Staff and students are generally feeling optimistic about overcoming the challenges posed by the $26 million dollar construction project approved by voters last year.
The construction at Amherst High School started a little less than a year ago. In that time, the project has shut down a major pathway through the school and seen the construction of a couple new additions, including a new high school office and classrooms.
“People have no idea how awesome it’s going to be,” math teacher Brandon Stremkowski said. “Once we have all the new buildings, people are going to be wondering how we lived without it.”
Stremkowski has been sharing a room with Jarrett Davidson, who is a fellow math teacher, and has also been moving between Spanish teacher Natalie Glaze’s room and the library. “The biggest thing [about the construction is I’m not allowed to have my space, which is like my home,” Stremkowski said. “I create a space for the students where they can feel comfortable, safe, and can ask questions without feeling stupid. With the construction, I’ve kind of lost that.”
A student also shared their opinion on teachers having to move rooms. “A lot of teachers had to say goodbye to their classrooms, pack up, and move everything to a temporary space,” Hosanna Anthony, a 15-year-old sophomore, said. “That must have been really mentally and physically draining for them.”
Construction has not only been troubling for the teachers, of course. The students have also had their fair share of issues. “I think the construction is harder for students,” 15-year-old sophomore Emma Wolf said. “Teachers get to school early, so they get to park first. The students have to get dropped off all at the same time because there’s nowhere to park, and it takes longer because there’s more people in one spot.”
Unfortunately, not everything about the construction has been great. Both teachers and students have also spoken out about some of the troubles that they’ve run into. One of these specific troubles are the new routes that have to be taken.
“The faculty bathrooms are going to be all over by the high school office, so that’s never going to be easy,” said Jenny Ludeman, a teacher at Amherst for 27 years.
“I have to go all the way across the school to use the bathrooms,” Stremkowski added. “If I have to use the bathroom while the students are working, it takes me about three to four minutes instead of one minute.”
Opinions vary about the project though some tend toward a more neutral stance and a wait-and-see-approach. Specifically regarding the new locker placements. “[The new locker placement] is alright,” Wolf said. “Other than having to walk around [to Wierzba’s class], it’s fine.”
Even though there have been a few downsides to the construction, there is also light at the end of the tunnel. After all, this isn’t the first time that Amherst High School has been renovated. “The last time a huge renovation went on here, everybody thought it was just horrible because it interrupted everything,” Ludeman said. “At the end of the day, though, it made the school run better. I even went to school in the classroom I taught in, and I graduated from this school 40 years ago, so maybe it’s time for an upgrade.”
