Tearing out ceiling tiles, painting classrooms, and renovating fields all help build a foundation for academic learning. With the construction being underway for years at this point, students and staff are thrilled to be able to have the new fixtures and improvements.
“It is all part of the bond project that happened, I want to say December of 2023,” principal Mark Schroeder said.
The entire auditorium was renovated in the summer of 2024, new turf was installed in the softball and baseball fields, and the parking lots were redone.
Some may wonder why Elkhorn would put so much work into a school, but it is because making improvements to the school can help elevate the student’s learning.
“I think it is not so much a job as much as a process,” history teacher Travis Thompson said. “All it does is give the students and the teachers the best climate and the best kind of home to learn in.”
The newest construction started right after the students left school last May. Construction workers redid every ceiling tile, light, and added some HVAC fixtures. They installed new dimmer features to the lights and are also currently building a storm shelter that will be done in mid December.
“We are going to be in a really good spot when it is done,” Schroeder said.
The construction has not caused any major setbacks, but it has been frustrating for teachers and staff. Due to the renovation being done, teachers could not decorate their classrooms until right before school started.
“My room was not painted until the Thursday before school started,” English teacher Jen Hadley said. “And so I was up here for 12 hours on Sunday, putting all of the stuff on my walls.”
Summer school was also in full swing when the construction started. This was manageable, but also hard for teachers and students. The internet was not guaranteed and the construction created other obstacles for students.
“We had to take crazy routes to get to our classes, because we could not use the upstairs,” sophomore Mackenzie Gray said.
The new changes to the school have received mixed reactions. Some teachers are loving them, however some have not quite adjusted to the new fixtures yet.
“Change is awkward, sometimes painful,” Thompson said. “Teachers are entrenched in their ways and they do not like change.”
However, the months of renovations created an amazing space for students and staff to learn and collaborate.
“I did not know if I liked it at first, but my new television and classroom set up has turned out to be a real blessing. I love it,” Thompson said. “None of it would have been possible without the toughness, tenacity and talent of our custodians, Billy, Austin, Steve, and Tyler and everybody else on staff. They made it happen and they got the school ready for all its magic.”