The gym bathrooms do not yet have permanent mirrors after being remodeled over the summer. Because the replacement size was out of stock, the mirrors are taking an unknown amount of time to arrive, according to Jay Holman, director of the physical plant. They were assumed to arrive before the school year started.
Once the mirrors arrive, Holman said it will take very little time to mount them.
Three weeks into the school year, physical education department chair Michelle Myers bought some small mirrors for the bathrooms as a temporary fix until the full ones arrive.
In a Sept. 17 Octagon poll of 117 students, 44% said that, disregarding the temporary lack of mirrors, the new bathrooms are the same quality as last year.
“I don’t really notice a difference between the bathrooms we have now and the bathrooms we used to have — nothing feels changed,” sophomore Lilah Shorey said.
Thirty-one percent said the remodeled bathrooms are better, while 25% said they were worse.
Junior Keshav Anand said he dislikes the changes to the bathrooms.
“The aesthetics are not pleasing,” he said. “The feeling of having metal in a bathroom, in comparison to any other material — it kind of freaks me out.”
Holman said the gym bathrooms had been generally the same since their construction in 1982, only receiving maintenance over the years. Their outdated conditions and large-scale usage prompted the renovation.
Decisions regarding renovations and remodeling are made by head of school Lee Thomsen, chief financial officer Bill Petchauer, director of physical plant Jay Holman and the Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees, according to Holman.
The gym bathrooms were demolished, the walls’ Sheetrock was replaced and painted, the floor was re-done and partitions and fixtures were replaced. The locker room floor was given another layer of epoxy (which hardens into plastic).
Additionally, the old Octagon room and the middle and high school computer labs were all renovated or remodeled over the summer.
The Academic Resource Center (ARC) replaced the Octagon’s room, a small computer lab known as the Cave that the Octagon used for page design. The room was painted, and new carpet was installed. The Octagon moved to Room 9.
Fifty of 158 lockers were replaced in the high school as well. Since the funding came from the previous year’s senior gift, the senior lockers were chosen first, as well as lockers that particularly needed it.
On Nov. 4, the awning over the senior lockers was replaced because of damage to the old one, according to Holman.
Senior Yumi Moon said she approved of the change.
“The old one was really tattered; when you touched it your hands would be grey and black,” Moon said. “I think the red one will have better coverage. Although I’m not sure about the color choice, I think it fits the fall theme.”
There are no plans for more renovations, according to Holman.
—By Sicily Schroeder
