New Contact Comfort Drive-Thru
Since Aragon went remote last March, administrators have organized several contactless drive-thrus for Aragon students to pick up materials they need for class such as lab equipment, textbooks or three pieces of candy in a Ziploc bag — if you’re a lucky senior.
“It just didn’t feel intimate enough,” said senior Lone Lee. “I got some cheap Aragon merch, and no one asked me how my spring break was or what my plans for next year are. I guess that I just don’t really believe that this school cares about me.”
After AP Psychology students learned about Harlow’s contact comfort theory in class, which asserts that physical contact with other people is important for emotional development, they petitioned the administration to switch from their contactless method. Contact Comfort Drive-thrus began several weeks ago as teachers returned to campus.
Students who choose to participate in the Contact Comfort Drive-Thru will arrive on campus after promising they have no COVID-19 symptoms to an app (and everyone knows that you can’t lie on the internet) and can request both the cate- gory of physical contact and the teacher they will be receiving it from. Services offered range from simple high-fives, handshakes and fist bumps to more hardcore options like hugs or face holding, which includes prolonged eye contact.
“It’s nice to see my students in person,” said teacher Denise DeNice. “And I’m really honored to be requested so often. It does feel a little illegal, and not exactly COVID-safe, but if the kids say it’s important I believe them."
“When I read all about how it was important for kids to be held by their parents or something, I realized that that’s what was missing from my life,” said sophomore Dee Preshun. “My parents are kind of emotionally unavailable though ... I figured that some random adult who is literally paid to be nice to me could be a good substitute for like hugging or whatever families do.”
“Um ... that’s not really what the theory is about,” said Carlo Corti, Aragon’s AP Psychology teacher. “It’s for babies. Baby monkeys. Who did you say is organizing this again?”
Participants in the drive thru are encouraged to make small talk with their teachers. An outside observer might frequently hear exclamations such as: “What a crazy year!” “You’re much taller than I thought you would be!” “Yeah, can you roll down the window a little more, I can’t reach.” or “This is nice, I really needed this.”
Lee, one of the student organizers, believed that the isolating nature of the pandemic was damaging to the mental well-being of students. As many responsible, or otherwise lonely students, have followed social distancing guidelines religiously, they haven’t been in close proximity to other human beings for months at a time.
Some students have found the whole ordeal to be awkward, and were confused by why the drive-thru had gained such popularity among the student body.
“My mom signed me up for this because she thought it would be a good way for me to get to know my teachers,” said freshman Rook Key. “It was super awkward and I didn’t know who to request, so I ended up partnered with a PE teacher and it was more like a sweaty wrestling match than a hug.”
Administrators refused the Cloutlook’s request for comment, citing that they knew nothing of the event and that it seemed like a clear legal liability. Students are not sure how long the drive-thru will last, but seem confident that it is doing wonders for mental health while it remains in operation.
