Have you heard the buzz around the school? It is the sound of drills screwing pieces into place or hammers banging outside the classroom window. Many students in the Spring-Ford Area School District are aware of the construction going on in the high school, but do they actually know how it will end up?

You may have been sitting in geometry or English class, and a sudden noise starts up just past the wall. Outside, you can hear a future being built for Spring-Ford.

Dr. Patrick Nugent, Spring-Ford principal, is very excited to see the end result of the construction as well as its benefits to the teachers and students.

The targeted completion date is July of 2019.

“I’m excited about it,” Nugent said. “I think it will be great for our students, and I am anxious to see how the hallway works. We are looking at having one-way traffic in the hallways.”

The goal is to expand upon the “core areas” of the building. In past renovations, work was done on classrooms and other education centers, but this project is different. Consisting of three parts, the result will allow for “major changes.”

What exactly are those changes?

Work is being done on the front of the building, band room, and physical education center. The first part of the project involves work being done at the interior of the building. This part of the project is focused on creating a new corridor. By developing new hallways, administrators are hoping to alleviate some of the traffic coming out of the cafeteria and art hallway. This would prevent numerous traffic jams, created by students clogging the narrow corridors.

Knowing that students are creatures of habit and fearing that they will default back to familiar routes, administrators are planning to implement one-way hallways to encourage the use of the newly created corridors. Students will be required to go in one direction down each hallway to hopefully relieve some of the tension in the doorways.

“This will relieve some of the tension in the hallways and some of the congestion outside of the cafeteria,” Nugent said.

The second part of the project is situated near Doors 13 and 14. Due to the ever-growing music program, the previous expansion of the band room is inadequate. A plan for a new band room has been put in place and will also incorporate additional storage for the theater program. This will be beneficial in keeping props, as well as instruments, safe.

“My hope is that the project will alleviate a lot of the safety issues we are having with equipment sitting all over the place,” Spring-Ford Band Director Seth Jones said. “Because the program is growing, we need the ability to have things in a spot that keeps safety in mind for all of the students.”

The third and final part of the construction project involves expansion of the gym that is located near the baseball fields. The gym will be doubled in size, and a new weight room will be added.

Sophomore Abbie Calvert takes “Fitness and Wellness,” and the construction has had an effect on her workout regimine.

“As someone whose gym class should be in the fitness center, it’s pretty annoying cramming in a stuffy room that doesn’t have as much equipment,” Calvert said.

Many other young athletes have struggled with the construction as well.

Junior Stephanie Gehret mentioned how the construction has affected the winter track team’s ability to train. Without a proper weight room, they are left to practice in closed quarters, lacking proper equipment.

Many students as well as staff members are excited to see what comes of the construction, though, even if for the time being it can be bothersome.

“It’s just distracting in some classes, especially studio art when there’s a bulldozer right outside the classroom,” sophomore Stephanie Guzy said. “It’s loud and even shakes the tables sometimes when I’m working, and it’s kind of inconvenient in an art class.”\

She wasn’t the only student who felt this way.

Senior Hiba Hamid stated, “The construction really has an impact on my school day. It is especially difficult to get to my classes which is hard enough without the construction, but with the narrower hallways I’m usually 2-3 minutes late to my classes. The noise is also really distracting, making it hard to concentrate on a lecture or when taking a test.”

Noise isn’t the only issue. Some students feel as though the cold would be a major problem. Due to the renovations, the school is slowly approaching refrigerator temperatures, particularly as winter is approaching.

However, not all students felt the construction was problematic.

“As someone who has only been in the building for about a month and a half, I have been using the construction as a means of getting around the school,” Sophomore Sam Ostrowski stated. “For example, when I see the big wooden wall at the end of one hallway, I know where I am supposed to go. However, I know that in the future, when these are taken out, I will struggle to find my classes.”

Similarly, sophomore Julia Kotes felt that the construction was not affecting her as much as her parents who had to drive her to school, but it was not a severe concern in terms of academics.

Despite the setbacks in progress due to rain, the end result will be a big step in the future of the school. After it’s completion around July of 2019, future students will be able to benefit from the elaborate, new facilities open to them.