrooms, the water fountains are terrible, and it just overall is a boring wasteland. There’s no reason to spend time here if you do not have a class on this floor, and if you do, it’s not exactly the most pleasant experience.
14. Second Floor – New Building | 2/10
If the third floor old building is boring, then this place is an actual nightmare. It’s loud and crowded, yet somehow barren and empty at the same time. Now that students cannot eat lunch here anymore, this area serves little purpose outside of simply being a transitional area for the lunch room, which isn’t helping this floor’s case.
13. First Floor Link | 2/10
Our rankings will be splitting up the main old building and the “link,” so this section only includes the north cafeteria and the hallway that follows it, which also encompasses the counselor’s corner. With that said, this floor really doesn’t have much to offer. It’s got the cafeteria, but with how crowded that gets, it’s not a huge plus. The courtyard is theoretically included here, but with it closed as often as it is, it doesn’t do much to help the situation on this floor.
12. Fifth Floor Old | 2.5/10
There are few redeeming factors on this floor. With little to do and no student bathrooms, there isn’t any reason to be here if not for a class. And once again, low quality water fountains permeate this floor along with almost the entire old building, knocking this floor down quite a bit. At least the views from the classrooms are pretty.
11. Fourth Floor Old | 3.5/10
This floor only redeems itself slightly from the fifth floor, as it at least contains functional bathrooms for student use. The water fountains are still of low quality and leave a lot to be desired. There isn’t too much going on here during AcLab, but there are some pretty views, especially on winter days when the city is covered in snow.
10. Third Floor New | 4/10
The library is pretty much the only thing standing between this floor and a disastrously low ranking. The water fountains are weak at best, hallways typically overcrowded as these are some of the thinnest walkways in the new building with usually high student traffic, and the bathrooms tend to be more crowded than they would be expected to be. The library, however, is a pretty nice place to spend time especially during periods where it isn’t too crowded. When it is crowded, it isn’t the best place to spend time in, but if you’re spending time here outside of lunch periods, AcLab, or mornings, it’s really nice.
9. First Floor Old | 5/10
There aren’t any classes on the first floor of the old building, but the art gallery is an underrated gem that is really fun to spend some walking around in if you have time to kill. The student pieces are interesting and well put together, and well worth taking a few minutes out of your day to gander at. Who knows, you might even see something a friend made here! Next to the gallery, there are some tables for eating lunch which are nice as more spots have closed, yet these tables have remained relatively quiet despite that. However, in terms of amenities, there really isn’t much going on. The nearest water fountain is in the north cafeteria and although there is a bathroom further down the link, it’s often closed and not exactly the most pleasant place to spend time when it is open.
8. First Floor New | 5.5/10
The lobby is a pretty nice place to be, even if it does get quite crowded. The lobby is an ideal spot to convene with friends before the school day starts, or a fun place to plan a group hangout after the day ends. The only issue is that the school security and administration seems to be in a constant state of panic that should students linger in the lobby, they’ll certainly end up doing drugs on the side of the road within the hour. I feel watched like a hawk when I wait in the lobby, and it makes this a much more hostile environment to spend time in. There also aren’t any good water fountains, although the bathrooms are alright enough and usually empty.
7. Sixth Floor New | 6/10
This is a bit of a quieter floor compared to the rest, and despite being about the same dimensions as the third floor new building, it’s not nearly as crowded. The bathrooms are typically quiet and clean, and despite the water fountains being slightly outdated, they still pump out pretty clean and cold water, alongside a convenient water bottle specific fountain that is certainly appreciated. There really isn’t much going on here, and almost all of the classes on this floor are dedicated to physical education classes. By the time you are an upperclassmen the only reason you have to be here is for clubs and AP Lang, which means this class is dominated by underclassmen most of the time, hurting the social environment a bit. (Sorry freshmen.) Overall, this is a pretty run of the mill floor with some nice amenities.
6. Fifth Floor New | 6.5/10
The fifth floor new building is pretty decent. The bathrooms are a little crowded and the water fountains aren’t great, but there’s a good social environment and everyone has a class here. You’ll certainly see a friend or two in the hallway before it’s time for class, making for a great social environment. There are also some great views and fun classes, ranging from mixed media to English and some math classes. This floor had a little bit more to offer when AcLab and lunches aligned closer with open seating policy, but it’s still a perfectly enjoyable place to spend time, just not somewhere people willingly go. If you’re on the fifth floor new building, it’s probably because you have to be. But that doesn’t make it a bad experience.
5. Sixth Floor Old | 7/10
The sixth floor old building is truly the definition of an underrated gem. Underclassmen may never spend time here as there are no classes they would be enrolled in here, making for an upperclassmen only experience. No hate to our younger peers (time flies, you’ll feel the same way soon enough!), but there’s certainly something to be appreciated in that. There is some fun student art and creations that line the walls, and when combined with the warm lighting, there really is a fun, cozy atmosphere to be enjoyed here.
4. Second Floor Old | 7.5/10
This is a fun floor to be on! We at the Blueprint may be biased because our home is here, alongside AP Seminar and HUSH in the same classroom, but this floor has some really fun classes and is close enough to the second floor link to enjoy the benefits of crisp water fountains in the weight room and the warm sun rays that shine down into the locker rooms. It’s also relatively quiet despite the fun to be had here, and is close to a lot of stairways for easy access to the rest of the building.
3. Seventh Floor New | 7.5/10
This is a relaxed, clean environment to spend your time in. Good water fountains that were unfortunately broken during our visit help this floor’s case, and the terrace is a fun social space utilized for school events and dances. The bathrooms are usually empty and relatively clean, and can be relied upon for a quiet bathroom experience. All in all, this is a solid floor for students looking for a quiet, laid back environment where they don’t have to worry about the crowds. However, the Blueprint would be remiss not to mention the very unfortunate and unpleasant room that takes up most of the space on this floor, that being the pool. Ugh. This doesn’t apply to the amazing swim teams at our school, obviously, but does anyone actually LIKE swimming? It’s almost always unpleasant alongside being freezing cold, and is the bane of the Jones freshman and sophomore experiences. There’s even a Swimming REACH exam. It’s hell on Earth. Without the pool, this floor might take the top spot. But this cold, watery nightmare really holds this floor back.
2. Second Floor Link | 8/10
The social environment here is great. With comfortable couches and chairs to waste away in before the day or during AcLab, a hidden gem in the second theater, the quiet solace of the lockers and beautiful glass window that shines so warmly on your face during the summer months, and so much more, this is just a relaxing floor to be on. And detractors may argue that there are no quality water fountains here, but if you just take a jaunt to the weight room, you’ll find that there are arguably the highest quality water fountains in the entire school here. They are cold, crisp, and modern, everything you could want. The bathroom situation could be better, but if the weight room bathrooms are open, they’re usually pretty quiet and clean in the places that matter. They are lined with graffiti but I’ve never actually noticed any grime build up on the toilets, which is all you really need to worry about, and hey, what is graffiti but not simply the most authentic of student artistic expression?
1. Fourth Floor New | 8.5/10
Welcome to the hub of Jones. Is it crowded? Sure. Are the bathrooms disgusting? Maybe. Are there suspicious wet spots lingering around random parts of the floor? Entirely possible. But this is where Jones happens. Everyone has had a class on this floor and you can always find people here. Under and upperclassmen must come together, and there is a wide range of different classes to take here, from arts and mixed media to English and mathematics. There are also some great views of the city just next to the art room, which can be exceptionally pretty on a snowy day. Obviously the social environment alone cannot be enough to make up for just how crowded and dirty this floor can get, especially in the bathrooms. This is where the water fountain comes into the conversation. Wow. What can I say? I have no words. The LeBron of water fountains. There is a water bottle specific fountain and a clean, new water fountain that is crisp and cool for all to use. Although the weight room water fountains may take the cake, these water fountains are actually accessible for all students to use at any time of the day. This floor, despite its glaring flaws, takes the cake for just having the “it” factor.
