It’s only temporary
Students and Faculty discuss life in the portable buildings
Senior Keith Tweed chats with juniors Guy Richardson and Toby Crowley outside the portable building before school.
Sophomore Grace Weaver walks down the ramp to her next class with juniors Tatum Kellar and Jordyn McLemore.
Juniors Sidney Dunkel, Maeley Herring, Caitlyn Taylor and Avery Moorehead head into the portables on the first day of school.
Sophomores Kaitlyn Miller and Grace Weaver rehearse in the downsized band hall.
A group of sophomores share summer memories outside the portable buildings on the first day of school.
Students work on translating their essays into Spanish in Señor Martinez’s room.
Seniors take a selfie outside of English teacher Carol Campbell’s room. Ms. Campbell had them wear old mortar boards and walk in her class to “Pomp and Circumstance.”
PEIMS Coordinator Jeanette Willett, Secretary Kayla Crowley, Counselor Leslie Graham and Principal Vance Morris adjust to work in their shared office.
Students do their work in Ms. Odom’s new classroom in the old daycare.
While some students dreaded the first week in the portable buildings that serve as the junior high and high school while construction is underway, others were excited to start this new adventure.
“This year the classrooms are a good size,” eighth grade English teacher Becky Nogle said. “Each classroom has its own thermostat and they were fresh and clean starting off.”
Because of all the construction, students have a longer walk to the cafeteria, computer/science labs and family and consumer sciences building on different parts of the campus.
“I like that most of the classrooms are closer together, but having to walk from athletics to second period gets kind of stressful when you do not want to be late,“ seventh grader Sebastian Marbry said.
According to senior Jenna Vieth, the pods are easier to get around in, since the school is only one floor.
“I enjoy having ramps this year and not having to climb three flights of stairs daily,” Vieth said.
The pods have called for some size adjustments, such as the high school office, said senior Katie Geis.
“The office being packed is a very big adjustment that everyone is still having to get used to,” she said. “Sometimes it is nice to have all of them in one place, but other times it hard to just have a private conversation.”
English teacher Carol Campbell said being in the pods is surprisingly pleasant.
“It’s very convenient to have the teachers’ lounge closer, but I do miss having a view and all the extra windows,” she said.
Sophomore Lauren Castles said she had been really upset about being in the pods, but her opinion changed during the first week of school.
“I was so sentimental about the building going, but now that we are in the pods I really like them, even though I had been against it all,” Castles said. “They are better than what we had before.”
Going into my 26th year of teaching journalism, I advise the newspaper, yearbook and broadcast. I am blessed to work with such talented students! This...
