Now that we’ve all lived in the new building for a couple of months, it’s time to report on how effective it has been for a new learning environment.

Pros

The new building has succeeded in many areas:

• The new building provides a sheltered set of hallways which the old campus did not.
• Classrooms are closer together so communication between teachers is easier.
• Organization of classes is decent, with both the Visual Arts rooms, and Creative Writing rooms being adjacent to each other.
• The media center now has study spaces to allow students to have a quiet area to get their work done.
• New construction means newer and cleaner spaces; it was no secret that the old building suffered from mold and general aging.

Cons

As much as the new building has succeeded in some areas, it’s missed the mark in others:

• the elevator has been down recently, inconveniencing both teachers and students who need to access higher floors.
• students and staff report hearing noises from classes above and around them due to issues with sound proofing. Testing Coordinator Jeanine Lindsey noted, “Soundproofing I think overall is a troublesome thing, especially being the test coordinator and wanting to have rooms quiet.” This is definitely important as we head into testing season.

While there have definitely been some growing pains, given more time, there’s a good chance staff and students will eventually grow into the space. A new experience or environment is bound to create some discourse and discomfort, but hopefully over time and with the diligence of staff and faculty, many of these issues will be addressed in the future.