38 millions dollars and a long wait later, we are finally able to see what all of the noise and dust has brought us.

“The last two years have been difficult with moving classrooms and construction noise,” said Principal Mr. Rieser. “We appreciate everyone’s flexibility and resilience during the construction.”

Although the wait was long and students had to endure the struggle of trying to get from class to class with half hallways, it has paid off well.

The new cafeteria, new auditorium, new weight room, a new tech corner, even the new classrooms were definitely worth the wait.

“I think the construction was worth it,” said football player Ryan McCurdy. “The school is so much nicer compared to before it started.”

However,  some students have stylistic complaints.

Mrs. Knappenberger explains, “The biggest comment I have heard, even from the boys, is that the old room was more homey.”

According to many, the new rooms, even the new hallways, just feel bland and lack personality. 

“The kids say it’s like a doctor’s office,” Mrs. Knappenberger said. 

Her new room is connected to the weightroom, which presents a different issue. 

“My main concern when I learned we were connecting a classroom to the fitness center was the noise becoming a distraction and it is,” said Mrs. Knappenburger. 

Although it can get noisy, did you know that the weight room has an impressive speaker system?

“The speaker system is top notch and it’s unfortunate it can’t be put to use,” said Mrs. Knappenberger. “I also feel bad that kids have to keep the noise level down.”

After school though, the sound system is playing everyone’s favorite songs. 

McCurdy said, “I really like the new weights and bars, they feel much better than the old ones. The sound system is fire too.”

Even from an outside perspective and as someone who doesn’t use the weightroom, it looks better than I had expected.

“I didn’t expect it to be that nice, I didn’t think the equipment would be that high quality,” said McCurdy.

The weight rooms equipment isn’t the only nice equipment that’s been introduced after the construction. The new technology space looks straight out of a movie.

 “The best thing is our location to each other and that all of our equipment is in one location,” said Mr. Smith. “Mr. Andrews, Mr. Hoffman, and I collaborate quite a bit and we each are able to help out with different equipment and student projects.”

The tech corner, I must say, is beautiful.

The new science classrooms are almost just as impressive, with the exclusion of feeling like you’re in a doctor’s office.

“The lab area is fantastic.  In my old lab, it was crowded.  Students would often bump into each other,” said Mrs. Cratty. “ In the new space, there is room for students to work more comfortably and safely.  It is so nice to have natural gas working in the chem lab.”

The science hallways include new lockers though it is unclear if they’ll ever be put to use, and a wheelchair lift  that takes you next to the stairs leading upstairs.

The new cafeteria is becoming old news, but it still looks how it did when it was first opened for student use. 

Mr. Rieser said, “The cafeteria commons has been a great addition to the building.”

Connected to the cafeteria, the auditorium has also received new additions.

 “When we got the plans for construction and the auditorium wasn’t in them, I think the entire fine arts department was pretty disappointed,” said Abigail Cebollero, a member of both the band and a participant in the school’s Musicals and Fall Plays. “The stage was in pretty bad shape, and chunks of the ceiling had (no lie!) fallen down on us twice. We had really hoped that we would get something out of the construction, so having nothing in the plans made us feel a bit forgotten.”

Cebollero and others that used the stage, along with parents, began to complain to receive the changes that were much needed for theatre and band.

“To be completely honest, I just did what everyone else was doing,” said Cebollero.

They had talked about the numerous technical issues the auditorium had that needed changed. 

 “The most important thing, we talked to our advisors and parents,” said Cebollero. “They’re the ones that really got the administration to listen to us and do something about the issues.”

At the end of the day, thankfully, they managed to get what needed done.

Rieser said, “The renovations in the auditorium have made it more welcoming and a better space for our arts programs. The new state of the art sound system will be a great addition to our performances in there.”

From half hallways during the construction to mysterious piles of dust after; the time it took to construct these new areas was definitely worth it and provides new opportunities for students.

“We are all very appreciative of the local manufacturing companies and donors who made this renovation possible,” said Mr. Smith. 

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