Although there are many future benefits to renovating schools, there can be conflicts that occur during the change. As many schools are advancing, they are starting to modernize their campus. Cafeterias, auditoriums, and gymnasiums are being recreated to build an upgraded environment for students and staff. Cleveland High School is a great example of this. The remodeling of the school, which started in June of 2018, is continuing until April 2022. This is a great change, but how much does it affect current students?
Due to the early stages of remodeling, many hallways and classrooms have been demolished and moved to the far end of the school’s campus. In this area, buildings are being demolished, and classrooms are being recreated to have added features like new lockers, new colors of tile, and new classroom spaces. This area, filled with what seems to be endless rows of bungalows, takes up half of the campus. This area is what used to be the school’s sports activity area. As one is walking through the bungalow “hallways”, they can see the flooring of tennis courts and basketball courts. There are students that have all of their classrooms in this area, while others only have classes in the other half of school, making it difficult to meet new people and keep up with their social life, which is crucial to students, due to its helpful impact with the stress and hardships of high school. There are even students who have classes in both the bungalows and the “old” part of campus, making it difficult to commute. Even if a student was 1 minute late to school, if their classroom is in the bungalow area, it will take those 5 to 10 minutes to get to the other side. Granted, the school did add in a few more minutes during passing period, but it is still difficult when one is carrying heavy backpacks and books around, especially when there are items that teachers require in their classrooms. Similarly, since the auditoriums are being destroyed, there are limited areas available for large events or activities (like plays, musicals, speeches, panels, and more) to occur.
Another difficult aspect of the remodeling was the sports teams. Since our gymnasium and locker rooms were being remodeled, teams had to change in bathrooms and play outside in the heat. This was definitely a struggle for both coaches and their players. With temperatures going up to 90 degrees or higher, it is dangerous to allow students to constantly practice under the sun. One student in the basketball team, Nathan K., stated that “it’ll be nice once it’s complete… but… they’ve had the gym under construction for months, which meant we had to practice outdoors during all of summer…”
Although there are many current negative aspects of the construction, as shown through the student’s constant commuting around campus and sports activities, there are many benefits to come. This process has been eventful for all students and staff, but everyone is very excited to see the results.
Esther Jung, Grade 11
Cleveland High School
