I’m sure most students are wondering about the large construction site currently attached to our school. Well, after my interview with superintendent Dr. Dan Hoesing, I hope I can fill in some blanks and give you a newfound optimism for the completion of this project, outside the obvious joy of just being able to park close to school again.

To start, you may be happy to hear the project is still fully on schedule, so no surprise two-month setbacks in our future. It’s currently on target to be complete halfway through November and to have its grand opening over Thanksgiving break. This will allow for a test period until the second semester to see how everything goes. The ceiling is already finished, aside from tiling and acoustic clouds for amplified sound complete with air conditioning and a set of catwalks through the theatre.

As you’ve seen from the outside, work on the parking lot is already well underway. No official statement as to when it will be done or when students and faculty will be able to use it, though I am personally tired of fighting for parking spots and desperately hoping for an early opening. The bad news is the lot may be finished early, but may be reserved to use by construction site workers only. Luckily, Dr. Hoesing claimed he wanted it to be accessible by students as well so don’t give up hope. Once the parking lot is complete, sporting about a hundred more parking spots than the old one, then the oh-so bleak landscape outside the north end of the school, will finally get a face lift and be returned to its former glory.

As for the rest of the center, such as the cafeteria and lounge area, we are all in for a big surprise. The cafeteria will incorporate vendors! Although none have been contracted yet, contacts have been made and Dr. Hoesing reported a good deal of interest at the opportunity. I, personally, have heard a plea for Taco John’s! The food supplied through the cafeteria and from the vendors will remain at the regular costs and are even subject to possible reduced cost as well.

This all means lunch should be more fun and be a time for students to gather, so there is no thought of closing the campus or splitting the lunch schedule. Actually the new lunch schedule is greatly improved because lunch will now be prepared for students having free periods, so food will be ready by period four and still good by period five. The cafeteria will also have more than enough seating for the students to be spread out over three separate areas of the addition.

Finally, the new student center. The addition will include a lobby featuring a large projection screen and other flat screens to show daily news or, possibly, clips from a recent game. Dr. Hoesing also mentioned a large TV screen to be placed on the exterior of the building as well, but when I questioned him more about it, he simply smiled and said, “I’ll let you be surprised.” The new student center is meant to be a place for everyone to get together and relax and to be served some sort of food throughout the day, provided the food stays in the commons area. The goal is to desegregate the grades, as they are now by hallways, but, more importantly, Dr. Hoesing said, “…to provide a great high school experience.”

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