Summer HS Construction - Will It Be Done On Time?

The ripped up floor and partially finished ceiling in front of the auditorium

By Magdalena Stuehrmann

Construction at Octorara Area High School has been going on for quite some time, causing disruption to teachers, students and administrators as offices, classes and classrooms migrated around the high school.

The end, however, is in sight.

An inside view of the new main high school office.

After months of work, the high school main office was finished during last summer, and the office staff has been able to use their new office last school year, much to their delight. Though there are the usual bugs that come with moving to a new area, the space is larger, more conveniently placed, and much more modern.

A view of the new gymnasium floor and walls.

The work on the gymnasium, though it is not quite finished, has also greatly improved the old space. The floors and doors have been beautifully redone, air conditioning has been installed and the walls and ceiling have been refurbished and repainted.

Another area of near finished improvement is the new performing arts wing, The wing contains chorus and band rooms, several classrooms and an audio visual lab, all brand new and updated. There seems to still be a little work and moving to be done this summer in the wing, but the teachers and students enjoyed their new facilities this past school year.

The interior of the auditorium – the ceiling has been redone, though the seats are conspicuously absent.

The same sorts of improvements are planned for the auditorium. At the moment, it, like the gym locker rooms, looks to be a complete mess. The locker rooms and auditorium are probably going to be the last areas of the high school to be completed. 

The redone auditorium will have air conditioning (a well-appreciated plus for any student who has gone through the freshman orientation in summer weather), and will continue the farming tradition of the old design. 

The back wall is designed to represent a barn, the new ceiling will be painted blue like the sky, the arch over the stage represents the sun, and the new seats will be green to represent fields. 

There will be fewer seats in the new auditorium in order to accommodate ADA regulations for more space for handicapped persons, but will certainly suffice for student assemblies.

Construction and moving continue down the performing arts wing.

The high school will also be getting new flooring. As students for the past year have noticed, the floor in front of the new office has been torn up. This will, however, be fixed, hopefully by the end of the summer. The art and library wing and the bottom floor near the breeze-way between the high school and middle school are receiving their new floors right now. 

The pods have been removed and high school teachers are now back in regular classrooms.

One last major change that will be made for students next year is the removal of the pods. These served as temporary classrooms for some high school teachers during the construction, but, as the construction draws to a close, teachers are back to regular classrooms for the upcoming year.

Though the construction has caused a lot of disruption for students and teachers, with annoying noises, blocked off hallways, and changing classrooms, it has also modernized the old building dramatically, making it a much nicer campus for future generations of students.

Construction continues between the guidance office and the gym.

The repainted gym walls, and newly redone doors and floor.

View of the redone gymnasium floor and new air conditioning.