A shock came to Windsor High School after winter break: the entire back and side parking lots were gone.
The $20 million bond issue that was passed in April of 2022 is finally starting to take shape. Unfortunately, due to the construction, the administration had to reroute how the cars and buses would come to Windsor High School.
“(The students) have done such a phenomenal job adjusting to that (the new traffic route). Parents and students, you guys have just taken to it, and it’s honestly smoother than the other way in my opinion,” principal Rachel Montgomery said.
In a message to the teachers, the school’s superintendent, Jason King, detailed all of the new additions coming to Windsor High School.
“The addition to Windsor High School is two stories and located on the west side of the existing gym and south of the existing band room,” King said.
The lower level will serve as a new weight room with a 30 foot strip of turf in the center. Laura Ward’s art room will be moved into the previous weight room, and her old room will become renovated and occupied by Amy Keith’s FACS class.
Casey Willenbrock’s FACS class will also be getting a big renovation. Her room will include new cabinetry, equipment, a new pantry, and a teacher demonstration area.
The upper level addition of the new building will be primarily the band room, with a twenty foot tall ceiling, individual practice rooms, and an ensemble room. The old band room will become a multipurpose room, and a scenery shop.
There will also be a new vestibule and corridor that connects to the old gym. This new entrance will include restrooms and a concession stand. Teams from other schools will enter through this area to access the gym, rather than the front entrance where the teams essentially have full access to the school.
With these new additions, comes plenty of sacrifices on both the staff’s and student’s parts. Many students were misplaced, and no longer able to access their old parking spots. One of the student’s was Caitlin Boyer, a senior who lost her parking spot that she painted.
“I spent around $170 on my parking spot altogether, and it took about five hours in the heat. I wish they could have given me the rest of the year to park there instead of such a short notice email that took it all away. Having that spot was special to me as a senior,” Boyer said.
In response to this situation, Montgomery has allowed Boyer to park in the front lot with the staff so she has easier access to school in the morning and more convenient parking. Though her situation is not ideal, the school tried to compensate her as best they could.
A sacrifice on the staff’s end is now they have extra work in the parking lot, especially in the morning. Assistant principal Alex DeMatteis, Officer Will Scott, John Darmody, and Mike Alvarado are often out in very cold morning temperatures directing the newly formed flow of traffic.
Some members of the school, however, are happy with the changes to the parking lot’s traffic.
“I like that I don’t have to go around the entire school to get to my spot now; I think it’s more convenient this way,” senior Nick Baer said.
Whether Windsor students and faculty are happy with these changes or not, they will be continuing on for quite a while, giving the school time to adjust to the new traffic flow.
King stated that the construction for the building addition is scheduled to end in December 2024, with the renovation work on the FACS rooms ending in August 2024, and September 2025 for the rest of the renovations occurring.
“I’m a bit jealous that I won’t get to see how the construction turns out. As a senior I’ll be gone before it finishes, and the school’s new additions seem incredible,” senior Kenzie Ferrel said.
