As students and staff return to school after spring break, many have noticed the construction underway in the atrium. The project in the atrium involves adding a new Learning through Intensive Functional Teaching (LIFT) classroom, which is expected to provide additional space in the building for academic support.
When construction first started, Student Support Liaison Liam Woulfe said many students were curious about what was going on in the atrium.
“When it first got built, a lot of students were asking what was getting built, who was moving in there, things like that,” Woulfe said.
Woulfe said that students had several questions in the early days of the construction beginning.
“I think the biggest question asked was what this is, what the new structure was for. Right in the first couple of days, there were a ton more people kind of sitting in the atrium trying to figure out what it is,” Woulfe said.
After the first week, students’ interest and wonder about the construction began to slow down.
“Maybe in the first week, there were a lot more students there, but after that, it kind of returned to normal,” Woulfe said.
Woulfe also said that the new structure has changed how the atrium looks and feels during the school day.
“I think the biggest difference is that there’s not that big natural light coming from the windows anymore because of all the lights blocked off, so it’s a little darker in the atrium,” Woulfe said.
Sophomore Brody Smith said that it was hard to miss.
“It was so weird because I was just trying to walk through the atrium. It’s like big, like a wall was right in front of me. Just kind of shocking,” Smith said.
Smith also raised questions about the purpose of the classroom when he first noticed it.
“Like, why do we need it?” Smith said.
Despite the visibility of the construction, Smith said that when it comes to his daily routine, the construction hasn’t bothered him or affected his travel around the building. He also said that some students know more about the construction than others, saying that not a lot of people know the reason to the construction. Despite this, Smith said that he believes that most people have connected the dots and have an idea of what it could be used for.
“A good number of people would probably understand what it’s used for,” Smith said.
Sophomore Luca Kamayev noticed the construction after spring break and felt the classroom’s placement and appearance were awkward and out of place.
“It looked weird compared to everything else around the atrium, so I thought it was really out of place.
Kamayev said the classroom’s location in the crowded atrium doesn’t make sense and would be better placed somewhere else, like the weight room.
“I think it would benefit them, but it’s a really bad spot for it,” Kamayev said.
Another student, Sophomore Zach Kruger, said he was aware of the construction before it began due to changes with his locker.
“I was a little surprised about how much room it took, but I knew it was gonna be there since I had a locker there and they told me I had to get a new one because it was gonna get ripped out,” Kruger said.
Kruger said the lockers were removed over spring break, as the construction of the atrium began.
“I think they just ripped them out over spring break and moved them out over spring break,” Kruger said.
He also mentioned that he first noticed the construction when he came back from spring break, like many others.
Kruger also described the impact the construction has had on movement through the atrium, as the new classroom is large.
“I have to take extra credit and I can’t just cut through the science hall; I have to go all the way around,” Kruger said.
He shared his expectations for when the construction is finished, hoping it would look more developed than it does now.
“I mean, it’s just gonna look like a big block. I just hope it’s not too distracting, or in anyone’s way, too bad. Just hope its kind of there,” Kruger said.
BVNW staff have not announced an exact completion date for the project. Construction will continue as the rest of the year progresses.
