As Thanksgiving break came to a close, Mrs. Baxter released a Schoology update regarding the second phase of construction and how it will affect students. In this update, she commented how the quad will be blocked off and students will not be able to hang out there anymore during nutrition and lunch.
“The quad area of the school will be impacted by fencing required for updates that are occurring on the interior of the campus,” Mrs. Baxter wrote.
As students walked onto campus Monday morning, they were greeted with this reality. The fencing—which starts from the South Gate and goes to the old outdoor stage—restricts a very large portion of the school, blocking people’s pathways to class. Some students are not happy with the fences around campus.
“It takes up so much space, like there’s no way to get around,” said AMPA junior Hannah Martinez. “They could’ve saved it for, like, summer.”
Students also commented on how tight the campus feels now due to the fencing. “I saw they took away the area where everyone hangs out, so everyone is just cramped up to one side of the school,” Hannah said.
Marli Garcia, a junior in AMPA, also shared a similar feeling. “There is nowhere else to socialize like there was before.”
One of the most common complaints students express is how much harder it is to get to their classes in the interim housing units.
“I feel really annoyed because it takes a long period of time to go to class and they’re not giving us enough passing period time,” said Hannah. “They want us to get there quickly and we can’t because of the traffic, then we get in trouble.”
Student traffic has been a pressing issue since the implementation of the fences. Students have seven minutes of passing period to walk to their next class. With the new fencing, though, walking from the interim housing to the third floor of Brown took two students six minutes and 19 seconds without any student traffic.
The quad was home to many of the school events, pep rallies, club held events, college outreach, and more. With the quad closing down for the foreseeable future, many athletic, performing arts students, and organizations have lost the ability to hold events for the school.
“As a performing arts student, I can’t do pep rallies anymore for my senior year on the stage,” said Marli.
But, what is happening with the quad? The construction is an early step in a long renovation that will bring new buildings and design.
Not even staff members are totally sure on what will happen with the quad. BIT teacher Ms. Johnson said, “I believe it’s going to be some landscape. I’m not too sure if they’re gonna bring the tables and everything back.”
But, not all morale is low. Some people on campus are excited to see what comes next. Sydney, a staff member on campus, is unsure of what will become of the quad. They are excited to see what comes next even through all the noise.
“I’m guessing a new seating area and a new stage,” Sydney said. “I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do, but it’s a bit ugly and noisy.”
