Parkland High School broke ground Friday on an 84,914-square-foot addition that is the centerpiece of a $68 million renovation that will add classrooms, renovate common spaces and alleviate crowded hallways.<\/p>\n
The project is expected to be done by December 2027 and will include 30 new classrooms, 16 new science and arts labs, two enclosed, outdoor courtyards, a renovated media center and cafeteria, and a new athletics entrance and lobby.<\/p>\n
Parkland senior and student-athlete Sarah Paugh said she was particularly excited for the new athletics entrance. Walking through the cafeteria to access the gym can be confusing for parents and spectators, Paugh said, adding that the new entrance should produce \u201cmore enthusiasm and excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Initial expansion designs also included a new stadium, but those plans have been postponed.<\/a>\u00a0The district currently does not have a timeline for when that part of the project might be added, district spokesperson Nicole McGalla told The Morning Call.\u00a0As the project progresses, the district is posting updated budgets and timelines on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parkland High School\u2019s current building opened in 1999, and several Parkland graduates who spoke at Friday\u2019s groundbreaking said they\u2019re excited to see their family companies again partner with the district for its construction needs.<\/p>\n Michael Butz, general manager of Alvin H. Butz Inc. and a 2007 graduate, said his involvement with the 1999 project was limited to being perhaps the first person to jump in the pool, but he\u2019s now \u201canxious to get started\u201d on the new construction, which will begin Monday.<\/p>\n Victor Padilla, CFO of Eshbach Masonry and a 2015 graduate, said he was only 2 years old during the 1999 project, but he has fond memories of the building, saying, \u201cI felt seen coming to this school.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie Bortz, senior project manager at Alloy5 Architecture and a 2007 graduate , said it\u2019s been \u201csurreal and incredibly meaningful\u201d to have her son start kindergarten in the district. She reminisced about being a sixth grader living through the renovations at Orefield Middle School and said she hopes current Parkland High students also learn to appreciate short-term inconvenience that brings long-term improvement.<\/p>\n As a high school student, Bortz said she remembers running from the gym to architecture class through crowded hallways. The new design will improve circulation, she said, adding that will mean \u201chopefully less elbows to the head for students like me.\u201d<\/p>\n The school\u2019s four-minute passing periods have only grown more crowded, current freshman Rishi Ponda said, calling the addition of new routes to cross campus a necessary change.<\/p>\n Ponda said he\u2019s most excited for planned new study spaces inside the renovated media center. He envisions the glass-walled rooms as a space where students can collaborate and practice presentations.<\/p>\n Overall, the expansion and renovation is \u201cjust going to help a lot with comfort, more than anything,\u201d Ponda said.<\/p>\n In 1999, the high school enrolled 2,325 students. The current student population is more than 3,200.<\/p>\n Principal Nathan Davidson celebrated the district\u2019s \u201ccommitment to investing in the next generation\u201d and said the new lab space would provide \u201cdynamic environments designed to spark creativity, encourage exploration, and prepare students for the careers of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Parkland School District Superintendent Mark Madson thanked students and community partners for participating in the design process.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes an entire community to do what we do in the Parkland School District,\u201d Madson said, \u201cand it will be no different for this project.\u201d<\/p>\n