We're At It Again

Sometimes, it seems like we never get a break around here. Here we are toward the end of mid-winter break, and the building is a mess. The cause of the noise and dust is the renovation of the boys' gym and adjacent locker room. The final goal is to turn the old gym into the multi-purpose room for Fine Arts and the renovation is in full swing. The old basketball floor has been completely removed, a new entrance has been cut into the exterior wall, and we will soon undergo demolition of the majority of the balcony.

However, right now we are dealing with approximately 20-25 contractors that are preparing for the demolition. The old pool is also part of this project, to serve as our Student Commons by the time school opens in the fall.

For the remainder of this school year, some student lockers had to be relocated and students will lose access to one corridor in the main building. Once again, we ask our students, staff and visitors to "please excuse our dust". In the end, the improvements will be worth the inconvenience of the renovation.

I hope everyone had a chance to get re-energized and comes back refreshed from the February break.

Important Choices

Sometimes it feels like we're trying to change a tire while the car is still moving. Maybe that's how it is in many businesses, but it's definitely how it feels in school administration. Once February arrives, it's time to schedule students for the next school year.

Building a master schedule for more than 1600 students is a complex process. Consider that we take more than 10,000 course requests from our students and use them to create almost 400 different sections. Consequently, once the master schedule is developed we have little flexibility with schedule changes.

So we ask you to choose wisely. When possible, ask your current teacher for the proper recommendation of the next class in the continuum. We will do our very best to create a schedule with optimal opportunities for your sons and daughters, but we need the most accurate information available.

I encourage you to make careful choices with your sons and daughters. If you do your part, it enables us to do ours.