Students coming back from their summer break did not expect barricades to surround our campus, closing off half of the school, as construction is underway.
However, this is nothing new for students as construction has been ongoing since early 2020. To elaborate, as part of Huntington Park High School’s $150-million “Comprehensive Modernization Project,” they have aimed to add new classroom buildings, a new gym, a new outdoor pool, and more.
Nonetheless, construction has caused considerable trouble for some teachers and students alike.
“Construction has inconvenienced me because over the last two years I’ve had to switch classrooms. That meant moving not only textbooks but materials and a lot of the resources that I have back and forth,” stated Dr. Daniel Alamo, social studies teacher.
Noticeably more students have been arriving late to their classes as they have to walk around the construction. Students are only given an appalling 6 minutes to get to their classes even though there are factors that make that difficult. These factors include the path becoming crowded with students, only one route, and classes ending late. The school has not yet extended passing periods.
“I’ve seen students get returned to the office for tardy passes, even if their class was all the way across campus. I feel like the administration should take action to extend passing periods,” said Alondra Barahona, senior.
Many students have expressed their concerns about construction happening during school hours. For example, on September 1st, several classrooms experienced multiple power outages and HVAC issues. With California’s recent heat wave, students had trouble completing their assignments as they didn’t have access to AC or an internet connection.
Despite this, others have voiced different opinions.
“I know that the administration is trying to open a new route … it’s tough because the construction is out of their hands,” said Jose Rodriguez, social studies teacher.
It will take time for the administration to make adjustments for the students to have a more comfortable learning environment. For the moment, the students and teachers have to deal with these inconveniences.
A lot of people have said that the construction has made the campus feel incomplete and disconnected, weakening the school spirit. When construction finally ends, students and teachers will breathe a sigh of relief, as future students will have access to more amenities.
Administrators should take action towards solving this construction problem rather than punishing students.
Written by Luis Ramirez
Photos credits Spartan Shield