By Snigdha Chakravarti
The Williamsville Central School District recently announced their plans to start construction of the new high school: Williamsville West. Due to unprecedented high enrollment in the district, the Board of Education decided that creating a new high school would foster a better learning environment and student to teacher ratio. The location of the school is still being finalized by the board, but recent updates have shown that the school will be near the corner of Sheridan and Youngs Road. Williamsville West will be 3 floors and, like its East counterpart, will not have walls. However, there are ongoing debates on whether Williamsville West will be wall-less; the board plans on sending a district-wide survey regarding this, and is also in the process of creating and analyzing research studies.
Williamsville West will be best known for the uniqueness in how material is taught. Instead of the source of learning coming solely from the teacher, AI models will be incorporated throughout the lessons as a way to reinforce the material. Though there will still be teachers present to guide students, classes will heavily rely on AI generated videos, notes, and even lectures! There are concerns over the reliability of the AI material, but the district ensures that they will work with teachers at Williamsville West to make sure that the material is both relevant and factual. Through the website, ai.org/willwest, curriculum frameworks will be provided, along with AI resources. Furthermore, this website will replace the role of Google classroom used in the other 3 high schools. Currently, the website is available for public viewing to explore the ways AI will be used in the classroom, though the Board of Education is still finalizing the logistical information.
The most aesthetically pleasing part of the building will be its library. Taking up portions of all three floors, the library will contain large, closed-door study rooms, open study areas, and up-to-date computers. Due to the large size of the library, each floor will be dedicated to a specific group of genres and contain a specialized catalog pertaining to the specific books in these genres. A spiral staircase inside will connect each floor of the library. Moreover, specific sections of the spiral staircase will directly connect to the other stairwells in the school, in order to ensure high efficiency in walking from the library to a classroom. Most notably, however, is the presence of a large student lounge with comfortable sofas, bean bag chairs, and reclining chairs; this is part of the district’s initiative to include a peaceful, less stressful environment for students to take breaks and relax.
Regarding the outside environment of the high school, there will be the ordinary turf fields and sports courts, but unlike the other high schools, Williamsville West will have an expansive park. This park will have outdoor seating available for high school students to use during their free periods and lunch times. Seating will also be used for outdoor assemblies, graduation ceremonies, and school events, and in fact, it can be used by outside groups for weddings, parties, and festivals through reservations. Additionally, the district has proposed to start up a school botanical garden in the park in order to promote plant awareness and environmental ideals. However, there are still discussions revolving around this proposition as several critics have mentioned how low student interest in participating in gardening may prevent the flourishing of this idea.
Williamsville West High School will bring its unique and bold initiatives in September 2026, when its first ever students will enter its halls to experience a one-of-a-kind high school. There are still many details to be finalized regarding the building of the school and the educational institutions involved, but rest assured, Williamsville West will not be like the ordinary Williamsville high schools we have seen up until now.