Have you ever heard construction noises in the school during class and wondered what’s happening? The school is developing a new technology wing in E-Wing, and if you drive behind the school, you can see the skeleton of the new building. But when is this project supposed to be completed, and what new updates will it bring?
The construction of E-Wing officially began in June 2024, Associate Principal Scott Breigle explained. Since then, many teachers and students have been affected by the construction. IHS does not have enough classrooms to move all of E-Wing’s residential classrooms away from the building. Therefore, some classrooms ended up needing to stay there even though the construction is distracting.
According to a science teacher, whose classroom sat in E last school year, teachers in E-Wing last year needed to “be flexible” in case anything happened that would make them need to relocate their classrooms. It happened, too; there was a gas leak in E, and for one or two days, the science classrooms needed to relocate to another part of campus.
The science classes were not the only ones impacted. Some tech rooms had to move to K-Building for a couple of months while the school waited to receive temporary trailer classrooms near Kulp. Ian Krywe, a tech teacher working out of the temporary trailers this year said that while the school district has done a good job working with the tech teachers, it has been a difficult experience so far, and more challenges could come. There were four full shops in the previous tech wing that “have had things accumulating since the sixties,” and were very-much due for an upgrade. The five tech teachers had to sort through them and choose which items to put into storage which items to have in the trailer-classrooms when the construction started.
But how long will the construction go on? This project was originally planned to be classroom-ready at the beginning of this school year. Now, Briegle reports, classes are expected to return next school year (2026-2027) as a result of equipment and construction delays. Breigle explained that the planning process “took into consideration the teachers’ and even students’ ideas for design.” Some tech students were provided an opportunity to take a 3D tour of the initial plan designs and provide constructive criticism on what to keep and what to change.
Krywe also described some of the features of the new classrooms. They will have an “open floor concept,” allowing the tech teachers to observe all students and the machinery from every point in the room. It is possible that the glass between the tech and computer rooms will be frosted, a process that will render the clear glass opaque, in order to diminish potential distractions. Even with the frosted glass, Krywe said that the sound from the machinery will probably be another challenge to face. The tech teachers, Krywe asserted, are “ready to deal with any challenges that come [their] way with the new tech wing.”