People fill the halls of BVNW every day, but behind the scenes the district and administration take steps to keep the students and faculty safe. One of these steps includes a change to the entrance of BVNW, set to take place the summer of 2014.
Principal Amy Murphy has had a hand in the addition of new security measures along with members of district offices. Murphy said the office will be redesigned to incorporate the pinch-point philosophy. Pinch-points channel visitors through the front office during the school day allowing for a more secure entrance.
“I’m anxious to see what the office will look like,” Murphy said. “I can’t even wrap my head around it right now.”
Sophomore Shawna Gower, who will be a senior when the new office debuts said it is a smart idea to change the entrance.
“It’s a great precautionary step to keep all the staff and students safe,” Gower said.
District Design and Construction Manager Kent Anderson agrees, he said the steps being taken will greatly improve the scenario at BVNW.
“It was something that’s been in the works for a while now its just part of an ongoing effort to make our buildings as secure as possible,” Anderson said.
The adjustments to security are in the works, but the office isn’t the only area getting a makeover. The parking lot and traffic flow will be changed to create a walkway for students through the lot, the attendance desk may be moved and the front cameras used more thoroughly.
“I think [the changes will be helpful, including] moving [Carol] Hess’s desk so she can look straight out the door and maybe hooking the front camera up so [Linda] Malach could see people who are approaching the building,” Murphy said. “With the push of a button she can lock the door, if she sees someone coming up the walkway that shouldn’t be let in.”
Murphy said BVNW might be experiencing some of these changes as early as this school year. All of these changes will make BVNW safer leading up to the redesign of the office.
“We’ve [been thinking] ‘our remodel of the front office isn’t going to happen until the summer of 2014 so what can we do between now and then to help make the front door more secure?’” Murphy said.
That remodel will include bringing the main part of the office to where Murphy’s office is now. The area where the students interact with office staff will stay the same, but Murphy said the new office will be an adjustment for everyone.
“It’ll be a matter of retraining kids and people as they come in the building, that’s going to be interesting,” Murphy said.
Despite the adjustment period, Murphy said it is important to keep in mind that the changes were made to keep everyone safe. Gower said she’s glad the school is taking more interest in safety after the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
“[The shooting] impacted everyone emotionally,” Gower said. “Schools are trying to prevent something that horrible from happening again.”
Murphy agreed that school safety has been an important issue for both BVNW and the district. Many of the improvements were in progress before the shooting but Murphy said those events caused some reflection on security measures.
“I think since Sandy Hook the district has taken an even deeper look at security, and they moved some things up time wise,” Murphy said.
The new office will debut in the 2014-2015 school year, but security changes will start appearing at the end of this year. Murphy said she understands that students may not be open to change at first, but in the end her goal is to make the school a safe place for everyone.
“Change is always hard,” Murphy said. “[Students] like it the same way it always is so I think initially it will be different and different is not always easy. But I think [everyone should] understand that the reason it’s different is for their safety.”