Second semester gets to a rocky, yet promising, start

Students+travel+to+get+to+class.+This+wide+hallway%2C+known+as+Main+Street+is+an+important+factor+of+transportation+from+the+freshman+center+to+the+new+academic+wing.

Heather Stedt

Students travel to get to class. This wide hallway, known as Main Street is an important factor of transportation from the freshman center to the new academic wing.

Jamie Zega and lakecentralnews

Two days later than anticipated, the second semester started on Jan. 9.

The day started off a bit rocky, with traffic on Route 41 extending north of 77th Ave. Student drivers and students who traveled on the bus were both affected and forced to start the day late.

“I park by E-Hall. We were backed up from CVS to the school for 20 minutes,” Taylor Jagiella (11) said.

Once students were safely in the school, the day was able to commence and students were able to learn.

“I think it’s been going pretty smooth. I’m really impressed by the way everyone’s been working together,” Mr. Marty Freeman, Assistant Principal, said.

Being the first day of school in the new building, students had mixed reactions to learning in the “West Wing.”

“I like that I got to experience the new building before I graduate,” Michael DeYoung (12) said.

Many students were pleased with new windows, new hallways, new stairwells, new bathrooms, new desks, new chairs and new technology in the new building.

“The cosmetics [of the new building] will hopefully increase the passion for learning,” Mr. Freeman said.

Overcrowding problems from the old building have carried over, but new issues have also come up with the new building.

“The traffic and the fact that the bell sounds like a metal detector is a problem,” Jacqueline Eader (10) said.

Despite the problems, the school year finally was able to start and students are now able to learn in a more state-of-the-art environment. More bumps may occur along the way, but teachers and administrators are working to smooth them out for the remainder of the semester.