This year, the new Multi-Cultural Center was installed in the 400 hallway, bringing a new focus on the celebration of diversity to Carmel.  While the Carmel community was excited to begin using the space, one question remained: Where would the Lost and Found go?

For years, the Lost and Found has been located in the former closet that now holds the Multi-Cultural Center, but suddenly it was left without a home.  Fortunately, Carmel bookstore manager Wanda Pucci was not deterred by this challenge.

“I began to think: where was the Lost and Found going to go?  And then, one day, the answer became clear,” Pucci explained.  “Some kids in line at the bookstore began to complain about not having lockers this year, and I realized what I had to do.”

Pucci quickly petitioned Carmel administration to let her commandeer a few lockers in the 200 hallway.  Her suggestion was accepted and the relocation of the Lost and Found began.

“Now, I have the entire hallway organized into a system.  The first few rows are dedicated to extra uniforms,” Pucci said.  “Then, the lockers near the fine arts wing hold just water bottles.  Those things get left everywhere.”

Pucci keeps the greatest treasure right next to the bookstore.  Opening the locker nearest the door, she explains.

“This is where I keep the lost nametags,” Pucci chuckles as she enters the combination, before opening the door to reveal a glittering cavern of engraved names, magneted to the walls.  “I must have over a hundred in here.”

Few students even know such a place exists.

“Wait….you’re telling me that’s where all my nametags went?” said one student, who unfortunately could not be identified, since he didn’t have a nametag.  He was soon reprimanded by the deans and dragged away, demanding he speak to his lawyer.

But for some, the nametag locker is a fabled myth, the Holy Grail of Carmel lore.  These students understand the risks.

“We will never know just how much danger is involved, but it’s been told that Pucci’s booby-trapped the whole thing, complete with poison arrows and a giant rock that chases you down the 400 if you guess the combination incorrectly,” senior Henry Jones said.

For the rest of the Carmel administration, however, the idea to use the lockers as storage became a quick way to supplement Street Scenes fundraising.

“For every $500 raised by a student, they will be given a locker to fill with whatever they want,” teacher Jeff Ptacek said.  “If they raise up to a cool grand, they can even decorate it and give it a name.”

At last, an incentive worth every penny.  For now, though, Pucci will continue to revel in her newfound storage.

“Honestly, I hope they never use the lockers again,” Pucci said.  “Just think of what we could do with all that glorious, empty space now.”