Many monumental events have occurred in the past sixty years. Since 1954, African American citizens gained voting rights, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the U.S fought in fourteen major military operations, and the first black president was elected.
What hasn’t happened since 1954? Construction on some of the oldest parts of New Trier’s Winnetka Campus.
The district has anxiously anticipated next week’s November 4 vote on the New Trier referendum since plans began over a year ago.
Community members, including a portion of the senior class, will vote on the $89 million dollar bond referendum, which plans to replace the three oldest parts of the building.
More than 25 new classrooms, three new science labs, a new library, more secure entrances, and energy efficient heating and cooling systems are also included in the project. If the referendum passes, construction will commence in spring of 2015 and finish in time for 2017-2018 school year.
Even sophomores, who have only attended the Winnetka campus for two months, are familiar with the distinctive smell of the Winnetka cafeteria. Combined with other typical conditions such as seasonal extreme heat and consistently chaotic food lines, it is no wonder students prefer to sit elsewhere.
While some find eating lunch outside of the cafeteria to be part of the New Trier experience, the resulting piles of half eaten apples and empty food wrappers dispersed across the hallways after sixth period are a tradition not worth maintaining.
Inside a quiet classroom, lunch conversations are easily overheard. This is especially distracting to students testing during these periods.
Those who frequent the music and art wings are all too familiar with the unbearable heat present during early fall and late spring. Unreliable heating and air-conditioning systems make 80-90 degree outdoor temperatures feel brisk. On these days, students may sweat more in their art or music class than in gym.
As critics have pointed out, the referendum will undoubtably cause disruptions to students who attend the school during the construction phases.
Art classes may temporarily move to modular classrooms located on the North playing fields; however, the district assures that these rooms will include heating, air conditioning, and likely more space than existing classrooms.
Many worry major holiday breaks will be sacrificed due to construction schedules. According to the district, this will not be the case.
The schedule may receive minor changes, such as possible student attendance on some holidays and the lengthening of the 2016 and 2017 summer vacations, but the winter and spring breaks will not be eliminated.
Although these days off of school are sacred to students, a few can be spared here and there for the sake of the project.
If the referendum passes, an extra $16.67 per every $1,000 of taxes would be added to every homeowner’s annual property tax bill for the next 20 years. This may seem unnecessarily expensive to those who do not attend the school.But for those who have attended the school in the last sixty years, this seems like a small price to pay for additions like a proportionally sized cafeteria and handicap accessibility, features to expect of any high school with 4,000 students.
Most homeowners in the area wouldn’t live in a house that hasn’t been updated since before the invention of the internet, yet students are expected to spend eight and often more hours a day in a building of this quality. Voting “yes” to the referendum is the next logical step to furthering the advancement of New Trier.
If we can increase the quality of New Trier’s learning environment, then we can enhance the education students receive as well.