Walking around the campus, students may have noticed the bright blue fences surrounding construction sites in the parking lot and near the fields. Many students are wondering what the progress and results of the construction are, given its notable presence.
Luckily, it seems like the final product will consist of some very helpful additions to our school, although progress is varying throughout.
According to Newsome’s Sway newsletter, the total completion of all construction will include a new Performing Arts Center, Athletic Fitness Center, a turf field, and rubber track at the stadium. It also states that projected openings of these additions were supposed to be this fall for the stadium renovations and fall of next year for the Performing Arts and Athletic Fitness Centers.
Probably the most noticeable of the construction is the building of the Performing Arts Center at the front of the school. It has taken the space of the overflow parking lot, downsized parking space, and limited sidewalk space near the front office.
This use of space is understandably required though, with the construction plans for the new Center. Theatre technical director, Sophia Prall, notes, “We’ll be getting a new auditorium, and it’ll have a lot of improved spaces, especially the tech room, which we use for building sets. We need all the space we can get, so it’ll be helpful having a bigger one being built.”
Along with the new auditorium, the old one will be renovated to create new classrooms and storage for the entire performing arts department. That way, the auditorium won’t have to be split between classes like Keyboard and Theatre throughout the day.
The other main addition being built is the Athletic Fitness Center, including the new weight room that will replace the tennis courts.
Additionally, there will be the turf field and rubber track, which will benefit the athletic department as well. “Over the summer, the turf was done on the football field as well as the layout of the track, but due to delays, we won’t get the track rubberized until this December,” Newsome senior Colleen Flood says.
The delays likely won’t be a huge issue, though, given that Cross-Country season is in the fall, and Track and Field is next semester, so it won’t interfere much with the track practices.
Although the arrival of the construction at Newsome has created some inconveniences and an interesting view at lunch, the completion of it will bring beneficial additions and hopefully improve the school in the extracurricular departments.