Junior Lydia Howald was one of just five student athletes chosen to help with recent cafeteria renovations. Walking through the cafeteria with a group, to look at all the possible changes that could be made to the infrastructure of the building, Howald and the other four students met with an architect and designer, Assistant Principal Catherine Halbuer and district managers of food and revenue.

“[The students] met a few times last year and talked about the concept,” Halbuer said. “What they eat in the cafeteria, what they would like to eat and what would bring them into the cafeteria. The students actually picked out the stuff on the furniture and everything else.”

Profits made from the food sales in the cafeteria pays to keep the staff employed. The district food department decided to invest money in renovating the cafeteria due to the lack of money that was going in.

Unlike the cafeteria, students were not a part of the changes in the gym. Every 10 years the floor has to be sanded down and redone. Focusing on the aesthetics, Athletic Director Tony Riopelle talked to former volleyball coach Shane Castle about a two-toned floor. The district paid for a new basic floor, but the extra cost from the new design came out of the athletics department.

“The school district says that if a wood floor like that doesn’t get sanded all the way down and get the paint taken off at least once every 10 years it shortens the life of the floor,” Riopelle said. “So the district said ‘We’re paying to have this done.’ It was really basic, and everyone I talked to said it would be great to have a two-toned floor. [The two- toned floor] was a very little cost to do, so we did it.”

The last area of the school to undergo renovations over the summer was the media center. Much like the gym, the media center needed a new floor, according to Halbuer.

“The carpet was soiled and stained,” Halbuer said. “So we had to first request a test of the carpet to make sure that it [warranted] being replaced. It [had] to fall in a certain range so that it [could] be approved.”

Future possible renovations consist of a dug out for the soccer fields, a ticket booth, a new concession stand for both the soccer and basketball games and a press box. These are projected to start in about two to three years, according to the administration.