Sean C. Morgan
High school students are attending school this year with most of their main building torn down and construction underway just on the other sides of walls and ceilings.
“Things are going very well,” High School Principal Pat Stineff said. “We have very few phones, no bells and no intercom system, and the clocks aren’t working very well.”
Despite it all, Stineff said, it’s working. Classrooms have been prepared for use, though much work continues just outside some rooms. The art building, for example, has had someone working above it.
Many rooms have ceiling tiles out, and workers are busy throughout the school.
“It’s just something we’re going to have to deal with,” Stineff said.
Junior Kim Lovik has class in two of the old classrooms that remain standing on the south side of the old building. She also is a student assistant in the makeshift administrative offices, located in the east wing of classrooms.
“It’s really hot everywhere,” Lovik said. “There’s no air conditioning, and there’s not bells, so kids are really late to classes.”
The construction isn’t really noisy, but there are a lot of construction workers everywhere, Lovik said. The school environment is okay overall, and students can learn in it.
“It’s not so horrible,” Lovik said. “It’s just different. Everybody’s kind of like confused. Lots of kids are getting lost.”
The good thing about a small town, though, is they can ask for directions and get them, Lovik said.
During breaks, students hang out outside around the high school, Lovik said, but she doesn’t know yet what they’ll do when the rain starts.
That’s a huge problem still, Stineff said. The high school cafeteria is in the activity gym, and students can hang out in there during the morning until breakfast. When it gets cold and rainy, she suspects students will hang out in the front part of the main gym where the student store is.
During breaks, “we just kind of let them find a spot, see where they prefer,” Stineff said. She jokingly suggests maybe they’ll find their way into classrooms where they can keep working.
Stineff is uncertain how many students the high school has, though the freshman class is large, more than 200 students, she said.
“It’s been smooth despite all the disruptions,” Stineff said. “There’s some separation of workers, but we have an awful lot of workers. There haven’t been any problems I’m aware of. I think this is going to be a year of totally unexpected things popping up.”
For example, Thursday’s school pictures had to be moved to the front part of the new gym at the last minute yesterday instead of the auditorium, which is full of supplies and work.
“I just decided I don’t want to get uptight about it,” Stineff said. “It’s a huge challenge. It’s something that we’re thinking about constantly.”
I spent about 35 minutes (at Sweet Home High School) at lunch break,” Supt. Larry Horton said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s working.
“I applaud my staff and kids for being flexible and their willingness to work with us. We’re looking forward to a great year and we ask the community (and parents) to be patient we’re going though these transitions.”
“I think it’s going to be worth it,” Stineff said. “It’s going to be interesting as long as everyone realizes we need to work with each other and be patient with each other.”
That includes students, Stineff said. For example, the high school needs students to pick up after themselves. Eating outdoors, the school has had a problem with trash left behind, but it’s not like the hallways where it can just be swept up quickly.
“We need the kids’ help to make it better around here,” Stineff said.
The high school is in a $7 million reconstruction project that will replace major portions of the main building. This follows a new gym project for $4 million at the high school. It is part of an $18.6 million bond approved by voters more than two years ago.