As the new school enters the final stages of construction, many students are growing increasingly interested in the new features it will have to offer. Fortunately, the school’s advanced equipment and state of the art design will satisfy and even exceed LM’s high expectations.
The quality of classrooms will improve drastically in the new school. The new building’s eight bio-chem labs will be provided with fume hoods, which will allow students to safely view their experiments under the hood. Additionally, a greenhouse will provide new opportunities for science electives and will help expand the AP Environmental Science program. The new building will also have a large group instruction room, in which classes will combine to view presentations about colleges or from guest speakers.
One of the main aims of the new school was to provide plenty of space for teachers and for students.
“Only two from each of the major departments [will be sharing rooms],” explained Assistant Principal Scott Kilpatrick, “[which should only last] until we work out redistricting. Going into the second year of redistricting, our staffing is not balanced yet.”
Above all, the installment of air-conditioning may most affect the students’ day-to-day lives. Now, students can sit comfortably in their classes well into the summer, no longer burdened by intense heat.
Improvements on the new school are not limited to the classroom. The black box theater will provide new opportunities for the arts. The main stage will be set up so that scenery and equipment can be easily lifted up and out of sight during a scene change. Additionally, the school will have an auxiliary gym that can be used for wrestling, aerobics, and other activities.
One feature that students have long been hoping for is student parking.
“There will be parking for students at the new school,” said Director of Operations Pat Guinnane. “The plan from the beginning was to have some student parking.”
“There will be a limited amount of spaces, and we [still] have to figure out how we’re going to assign them,” added Kilpatrick.
When the project is completely finished in 2011, an enclosed courtyard will contain tables just outside the cafeteria so students can eat outside. In the meantime, students can enjoy the school’s enhanced cafeteria.
“The serving area will be three times the size of what we currently have,” said Kilpatrick. “We will [also] be keeping the tradition of the senior section.”
The nature of these additions makes it clear that students were kept in mind during the planning the new school. Many improvements were made primarily to increase student comfort.
“The school will have…much wider hallways than most parts of the existing school,” said Guinnane. “Therefore, it should be easier to get around between classes. There will [also] be new lockers— sized to hold a backpack.”
The school was also designed to be more environmentally friendly. The use of waterless toilets and motion-activated lights will help reduce LM’s waste of water and electricity. Additionally, all spaces in the new building, especially the library and cafeteria, will constantly be bathed in sunlight, which will stream in through the school’s many windows.
Even so, there is still significant work to be done after migration into the new school is complete.
“One thing to keep in mind is that after [the] move-this summer, the project will continue for about another 18 months as the old school buildings are taken down… and much site work [is being] done,” explained Guinnane. “The parking on Arnold Field will remain until next summer, when it will be taken up and returned to playing fields.”
Even though the construction is not yet complete, students and staff can expect a satisfying and enjoyable experience inhabiting the new school.
By Eric Cohn
Class of 2012
