North High Construction Brings New Fine Arts Facility

Bang! Bang! Bang! The noise that many of us hear while in class due to the current renovations being done to North is annoying. But don’t worry. The “latest [the fine arts renovation] will be completed is by spring break,” said building manager Jon Metheny.

Teachers and students don’t know much about the construction, but they patiently wait to hear more about this project that will costs the district an estimated $9.75 million.

From the time that the fine arts renovation was only a blueprint up until its partial completion, both teachers and students have heard multiple interpretations as to what the renovations will entail.

“I’ve heard that they are trying to build us a new choir room and move it into a different location, and I know they’ve been working on it for a very long time now,” said junior and choir student Liberty Chance.

While this is true, the phase 1 of the construction also includes the “North parking lot renovation, two new ac units, a new roof, and the fine arts addition is all included in the construction,” confirmed Metheny. The teacher parking lot has more parking spots and a new platform for easy drainage. A new roof was added to solve the leakage in some classrooms. The new fine arts addition will also be isolated from the rest of the school since there will be no classrooms above it or next to it. Therefore, students and teachers will not have to worry about music disrupting classes.

Phase two of the construction is set to take place this summer and will involve some finishing touches to the fine arts area, as well as new art rooms. “The art department will be moved over [to where the current fine arts department is] and [the band, orchestra, and choir] rooms will be transformed into art rooms, so some preparation will have to be done before they move over here. And then, the current art department will be transformed into the rest of what the music department will be and those rooms would be turned into practice rooms and a piano lab and other facilities around that area,” said band teacher Andrew LaRose.

  As a result of all the construction, there have been some drawbacks such as disruptive noise, increased traffic in the student lots, and flooding. Also, no one was allowed to use the building this past summer and will not be allowed to use the building next summer.

“The marching band had to move off site [to Northeast Middle for band camp] and next summer we will probably be off site also, so that’s an inconvenience,” said LaRose.

Despite some negatives, the construction is bringing along positives that will benefit students and teachers alike. “I think it’s a good thing that they’re actually trying to improve things that have been the same for so long. It’s kind of sad to move locations because it’s not going to be the same way, [but] it’s going to be bigger,” said Chance.

“I’ve been here for 12 years and this is something that [the district] has talked about for a number of years, and for some reason or another it hasn’t happened,” said LaRose. “For it to actually happen and to see it happening is really exciting.”