Modernization proposed for Armuchee High
$20M-$25M Armuchee project proposed for funding through 1-cent ELOST
Modernizing Armuchee High would give the school a new spark of life that furthers its connection with students, teachers and the community, making it a point of pride for all associated with it, said Principal John Rhodarmer.
The estimated $20 million to $25 million project, which would follow the modernization guidelines set by the state Department of Education, has been proposed
for funding through an extension of the 1-cent education local option sales tax. Voters will decide on Nov. 7 whether or not Floyd County Schools gets the fiveyears of financial backing
to proceed with the project. If voters approve the ELOST extension, collections would start April 1, 2019, and run for five years, through March 31, 2024 — the current ELOST ends March 31, 2019.
David Van Hook, facilities manager for the school system, said modernization essentially means replacing all of the replaceable systems in the school, including bathrooms, the roof, HVAC equipment and wireless internet infrastructure.
One of the major changes to the school, which opened in the early 1980s, would be front and center for all to see upon walking into the finished product. The courtyard that currently stretches from the front doors to just before the front parking lot would become the new front office. The indent where the courtyard is would be filled in with an extension of the building.
This change would give the school a more modern exterior, Van Hook said. It would also improve security and traffic flow at the school, as anyone coming in and out would be funneled through the front office, Rhodarmer said.
The roof would not only be redone but would be raised — Van Hook said it hasn’t been determined by how much. With a higher ceiling, clerestory windows would be added at the top of the walls and run end to end from the front of the school to the back. This would add streams of natural light into the building.
The current front office would be reconfigured as a 21st-century media center, with a greater focus on being a space that provides students with access to digital devices. It won’t be the bookheavy media center of the past, Rhodarmer said, and is aimed at giving students the ability to do collaborative work around computer screens.
The books won’t be taken out. It’s just that technology would play a bigger role in what the center is, Rhodarmer said. Spaces for STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — activities are also planned for inclusion into the media center.
What the current media center will become has yet to be finalized, but turning it into a makerspace for students to create together is an idea, Van Hook said.
Right now, students have to walk across the school to get from their classrooms to the labs for science classes, Rhodarmer said. Under the modernization, the science labs would be expanded to include classroom space. The labs would also be outfitted with up-to-date equipment, including chemical hoods and SMART Boards or interactive TVs — whatever is the most current technology at the time of installation.
The 1980s-era kitchen equipment in the school’s food lab for home economics classes seems out of touch with what students would actually use in the real world, said Rhodarmer. Bringing in new, more modern equipment — even something as simple as a TV screen instead of a mirror above a stove for cooking demonstrations — would increase students’ excitement and their connection to what they’re doing.
Armuchee High’s auditorium has the largest seating capacity in the system and is due for some upgrades, Rhodarmer said. New seats and a new stage floor would be installed, sound and lighting equipment would be upgraded and an actual control booth built. The slope of the auditorium’s floor is too steep for current Americans with Disabilities Act rules and will have to be fixed. Adding an overhead projector and getting wireless access for microphones are additional improvements.
The bathrooms would be gutted and all the fixtures replaced to be brought up to current codes. Van Hook said the system is looking at changing the number and spacing of fixtures, and also possibly adding second entrances.
Changes to the cafeteria include replacing kitchen equipment and updating the sprinkler system, along with remodeling ceiling tiles, windows and doors. Improvements to the school’s speaker system, with additional amperage, would make hearing announcements easier in the typically noisy lunchroom, as well as the rest of the school.
The system is also looking at trying to find a more durable option to replace floor tiles, which wear out and have to be frequently buffed, Van Hook said.
While no definitive improvements have been laid out concerning spaces for the band and the arts, Van Hook said officials have accommodating these areas on their minds.