I don’t mind our new renovations much at all—they’re both innocuous and helpful. The lockers are finally big enough to store things in, and the new carpet looks great. While students did have to deal with temporary disturbances to their daily schedule during construction, those issues completely disappeared after the renovations were finished. I am a little concerned about the yearbook office—if Room 204 gets drywalls, then that area will be even more cramped than it already is—but otherwise I think the second floor’s renovations won’t inconvenience students at all.
My concerns with the renovations stem from their symbolic value and what makes East special. East’s defining characteristic has always been its lack of walls and the freedom it gives to its students. These characteristics give East a more dynamic feel than traditional schools like North and South; the atmosphere at East is less structured and more fluid than it is at most schools. The fact that one can easily see and hear what goes on in the hallway and in other classrooms strengthens the connections between people at East and strengthens the East community as a whole.
I believe that the divider “walls” that were replaced in the third floor contributed to this atmosphere. Their fragility—they looked so delicate that they’d fall if an ill-timed gust of wind hit them—made the classrooms less concrete. They symbolized the lack of separation in our school and the openness that defines us as a community. I love the lack of physical boundaries in our school. I love how it changes our school’s atmosphere. While I have no problems with the new walls from a practical standpoint, I feel that they have made our classrooms more definite. They have given the third floor classrooms a more stable, permanent feel than they had before.
I realize that my viewpoint may seem trivial given its reliance on purely subjective ideas like tone and atmosphere rather than concrete facts. However, I think the subjective is just as important as the objective. After all, we are often guided more by trends and first impressions than we are by the immutable qualities of an object. Again, I have no issues whatsoever with the renovations in and of themselves. I just think they represent a departure from the atmosphere East has cultivated.
By Ananya Nrusimha
