Over the summer many changes, including new renovations, have shaped Millard West’s appearance. The renovations include the new security desk, the front entrance, the front secured entrance, new theater lighting, new lockers in the locker room and even the kitchen gate.
These renovations were funded by a bond issue, a debt issued by the government to fix a problem because of security issues. Schools around the country are changing themselves to be more secure. Millard West has the lunch room right next to the front entrance, so building a new, more secure entry was reasonable. Before this renovation, West had an unsafe entrance. Only a few of the outside doors could be unlocked remotely, and none of the inside doors could be unlocked remotely. These doors would have to be locked and unlocked manually, which left possible risks for the school. The new security can now remotely unlock one of the inside and outside doors, and there is now a waiting area in front of the security desk. As for the other renovations, these were funded by general funds that were set aside for the district.
“We have key access, so only certain persons can gain entry,” security guard Raul Avalos Jr. said. “We also have new lighting so we can see better, and overall, it’s so far so good. Just a lot of things we have to get used to.”
Straying away from the security renovations, the lights in the auditorium will be of much use in future musicals and plays. Previously, students who worked in the light crew were always struggling with how to get the lights to work, but now they can actually focus on using the lights without that issue. According to drama director Brooke Phillips, this renovation was long overdue.
“Well, we’re going to be doing a lot of interesting special effects with “Frozen,”” Phillips said. “I’m planning to really see what they can do with “Frozen.” Usually, we rent a bunch of lights, but I think we can run a pretty solid show with what we have now.”
Although the lights crew has yet to learn everything they need to know about the lights, they will experiment with them and see what they’re capable of. There are new renovations already planned for later this year.
“We’re going to be looking at an expansion to the north end,” principal Dr. Greg Tiemann said. “The big thing that we’re working on right now is, well, we’re excited about our weight room that we worked on last summer. The booster club was really helpful in securing funds in getting all new equipment down into that weight room, so we have new wraps, new equipment and all that stuff. Now, the issue is that we just want more space in there. So, we’re going to have some architects come in and give us a few options.”
As new renovations are introduced, new changes are brought as well. West looks entirely different from last year; the renovations and the new schedule change have played a big part in this. There are plenty of new changes to look forward to as the year passes.
