We are seeing some tremendous changes here at RCS during our summer recess as construction continues across the district. You can read this article for more information regarding the beginning of these projects. Walls are starting to go up, floors are beginning to go down, and the spaces are coming together as we prepare for our first day of school for students on Wednesday, September 8, 2021.
Students and families at both A.W. Becker and Pieter B. Coeymans will be nicely surprised on the first day of school by the new look of the main entrance and office areas. The renovated spaces in the elementary schools will include more spacious main entries, an updated nurses’ offices with ADA-accessible bathrooms, and additional security measures for our staff and students. These new areas will allow for better workflow and effective interactions among staff, students, and families.
At the High School and Middle School, we are gearing up for another great year with a continuing focus on career pathway opportunities for our students. This focus is driving the much-needed updates in both buildings. The middle school will be receiving a renovated Family and Consumer Science (FACS) room and art room that includes expanded storage, new appliances for the FACS kitchen area, and an updated layout.
The high school’s rejuvenated FACS lab will nearly double in size, creating ample room for the diverse and expanding FACS curriculum. Within the new lab, there is an updated teacher workspace, new layout, and modernized appliances. FACS teacher Ms. Cole is excited for the new school year, saying, “Our students will now have the space to express creativity by having more say in the way they explore what they are learning.”
In addition to the formal construction in our middle and high schools, we have reimagined how we will use existing library space to engage students in career-based exploration. Both libraries will receive a “make-over” that will create collaborative workspaces, areas for guest speakers and mentoring, and a “maker-space” where students can engage in assembling, disassembling, imagining, and creating inventions both old and new. Superintendent, Dr. Brian Bailey, stated “Our work at RCS extends well beyond sharing the traditional curricular knowledge that our students need prior to graduation. For our graduates to be competitive as they head to work, college, or the military, they will need to understand how to apply that knowledge. These new classrooms and the improvements to our library media centers will partner well with the work that our instructional staff have been doing to prepare our students for the workplace and the world.”
All spaces are on track to be complete before the first day of school, but backup plans are being put together in case of unforeseen circumstances related to construction. We cannot wait to welcome our students back in September; stay tuned for more updates on the progress!
