Since the start of the school year, students and teachers have needed to make adjustments and find patience while dealing with the construction going on around the school. 

The equipment needed for construction has made it hard to maneuver in the hallways at times. With ladders and lifts blocking lockers and doorways, it has become a maze to get through the halls. Students are needing to maneuver through the hallways in order to get to class on time. 

Doors being propped open for the work process are a concern at times. Even though the construction workers may be near the door it still causes safety issues. An unknown person could sneak into the school and cause chaos. 

Modifications to events cause confusion not only for the student body and community but also for visiting sports teams. For example, the Erin Dodson Memorial game was moved to the junior high field house. At times it is difficult to know which entrance should be used, and traffic is often limited to one lane. Homecoming events are slated for next week and there will be no lobby for the gathering crowds and no one can enter from the main entrance.The dance will face the same circumstances.

While the construction is going on, the noise often causes the loss of concentration.  With hammers, drills and other tools on at all times, and lights flickering randomly, it is possible to lose focus on school work. The various temperatures throughout the building require an adjustment from the students and teachers. One day the school will be extremely hot and the next day it will be extremely cold. Going from room to room can be like traveling from the Sahara desert to the Arctic tundra in five minutes.

The library is currently closed. The library was a place used for club meetings last year, and now that the library is under construction there are fewer places to hold club meetings. The library was also used by students as a place to get resources and to print work. Now they can’t do that. This causes many issues, as some students don’t have access to the internet, printers or a work space.

Others may claim the students and teachers don’t need to adapt to the construction; however, the construction affects the schedules and classes of everyone in the school. Perhaps people wouldn’t need to adapt to the construction if it was close to being done, but it isn’t. There is still another scheduled year of construction that will continue until the start of the 2020 school year. During this amount of time, people are forced to adapt to the considerable changes in high school due to the construction. 

As the process continues, everyone involved will need to come up with strategies to remain patient and respectful. Construction crews need to use all available hours to finish on time, and students need to keep their focus on learning.  When the process is over, students and the community will have a state of the art education facility. Keep your eyes on the prize.