Renovation doesn’t merit cost

Over the past couple of years, RB has undertaken a significant construction project that has renovated much of the building. Among the improvements include a new pool, fieldhouse, entrance, classrooms and labs, library, cafeteria, and auditorium. Needless to say it has been quite the renovation process.

The construction process started small and evolved to the point where major construction was going on during school days. The entire project was constructed in different phases to allow school to continue despite the construction. In the summer of 2009, McHugh construction made a big push to finish a majority of the construction. Although the summer construction did end up getting finished, it caused a late start that has put considerable pressure on many class schedules.

When the construction is complete, RB will be pretty much completely renovated. This will be nice for incoming students who get to reap the benefits of the construction. My class has been receiving some benefits from the construction, but has also had to suffer through incredibly loud and distracting construction noises and parts of the building being completely walled off.

This construction project has not come free; RB has spent millions upon millions of dollars in order to improve “the quality of education” at our high school. One of the main questions that arises from that is simple: has this multi million dollar construction project improved the quality of education?

The short answer is no.

Sure, our school has received state of the art facilities that not many other students have the option to take advantage of, but does that really improve the quality of education in the building? If education is something based on quality of facilities then RB’s construction project has strong merit.

However, education isn’t something based on quality of facilities. Having things such as strong teachers are much more important to education than having state of the art facilities. I’m definitely not trying to state that RB doesn’t have strong teachers either, because I have had many wonderful teachers that I feel like I’ve learned a lot from and will probably remember for the rest of my life.

My main complaint with the construction project is that our school, which is essentially the taxpayers of the surrounding communities, has spent millions upon millions of dollars on a construction project that in my opinion hasn’t changed the quality of education at this building. The facilities are state of the art and have been nice to be able to take part in, but even so, I don’t feel like the cost has been merited.

Some of the renovation process has been necessary, in order to accommodate the ever increasing enrollment at our high school. I’m completely supportive of these changes and very happy that our school chose to expand rather than attempt to pack classes with the current space. It’s all the glamorous changes that are my main complaint. While having luxuries are nice, there is a time and place to have them.

I feel like the money used for the construction could have been better spent, or even not spent at all. In a time of economic crisis, is the best option to be improving a school that is completely functional? Even before the construction, RB’s facilities outshined many other schools and we were able to offer programs that other schools couldn’t even think about offering.

It doesn’t make sense how RB can merit spending millions of dollars to improve a building that didn’t need most of the major improvements, especially in troubled economic times. I know that additions to expand class space and a few other additions were necessary, but the question is whether or not all the construction project as a whole merits it’s cost?

The answer is no.

In the final stretch

The culmination of four years of hard work and dedication is coming to an end. In as little as half a year the construction will be done, and over for all RB students,

What started as a blueprint is now nearly complete as students return to classes with a new building. For many students it’s a shock.

“It’s weird to think that what started when I was a freshman is now finished.” said Senior Matt Landess. “I’d thought I would never see the end of it.”

In 2005 the villages of Riverside and Brookfield passed a referendum that raised money for RB that would revolutionize RB and its students.

The project started with the brand new football stadium and then went on to include a new band room, science department, new classrooms, a new library, a new cafeteria, and a brand new 41 yard pool.

“It really is like they built a new school instead of a renovating an old one,” said Sophomore Christina Daily. “It’s like some school out of a TV show.”

Currently the construction is finishing up work in the Little Theater and the Auditorium. The Little Theater is expected to be finished near the end of October while the Auditorium will be ready next year.

“From the very beginning, the Core Team has been diligent about spending money wisely. It’s gratifying to see those early choices moving towards a positive conclusion,” said Interim Principal Tim Scanlon.

The most notable and most visible addition is the new northwest entrance. The newest, and most ambitious, area of the school brings a look to RB that it has been missing in the past according to some students. In the new entryway a student gallery will become a focal point, as RB students now have a new area to showcase there work.

“We expect  that spot to become a natural gathering place for students because of its accessibility and visual interest,” said Construction Manager Andy Totten.

RB construction – worth the wait

With the start of a new school year, students returned to see a practically new RB. No more dark hallways and dusty floors, construction workers have been hard at work all summer so that students could finally have a school without loud drills resounding or dust lingering in the air.

Many students were truly excited to come back to school after the long summer. “I was excited to see RB again,” said sophomore Emily Andrulis. “I was also a little worried to see how much of it was done.”

It seems that the new entryway is the favorite addition for both students and teachers. “It gives the school a fresh look,” said sophomore Denise Gonzalez. “It also seems that the halls are less crowded and there is more space in the hallways to pass through.”

The recent construction efforts also included a brand new cafeteria. “It’s more organized than last year,” said junior Ana Reyes, “There’s a lot more space. The lines are still slow, though.”

The students aren’t the only ones happy with the new school, all of the teachers now have their own classroom. With construction almost done, there are now enough classrooms available to everyone.

Science teacher, Kristi Sterling, commented that “The new lab spaces are huge. They are also organized.”

There are also the added computer labs. “The new labs are a nice resource for students,” said English teacher, Daniel O’Rourke.

One disappointment that one of the boys cross country coaches, Larry Forberg, has is that the new field house isn’t big enough to hold a meet inside. “The field house could have been bigger. RB will never get this opportunity again,” he says. Yet, he still says that RB is the nicest place he’s ever worked at.

There was a large amount of work that had to be done to have this nice school. “Working on RB has been a challenge,” says Andy Totten, construction manager. “Construction had to be separated from students for safety.”

The little theater and the auditorium still aren’t finished, though. The little theater is supposed to be finished sometime this month, and the auditorium is targeted to be finished at the beginning of next semester.

Ever since construction started, everyone’s been wondering when the work will be completely finished. Construction manager Andy Totten answers, “We’re hoping to be finished by early next semester.”

Going through this process was worth the wait because students and teachers will finally have a completed school that they can be proud of.