Imagine yourself walking up the stairs of MLHS under a freshly-built awning. You push open the glass doors ahead of you, and enter your home for the next (one to) four years. A multitude of changes has occurred over the recent summer, and you can barely recognize the gleaming new halls and corridors. You might find luxury in the comfortable new furniture, or in joining your classmates who are intensely vying to earn the elusive title of “Ping-Pong Champion 2020.” This sacred title can be earned in the newly enclosed main entrance, which will serve as a student lounge and game room. There, you can relax and let your eyes wander out the glass windows and into the newly expanded parking lot.
Now, you may hear your stomach start to grumble, pleading for the legendary chicken boat, but alas the bell has rung, and you have no time to rush to the cafeteria. Yet, no need to fret, because you’ll be able to quickly grab your sizzling sustenance from the “grab and go” station, and head off to class. On your way to class, instead of trudging along to the 300s hall to your Computer Science room, you’ll be navigating the unfamiliar hall of new classrooms, freshly laid in the dirt, to reach your much-anticipated destination.
Whether you believe it or not, this scenario could be a piece of your MLHS experience starting in September 2020!
We have had the amazing opportunity to conduct an interview with the man himself, Principal Sànchez, and inquire about the realities of our beloved school’s impending transformation.
So What Exactly is Happening to MLHS?
The renovations themselves are happening on different aspects of our school, at different intervals, starting with the construction of a new wing of classrooms, more parking, and a new main entrance out front. Then, the focus will shift over to other aspects of the school, namely the cafeteria’s expansion, some lovely sound/lighting improvements in our auditorium, and a couple of other luscious tidbits that we’ll be discussing later. The current plan is to have all of this completed, barring any unforeseen setbacks or obstacles, by September 2020. It is worth noting that there is quite a bit to be furnished, so these dates may change. What we do know for sure, is that the frontal aspect of this construction WILL be completed by the start of next year. So, here’s a bit of what you all will be seeing then:
To see a blue print of MLHS, click here
Main Entrance
By September 2020, you will be entering the school, not through the gym atrium, but through a brand-new set of stairs, leading under an arch, and through a set of glass doors. The new main entrance will be positioned in where Mr. Sanchez’s office is currently and will lead into a vestibule, for the purpose of monitoring student and visitor comings and goings (similar to the setup we currently have in the gym atrium, except this one will be permanent). Not to mention that the previous main entrance to our school will now be enclosed by large windows (as shown in the facade at the top of the page), and will function as a ping pong area and an extension of the lobby for students to unwind.
In addition, Mr. Sanchez shared, “We plan to have a grab and go, …like quick foods…,” which will be located where the bulletin boards near the auditorium are. That way, “people who don’t want to go to the cafeteria…can still buy cafeteria food here and eat in this hallway or the next one.” This feature of our renovation will both supply sustenance to our growing population and aide in reducing traffic to the cafeteria, which will especially be essential once we adopt “Block Scheduling” (see below for more information).
New Academic Wing
Adjoining our new entrance area will be a newly constructed academic wing, with a fresh twelve classrooms (including some new Drafting and Design, as well as Computer Science rooms). Also, in addition to these new twelve, there will be some new Lake Drive rooms in this wing, which will replace the trailers located outside of the cafeteria. Mr. Sanchez’s take on the benefits that MLHS will gain from these new rooms is that, “because right now it’s very difficult to schedule because of room usage…[with m]any classrooms [being] used nine periods a day, [leaving us] packed.” These classrooms will allow more flexibility for scheduling to have a greater number of classes. Both students and faculty will be utterly engulfed by the new scheduling possibilities and liberties granted by this expansion.
Cafeteria Changes
The grand shift in our cafeteria’s appearance will be its eventual expansion, likely over this upcoming summer. The expansion will both increase the size of the seating, as well as the purchasing area, since the, “idea is to have, starting next year, a common lunch where everyone will eat together,” and we need a cafeteria capable of accommodating our growing lunchtime population, as well as still allowing students to enjoy the benefits of having adequate time to purchase and devour their respective lunches, without being pressed for time.
Auditorium Advancements
The auditorium will vastly benefit from the installation of more “up-to-date” lights as well as an improved sound system. Including hopes to implement enhanced acoustics in the auditorium, plus,“sound proofing on the sides and the back [wall] of the stage,” added as well. With these various sound improvements, the music and singing “[won’t] get lost in the backing. [It’ll be] pushed into the audience,” to produce an enriched listening experience for all in attendance during performances and assemblies.
Parking Placement
These renovations will incorporate, much to the upcoming Juniors’ and Seniors’ delight, expanded parking areas, being placed out in front of the school, as well as the side parking lot remaining available, so make sure to attend “Alive and Twenty-five” so that you can take advantage of these improved utilities!
Block Scheduling
As far as Block Scheduling goes, Mr. Sanchez says we hope to adopt it by September 2020, but its implementation is dependent on all of the construction, especially the cafeteria’s expansion, so that date may vary. The blocked lunch will be beneficial for clubs and teachers because clubs can meet during that time, and teachers can meet with their students or host review sessions to aide their pupils.
As Mr. Sanchez puts it, block scheduling “really will allow for teachers and students to get a little deeper into their learning on a daily basis.” The MLHS students and faculty will be able to gain even more from their classroom experience, from being able to complete larger projects in-class with a teacher’s guidance, to having in depth socratic discussions about material, or even being able to properly simulate AP testing in the classroom for preparation. This will replace being mercilessly cut off by the tighter 40-45 minutes per class schedule that we currently abide by, which, if we’re being honest, after accounting for packing up, traveling to class, unpacking, etc, leaves teachers with about 30-35 minutes to try and teach, which is hardly enough time to go over material, not to mention delve into it, and explore it thoroughly.
How is all of this possible?
These massive renovations on our beloved school were only made possible by the continued cooperation with the community. According to Mr. Sanchez, the Township of Mountain Lakes, ” supported us tremendously …[when]…taxpayers voted for a referendum bond two years ago, …[which devoted]…nearly 20 million dollars,” to the building’s improvement. So THIS is where your tax dollars have been going!
We hope this article has brought your visions of our new school to life, or answered any of your itching questions. Whatever feelings you may have about our newly renovated school, it will surely be an unforgettable experience that will entirely alter our MLHS lifestyle, for the better!
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