YES: 18    NO: 1

Liberty High School was filled with workers this summer. Renovating the bathrooms, upgrading our HVAC system, building the new fine arts center, moving the weight training room and refurbishing the wrestling room. These upgrades have not gone unnoticed, many students were buzzing about our HVAC system and how it was similar to walking into an airport bathroom on the first day of school.

A couple of days into school, a storm came into Liberty. The inevitable leaky ceilings and trash cans that littered the school made students wonder if LHS was prioritizing the right renovations for their students. They asked if all the renovations that were made over the summer were crucial to the improvement of our school.

Despite the nuisance the leaky ceilings provided, after learning that they might be impossible to fix, the staff ultimately agreed that LHS was making the right renovations in order to benefit the school the most.

Before learning about the situation of the leaky ceilings, some staff members were confused as to why the HVAC system was upgraded before the roof. Now, the HVAC system was seen as a great call. For some teachers last year, having some students come from a cold classroom to a hot classroom was disruptive to their learning.

The newly renovated bathrooms were something else many students were excited about. The bathrooms were modern and fixed the main complaint of bad water pressure. One staff member mentioned that, since the bathrooms were last renovated in 1996, the previous bathrooms may not have met the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and renovating them was necessary to stay legal. The new tile on the bathroom walls would allow for an easier time cleaning. Another staff member pointed out that one of the boy’s bathroom was closed for the year due to graffiti and the tile walls would make getting that graffiti off easier. There were also some complaints about the lack of privacy in bathrooms, especially in the stalls. Big openings appeared in the stall doors, allowing one to see inside a stall with ease. The bathroom renovations fixed all of these issues while making students rave about how modern the bathrooms are.

The demand for a better fine arts center was high and LHS delivered. One staff member was surprised LHS found space to build the fine arts center, considering how landlocked the school is. Overall, the new center will be of great use to the fine art students as well as the whole department.

The movement of the weight training room into the former aux gym and the expansion of the wrestling room were also needed. Both the weight training room and wrestling room were small. The aux gym, however, had little usage, therefore making the move a smart decision.

After learning about the situation surrounding the leaky ceilings and discussing all the benefits the new upgrades LHS would bring to the students, the staff came to the conclusion that LHS is prioritizing the right renovations.