Many students from last year recall the problem of the lack of seating during Liberty Hour, but it seems for the time being this semester, that problem remains, however this will change after Christmas break when more tables will be put in.
“The delay in getting [projects] done over the summer was due to the bid packaging and politics because of EPIC and the [change to traffic considerations], so we had to have a lot of conversations with the City regarding the traffic flow, the movement and the flow within the city,” Dr. Adams said.
Even upperclassmen had problems getting a seat last year in the lunchroom.
“I sat at the gray plastic tables [in the lunch room],” senior Zach Breeze said. “It was kind of crowded, but it was mostly crowded because people would just stand in the middle of the hallway and just go sit in the middle of the hallway.”
These construction projects were intended to be done over the summer, but plans were changed.
“It felt like a really unhappy picnic. Everyone was on the floor and it was really crowded, kind of like a homeless shelter,” sophomore Grace Williams said. “Honestly when I walked into the school [on the first day], I was really disappointed that it hadn’t already happened because I was really looking forward to [the construction being finished], but it is what it is.”
Now that underclassmen have moved up to being juniors, most have been able to move away from sitting on the floor.
“This year I was lucky enough to sit at a table,” junior Cole Kelly said. “Last year I sat on the floor all year [and] I was an underclassman so I felt like I couldn’t reserve a table because the upperclassmen were pretty scary, but this year I get to reserve a table. A lot more tables would be nice. I know that North has a lot of tables for everyone to sit at, but Liberty doesn’t.”
Not only were there delays regarding Liberty Hour seating construction, but there were also delays on the improvements on The Nest and the building of the anticipated field house.
“Right before Christmas break we will start with the renovation of the library to put The Nest in the library, the coffee shop. We will have some customized spaces depending upon the cost,” Adams said. “When we start on the internal projects we’re looking at probably November, December, where we’ll really start working hard on student projects. The priory project is The Nest so we can get the library more collegiate-like for the students.”
Students of all grades are getting excited about having The Nest in the library, even those who aren’t coffee drinkers.
“I think it’s an awesome idea, even though I’m not a coffee drinker, but I know a lot of people would like that,” freshman Alexis Gorman said.
It isn’t just the coffee that has students excited about having The Nest in the library.
“I feel that that this is a better step since now we have computers, we have Liberty Hour, and we’re gaining more freedom,” Kelly said. “We’re taking on a more professional academic setting here because it’s not all about being in class and being on time; it should be about the ability to go study in your environment.”
There is some concern that the construction will affect classes and passing periods, but Dr. Adams has been making students her first priority when it comes to education and keeping the school workplace free from distraction. Her goal is to keep the school disruption free.
“The ideal is, [construction won’t affect classes], but reality is, I’m not sure,” Adams said. “They may because the projects get moved up. I don’t want to say no to that because that means I get pushed down to the bottom of the list so the ideal is that I protect the integrity of the learning environment. If it’s you have it now or you have to wait for next summer, I have to think about what’s best for my students.”
The field house is about a 3.9 million dollar project and there will be more classrooms put into it like the sports marketing class. The gym and weight rooms will always be open to students.
“The field house should be done March, 2015,” Adams said. “The goal is for the seniors to do the ribbon-cutting and be the first one’s to enter.”