BIDDEFORD — Although the renovation of Biddeford High School won’t be complete until September 2012, construction crews, working two shifts, have finished the new addition, which houses administrative offices, and the new library. As well, two-thirds of the classrooms have been renovated.
Construction began last year, after voters approved a $34 million bond in November 2009 to renovate the high school, which was originally built in 1961, with an addition in 1971.
Returning students will notice the difference immediately on Sept. 6, the first day of school for the new academic year. Entering the school will be a whole new experience: No more crumbling steps that have been patched over and over again ”“ those have been demolished, the old entryway closed off.
Instead, students and faculty will enter through a bright, expansive lobby into the new two-story addition. On the first floor are spacious new offices that house the school’s administration. Administrators and their staff moved in after students left for summer break and have been working in the new quarters since June.
Added space is one of major benefits of the new wing.
No more will students be crowded in a cramped central office. The main office has a student check-in area that is separated from a large area for students and visitors who are waiting to meet with administrators. Students will also notice the larger nurse’s office that has more space and privacy for sick students.
Staff members, who were consulted about the design of their offices, say they’re appreciative of the additional space and privacy in their offices.
“It’s just so much roomier,” said Administrative Assistant Diane Charland, who works in the Guidance Department. “Everyone has their own little section. There’s room for parents to sign-in, students to sit.”
“I love it,” said Administrative Assistant Rachel Guay, who also works in Guidance. Offices and computers were laid out for greater privacy, she said. Guay said she also liked that the new, spacious storage area was close at hand so she didn’t have to go down the hall to look through boxes for student records.
Upstairs in the new addition is a large, bright library. The tall windows fill the room with sunlight, although electric shades can be lowered with the push of a button when needed. The library boasts two dozen desks with computers where students can work or look up books and other references. New, over-stuffed armchairs are arranged for students who want to sit and read. There’s also a separate room for teaching so the librarian can meet with a group of students without disturbing others.
The community can also use the library as a meeting room for speakers and other presentations. As part of the new addition, the library can be closed off from the rest of the school when used by the public.
The section also includes a new elevator. The existing elevator in the old section of the school was refurbished as well, so there will be two when the school year starts, and four in all when renovations are completed.
In addition to the new section, construction crews have been making changes throughout the school, including renovating most of the classrooms. Project Manager Scott Clark, who works for the general contracting company Ledgewood Construction, said workers tore down a lot of the interior.
“Only block walls and steel remained,” he said. The classrooms have new walls and ceilings, new plumbing and new electrical wiring. There are new bathrooms throughout the school and many of the lockers have been replaced, with more to go. Even the water fountains have been changed out. The new ones have a special function for filling water bottles.
The renovated classrooms have also been designed to take full advantage of new technologies.
In the future, said Superintendent of Schools Sarah-Jane Poli, most textbooks will be eliminated from the classrooms, as students use iPads and other types of e-readers and tablets.
A lot of work was done over the summer, said Clark. By working two shifts to complete work on deadline, about three or four months of work was compressed into 10 weeks. Prior to this summer’s renovations, the parking lot was replaced last summer and the band and chorus rooms were completed during the school year.
Additional work remains.
Construction on the Steve White Gym has already begun; Clark said it would be ready by basketball season. Some additional classrooms and the lecture hall are awaiting renovation. Next summer, the final renovations of the Tiger Gym and cafeteria will be completed.
The renovations give rise to more than just physical changes, said Principal Britton Wolfe.
“The renovation gives us an opportunity to psychologically make a break with the past,” he said.
Accompanying the new addition and rehabbed classrooms are changes that affect teaching and learning, said Poli. Already in the works, she said, is the design of a new “common core” curriculum that Maine public schools will be using ”“ along with other public schools around the country.
As well, this is the first year of a freshman academy that separates ninth grade students from the rest of the school to ease them into the high school experience.
Even the methodology for teaching is changing, said Poli.
One of the most important changes accompanying the renovation, said Wolfe, is a renewed sense of pride with students. In the last school year, a student who was notorious for scuffing his shoes on the school walls, said Wolfe, started the same behavior in the renovated section. When a fellow student saw him, he reported it to a teacher. That would have never happened before, said Wolfe.
Most students haven’t had a chance yet to get a look at all the changes. But Tom Laverriere, a junior, has ”“ and he said he likes what he sees.
“I thought it was extremely nice,” said Laverriere. “It’s such a start contrast.
“It gives off a vibe of confidence,” he said. “I think it will look even better when people are roaming the halls.”
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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