Officials plan re-dedication to show the public some updates
With the final phase of a district wide construction project coming to a close, students, parents and residents are invited to a re-dedication ceremony of Niskayuna High School tonight, Monday, Nov 8, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. There will be tours of new and refurbished spaces at the school from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and the official ribbon cutting will follow. Later, there will be student demonstrations and musical presentations for attendees.
What we really are doing is bringing our facilities up to date with all of our neighboring schools, said Kevin Baughman, superintendent of Niskayuna Central School District.
The $99.2 million improvement to all eight schools in the district started three years ago. More than half of the total investment was used for improvements at the high school, said Tracy King, spokesman for the district.
`I’ve been here a long time we were in a situation were our building actually limited us in terms of creativity and being able to respond to the changes going on in education around us,` said Mark Trainer, assistant principal of the high school. `We no longer have that limitation.`
The project was first looked at about five years ago, said Baughman, because there were undersized classrooms, lack of technology, leaking roofs, and the facilities were generally in poor condition. Doing a large project, as opposed to small additions or improvements over time, made more sense, he said, because it allowed the district to attain state aid for improvements.
`It was a building that was 60 years old and didn’t have much in the way of upgrades to it,` said Baughman, referring to the high school. `It was kind of like starting with a small building and adding little plots to it.`
He said the additions didn’t always make sense with the flow of students or where they were placed, but the completed project helped organize different areas and enhance departments. Now the library is the `heart of the building,` said Baughman.
`I think the feedback has been outstanding,` said King. `The spaces are brighter; they’re larger; and there is more technology.`
Some of improvements included creating or enhancing learning spaces, modernizing classrooms, increasing energy efficiency and enhancing security.
`Each room is equipped with the latest technology tools,` said Baughman.
With the digital world kids are growing up in, he said, it is important to facilitate this into the classroom to enhance the learning experience. Some of these digital elements include projection systems, electronic white boards and audio and visual elements.
Also, having bigger learning spaces provides classrooms with more versatility, he said.
`The learning spaces are larger in terms of square footage,` said Baughman. `This permits classroom activities to be more hands-on and more project-based.`
Rooms are also brighter because they have more natural light coming into them.
`There is a lot of research to show that a much brighter room, with lots of natural light, actually helps students’ achievement and engagement,` said Baughman.
High school students will also be feeling the benefits of a new geothermal heating and cooling system.
`For a minimal up-charge for heat and cooling, we provide a greater climate control,` said Baughman. `The comfort of our students is pivotal, but perhaps the most important part of geo-thermal is it reduces the carbon footprint for kids and our school.`
He said the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority recently did an analysis of the energy saved by the new heating and cooling method, which resulted in an estimated $126,000 per year savings.
An improved security system also allows the school to electronically monitor anyone coming in and out of the building.
While students now can enjoy the additions to the high school, the construction process did strain school officials through planning, although, Trainer said while there wasn’t any real crisis.
The issues faced, said Trainer, were logistical, such as isolating sections of the building being reconstructed or constructed. Some programs at times were relocated to different sections of the building. Also, for a year and a half the high school library was moved into a wrestling gym.
`Our planning was sometimes two years ahead,` said Trainer. `There was a tremendous amount of planning that we had to accomplish and the implementation of those plans to make sure school went on throughout construction. We were able to work around all those challenges and out kids really did a great job of being flexible in order to help us meet those challenges.“
