Construction began on the newest additions to GEHS during the summer. The school’s population has been expanding in the past few years and has needed more room. The MAC that was added in 2015 provided enough room for our required physical education classes, but did little to aid in overcrowded classrooms.
According the US Census Bureau, the city of Gardner has grown by over 6,000 in the past ten years. Most of that growth has been young families and the school system has had to accommodate. The arrival of another elementary and middle school has lessened the strain on lower grade levels, but the high school still has to fit all the students in one building.
The construction of another high school is years in the making as it would cost millions of dollars. So, the district has taken steps to expand GEHS.
“It has been a bit of a hassle with all the construction,” sophomore Riley Buck said. “But I am excited.”
The new additions will be a building for the Special Education students that have graduated from the school already. They will be able to learn a trade and receive assistance on how to eventually take care of themselves.
There will also be 18 new classrooms, a new culinary center, a revitalized auto tech department and an addition to the fine arts wing. The kitchen and cafeteria will also see improvements.
The construction has been a bit of a disruption to the normal flow of life at GEHS, but there is much progress to show for it. The foundation for the Special Education building has already been laid and they are starting work on the addition to the fine arts hallway.
“I am really looking forward to the new fine arts classrooms,” Buck said. “It’s nice that we are getting more room to do what we love.”
All of the new additions will be completed by the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Some of them will be finished before then, but the majority of the work will be ready for next year’s students.