School Staircases

12&12, 12&12, 8&15, 11&12.

These are the numbers of steps for each of the staircases commonly used by students at MVHS. Why do they have a different number of steps? Do the uneven numbers of steps cause an uneven second floor, or could they be caused by an uneven first floor?

With the help of a level, I have determined that the upstairs hallway floor by the A210s is level. I measured this hallway because it is the only upstairs hallway connecting the 24 step and 23 step staircases. According to Carla Nugent, the school corporation information officer, one reason behind the different number of steps could be due to the fact that the school is built on a hill.

This makes sense on the surface, but with deeper examination, it creates more questions than it answers. If there are different numbers of steps to make the second floor level, does that mean the first floor is uneven?

According to the level, the first floor is also perfectly perpendicular to the pull of Earth’s gravity. Therefore, the size of the steps are not the same for each staircase.

Why do the two 23-step staircases have their steps divided differently? Why are the steps not the same height?

A visit to the district archives led me to the information that maintenance worker, Brian Evans, moved all of the blueprints for the district. I attempted to contact him regarding the aforementioned questions, and he has not gotten back to me yet. Has he just not received my email, or is this an escalating conspiracy?