When passing Amherst High School, it is hard to miss the towering scaffolding that obstructs the front of the school. Students and staff know the addition as the STEAM Wing that has yet to be finished, although many questions regarding the details of the project continue to linger.
The Tomorrow Rivers School District voters approved a referendum on April 5, 2022, to replace the old technical education and agriculture science building with a new state-of-the-art STEAM Wing addition. This extension, called the Falcon STEAM project, will be two stories tall and roughly 38,000 square feet, according to the official concept plan. It will cost a total of 21.3 million dollars, according to the official budget.
The Hoffman Construction Company, a project management firm based in Appleton, is the company undertaking this project along with several local contractors. They have made great progress since they first broke ground on March 27, 2023, and they’re on track to finish construction this summer, and host classes by September.
“Every week we get further. I think it will be a great addition to our school,” remarked Mr. Ruggles. Ruggles is the current superintendent of the Tomorrow Rivers School District and has been overseeing the progress of the construction since he assumed his position last summer.
The new STEAM wing extension will house all of the high school science classes, including all of the latest science lab equipment. The bottom floor of this extension will hold the tech and agriculture rooms whilst the top floor will contain the art and science rooms.
“It is amazing. My new classroom is huge and there is a ton of natural light in it – which I have never had before,” said Mr. Swan, the high school chemistry teacher. These new classrooms aren’t just anticipated by the staff of the school; the students are especially excited.
“I heard about the new commons area and I’m super excited. No cap for real,” expressed Riley, after being asked about the new extensions.
Next school year will be the first year that the STEAM Wing will be opened. The new addition has been anticipated by both students and staff since 2022, and now that the construction is almost complete, excitement has reached a new high. Although much of the staff has seen the new extension, the students have yet to see it leading to many questions and much curiosity.
