The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
North and South students settle into new buildings
Students and teachers of Eastlake North and Willoughby South high schools are settling into their new buildings.
Both high schools opened to students on Sept. 3. The two buildings, along with a new Longfellow Elementary School, were built following passage of a 2015 bond issue by voters in the WilloughbyEastlake School District.
Collaboration and learning opportunities were incorporated into the design of the buildings. The district stated that each space is deliberately designed for a specific purpose.
“One of the things we tried to accomplish in our new schools is no dead space,” Superintendent Steve Thompson said in a News-Herald article. “We tried to create every space that we could to be a learning environment.”
The two high schools feature stadium seating where
students can sit and work. They also have nearby collaborative study spaces.
ThenDesign architects and school district officials previously stated that North and South were built with similar amenities and a similar purpose in their design.
As a part of Union Village in Willoughby, South High School encompasses a competitive swimming pool, shared fieldhouse and indoor track. These amenities will also be open to North High School, the district stated.
Similarly, North High School contains a new theater and auditorium that will be available to South High School.
Tori Dye, a junior at North, attended school in the old building last year. She said that the new school building “feels like a mall.”
“The teachers don’t get their own classrooms like we used to,” Tori said. “They have to share and they’re never in the same spot. They’re like the students — we’re always moving around.”
Tori said that the educational opportunities at North are good and that the teachers and students are nice. She highlighted that some of her friends took part in the school’s technical education program and have already received job offers.
“This school loves their students, they take care of everybody, the school is pretty awesome,” she added. “I love it.”
Student lockers at the two high schools are designed to be rented, where students can punch in an access code to store their supplies. Similar charging stations can be accessed by code, and students can use them to charge their devices.
Classrooms feature collaborative furniture that can be rearranged and moved depending on the activity or general intent. Some contain tables with a design that resembles a yin/yang — two tables can combine to form a circular table or they can be separate.
Ken Melvin, an intervention specialist at South, said that he enjoys the new school building.
“I like the space, especially with the two floors,” Melvin said. “(There are) less crowds and less people.”
As an intervention specialist, Melvin said that he teaches a myriad of subjects.
“We’re an online curriculum now in this room,” he added, referring to the new classroom he was standing in. “We do all kinds of stuff, it’s like a catch-all. If somebody needs help, we help them.”
Safety was another consideration that went into the design of the high schools. The district stated the windows and doors are fitted with a 3M safety film. North High School alone contains over 100 security cameras.
The schools utilize a Raptor Visitor Management System, which screens all visitors against registered sex offender databases across the US.