RENOVATIONS READY
New Kingston High School east and west wings unveiled and declared ready for opening day
KINGSTON, N.Y. » District officials and construction managers on Tuesday showed off the largest investment in education and community funding at Kingston High School since the main building opened 102 years ago.
Both the three floors of the west wing and four floors of the east wing were declared ready for when classes begin Sept. 5, with the buildings to take on a student population that has long been in quarters built for teaching techniques that have long since faded to computer technology.
There are 16 computer labs in the buildings, administrative suites for each grade level, and rooms that may still be called “shop class” but are outfitted with technology such as 3-D printers.
“It implements the smaller community model ... for entire grade levels,” public information director Kate Heidecker said. “There will be room for ... assistant principals, support services like social workers and guidance counselors, and they move together through ninth grade (to) 12th grade.
“Students will always have that same support team.”
Superintendent Paul Padalino said functions of the expansion come from techniques that has been successful during the past several years.
“We started the model with the ninth grade academy a few years ago when we saw the re-
tention rate at the ninth grade reduced from over 20 percent down to (between) 5 to 7 percent,” he said. “We realized with the smaller learning communities we were going to break the big school into four smaller schools.
“So we put the service into each grade level.”
Technology such as cameras that monitor every inch of hallway are also in place as part of safety and security measures never envisioned when the campus began in 1915. But there is also acknowledgment that administrative sensitivity has changed from generations of hall monitors that would have never tolerated carrying around liquids to installation of stations that will allow students to fill water bottles.
“Previously I was a high school principal and spent a lot of time chasing kids around the hall saying ‘put that water bottle away, you can’t have a water bottle’ and now we’re actually encouraging students to have water bottles,” Padalino said.
Three students who accompanied adults during the tour were enthusiastic about the opportunities for improving their classroom experience through desks that are designed to facilitate changes in teaching techniques.
“All of these desks have wheels, which is especially wonderful because during (science) labs when we have to move around it will definitely make the ... process easier,” senior Nicole Levine said.
The seniors enter the 2017-18 school year have had to endure construction of the building for their first three years at the high school campus.
Students and adults agreed a leading benefit of the new wings will be environmental controls that allow temperatures to be evenly distributed throughout the buildings.
“I’d be wearing a tank top to the high school in winter and someone would say ‘why are you wearing (a tank top)?’” Heidecker said.
District Director of Buildings and Grounds Thomas Clapper noted the $137.5 million project, which was approved in December 2013, is completing its first phase between $8 million and $9 million under budget.
“To date we’re at about $80 million spent,” he said.
While the core educational facilities will be operational work on the campus and at the former MJM Middle School is expect to continue for about another five years. Students will phase out of use of the Whiston-Tobin and Salzmann buildings, with building coming down over the next several years.
Renovations in the main building facing Broadway will be done as part of the second phase of work and may not be as easy as erecting the new structures.
“We’re going to renovate all the classrooms, new heating systems, ventilation systems, electrical systems, all new bathrooms,” Clapper said. “Renovation is always more difficult because you do all your due diligence and your planning then you open up a wall and it’s totally different than the drawings that you have.”