Construction to bring improvements to school

New construction artist's conception
This drawing shows what the high school will look like once construction is completed. (Photo provided by Cathy Vespereny)

Serenity Barron
Staff Writer

Construction on the school extension and the removal of the annex and auto shop should be completed in two years. The annex will be completely gone and be replaced with a whole new building.
The new building should blend in with the old.
Jon Clark has worked hard on matching up the brick colors with the rest of the school, said Cathy Vespereny. The building should blend right in.
The construction should cost around $80 million all together. Currently the school is working with the $36 million non-tax bond. Clark said, things are cheaper this year than a couple of years ago.
“I am really excited about the construction; it’s a great building, but its 100+ years old, said Clark.
On the first floor of the building there will be industrial tech and fine arts (band and choir). The band room and the choir room will be enlarged, and there will be 10 practice rooms.

On the second floor there will be social studies.

On the third floor there will be science with 12 new science labs. Having additional science labs and new fine arts facilities has been needed for a long time.

Jeanette Hencken said, her current “class room holds 22 students in a very small room and has no access to electricity or gas for Bunsen burners.” For a class like chemistry where a flame is necessary this poses a problem.

The band and choir room have faced issues as well with what the current building has to offer.

The facilities are too small to fit a program our size said Kevin Cole. Also the ceiling in the band and choir room leaks.

Cole said the band room has become sort of a “courtyard within the department – a courtyard full of rotten, falling tiles and carpet.”

The new classrooms might have soft seating in each room. In the designs cutouts in the hallway give room for tables and seating so classrooms can have people do group work in the hallways comfortably.

The Little Theatre will be removed too. The Little Theatre will take its rightful place by the auditorium.

When the construction is completed, the schools arrangement of classes will be completely changed. If construction goes as planed the new wing of the school should be open in two years time.

In the future there is a possibility of the courtyard getting a dome over it so that it can be used all year around. During the winter everyone is crammed into the cafeteria, and this will be a solution to this problem. The dome will be able to be lighted too said Clark.

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