Change can be exciting but also a bit confusing. Where is the new facilities office? Where is Ms Yonkey hiding?
Here is the Blue and Gold’s road map to our new facilities.
First stop, the US Information Commons, formerly known as the US Library. “Where are all the books?” asks Victor H. (11). While many books have been removed from shelves and stored in the basement, iMacs, iPads, wireless headsets and big touch screens have replaced them.

In the US Legacy Commons, the checkered ceilings, the comfy sofas, swiveling chairs, and the outdoor patio all create the ideal dining hall for upper school students. Flashy neon signs, custom-made tray collectors and brand new ovens (which are dedicated to baking French Fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, and corn dogs instead of frying them) were also installed along with new salad and drink bars over the summer. Mr O’Neal jokes, “Students love it so much that they are always be late for class!”

Upstairs, the Black Box Theater thrills students. It is a simple, unadorned room where everything is black, including the curtains and walls. The blank canvas and movable seating risers allow students to design the space in any way they desire.
With a catwalk leading up to the caged ceiling, students can even ‘drop lights’ wherever they like. “The small size of the room creates intimacy within the audience, providing an ideal space for this year’s production, The Laramie Project,” says Mr Edwards, the director. “The Black Box Theater is a wonderful new facility and everyone involved in theater is grateful for it,” says Columbia R.(10) who is a cast member in the Laramie Project.

Adjacent to the theater is the new dance studio, now called Studio 2. The sleek sprung floor has an underlay of foam so that dancers can now jump freely with no worries of spraining their ankles. Studio 2 includes new cabinets, sound and recording systems, a projector, a shiny barre, and above all, natural sunlight. This is a bonus for Jasmine K. (9). “The sunlight lights up the room so you can easily see yourself dancing through the mirrors,” she says.

Even the new art room is refurbished with modern technology. Mr Badgley, head of the Art Department, describes the space as,“a flexible teaching and learning space that brings us further into the 21st century”. Art students now have boxes of interactive drawing tablets–Intuos 4–that are perfect for portfolio building. Research-based art, car modeling, and even robot building are all possible.

Now, let’s flex some muscles! The last stop is the Tiger Health & Wellness Fitness Center, a.k.a. jock heaven. There are spinning bikes, an Olympic rack, rotating grip chin-ups, elliptical trainers, treadmills, a seated military press, and a boxing bag, which help relieve all the high school stress.