New way to walk
Riverside Brookfield High School students will walk through new doors next school year as the main entrance will now be located in the back of the school adjacent to the parking lot. Assistant Principal Tim Scanlon said a name for this new space has not yet been determined but will be considered the student commons. The windows bring an abundance of natural light into the front of the building. Benches will invite students to sit and hang out before, during or after school. “It is a grand space for kids, there’s no doubt about that,” Scanlon said.
Security step up
In the new front entrance, a security window will be the first thing greeting visitors. Inside the second set of doors will be the switchboard immediately to the right, Scanlon said. Offices for guidance counselors, deans, principals and the superintendent will be moved to the new front entrance. The current main entrance will still be open for students to enter and a security station will be placed where the current switchboard is now, Scanlon said.
Suped up science labs
About 14 new classrooms were constructed throughout the school, but the science classrooms have seen the biggest improvement to date. Each science room has space for desks during non-lab times and new updated lab space to work at during experiments. A centralized teaching station is located front and center of the lab work areas, and some are mobile to create a more open and active learning environment, Scanlon said.
Well, well, well
The old terminology of physical education class or department is gone — it’s now called the Wellness Department. A ‘Mondo’ or rubberized flooring will be placed inside the fieldhouse, Scanlon said. Batting cages, three basketball courts, a volleyball court and a rock climbing wall will be housed in the new fieldhouse. A wellness center with individual exercise equipment will be based on the fieldhouse’s second floor. “Our goal is to build something for the next 50 years,” Scanlon said. “Accommodate our needs now and in the future.”
Buttoning up
Interim Superintendent David Bonnette said the high school will be closed at noon Friday, June 5, to the public and at 5 p.m. will close to everyone. On Monday, June 8, teachers and administrators will be moved into four trailers near the football field for the summer. Andy Totten, project manager, said a substantial amount of the work will be complete by Sept. 8, which is the start of the 2009-10 school year.
