Shayna Berman and Erica Brennan
Staff Writers
It is impossible to ignore the renovations going on around the school. Hallways have been blocked off, entrances and exits have been shut down, and classrooms have been moved to the district office. The language and art wings are currently undergoing renovations and have been completely blocked off, leaving teachers like Señora Connolly, Señora Reh, and Mr. Gonsiewski to move to classrooms in the district office. There have been numerous negative comments regarding these issues. Students complain about being late to their classes, about limited resources, and cramped hallways.
Students have complained about the long walk and how out of the way it is; junior Erica Brennan laments: “I’m always late to my next class.”
Due to the glass stairwell being shut down, it is even more difficult to get from the district office classrooms to the other end of the school in roughly three minutes. Many students have discussed the issue of how small the classrooms are too. Sometimes, over 25 students are crammed into a tiny classroom. Sophomore Logan Waterman particularly dislikes this: “I hate how congested the hallways and classrooms are.”
Resources are limited too. For example, Sra. Connolly does not even have a working smartboard, but rather one small whiteboard on the side of the room.
There are arguments in favor of the district classrooms though. Mr. G is enthusiastic about his temporary room: “I love having the classrooms in the district office! The administration should continue to have classrooms down here. It creates extra classrooms and students are able to be more spread out within the building. I think it is a positive addition to our school. I love it!”
Students have also stated that they like the isolation of it and how there are less distractions. In addition, it is nice to have a change in our school, especially for students who have been attending New Hope for a long time.
