In a recent Town Crier article, Dr. Burton, the Superintendent of Schools, outlined some major flaws with the high school campus. It’s true that most of the buildings on campus are close to half a century old, and aren’t up to par with safety code. Still, I find that I can’t agree with all of Dr. Burton’s claims.
The article makes some good points, but I felt that a lot of the claims weren’t the pressing reasons we desperately need a new school. Most schools, including the recently renovated middle school have an abundance of hallway clutter. While they pose tripping and fire hazards, extension cords are hardly our greatest concern.
I agree that we need a new high school. We don’t have a proper technology infrastructure due to lack of electrical outlets and in-wall ethernet jacks. We barely have enough electrical outlets in classrooms to support the new technology being installed in a dated campus. My math class has been relocated to a trailer, because our initial room couldn’t hold my class. Some of the whiteboards haven’t been maintained, and they no longer erase. Our classrooms are cramped, hallways narrow, equipment broken and outdated, and space at a growing premium. We could do a great deal more with a new building. I agree with Dr. Burton that we have to actively work against our buildings at times.
I understand that residents pay high taxes to support the school district and other town services. We struggle to maintain what we already have every year, hoping that residents will continue to pass overrides to keep our school afloat. It’s greatly appreciated at the high school that next year we will continue with the same services, but unfortunately we’re no longer at a point where “it would be nice” to get a new school. We are now at the point where it is necessary to build a new school. It’s wasteful to continue pumping money into buildings that have long been broken. Something needs to be done, because as Burton says we “cannot carry on indefinitely in facilities that are failing.”
Dr. Burton’s article can be found here at WickedLocal.
![Seniors Garrett Batt, Tom White, Emmanuel Nzaramba and Jack Calverley work together in preparation for the Spring Fling. “We decided to host this because March is kind of a slow month [in which] there’s not really that much happening, so I just thought it would be fun to put pep back into everyone so people could look forward to something this month,” senior Delcie Peter said.](https://waylandstudentpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-20-at-10.28.14-PM-1200x832.png)
Dave Ryan • Jun 15, 2008 at 3:17 PM
I agree at some level that teachers don’t necessarily need technology to be a good teacher, but I think there are other factors to consider.
In math classes you need a graphing calculator to be able to learn certain concepts. It just isn’t practical to do certain processes by hand. Without a graphing calculator in your math class imagine how it would effect how you learned the subject.
Installing the new technology allows new areas of education to open, and new techniques for teachers to teach with. Later in life we’re going to be expected to know how to use certain pieces of technology.
Whether we want to use new technology or not, we are required by the state to have access to certain technologies. Just like we have to show up to school 180 days a year, there are benchmarks for technology we have to meet. In addition to fire codes, safety codes and other standards.
Matty • Jun 11, 2008 at 6:22 PM
I feel as though the best and most unique part of Wayland High is the campus. Sure, extremely hot classrooms for a week or two can be very uncomfortable, but that is not the point. Every time I walk along the sidewalks of our school I feel as though this is something special. Why take away what makes Wayland High…Wayland High? Also, in all honesty, I learn just as much, if not more, when Mr. Delaney is simply speaking to me as I do when other unnamed teachers use every piece of random technology within their reach. Keep the school the way it is, and just fix the moldy celings.
Someone • Jun 8, 2008 at 9:04 PM
i totally agree with mia, i want to be outside. so if new school=no outside, and we get new school, i = :(…………….so no new school
Mia • Jun 5, 2008 at 9:19 AM
Okay: I think that getting a new high school would be perfect, BUT we wouldn’t have the outdoor campus anymore. I’m happy to not have all the fancy stuff if it means that I can go outside.
Peggy (Wang) • Jun 4, 2008 at 8:40 PM
It’s funny. I agree we need a new school. But, as Mr. Weingartner quoted in a class of mine, all a good teacher needs is a chalkboard and a piece of chalk, or, to modernize it, a white board and a marker. Do we really don’t need all those fancy pantsy technologies? Or is it just because we’re the information age’s generation that we need them to keep our attention (we’re so fast-paced these days)?
It’s a reality we need to deal with, that we always feel the need to add frilly features in an attempt to enhance our classrooms. But I don’t think it’s even a matter of “it would be nice” at this moment. Some of these rooms are not working for today.
It used to be that WHS had a system by which students would go to large, medium, and small classes. There would be lecture halls (L1 type of classrooms. There used to be 3, but 2 have been filled in w/ concrete), seminar classes, and even smaller classes for more individualized learning. Thus, our classrooms were fit to accommodate these class sizes. We no longer have this system, however, so the strange assortment of rooms is inconvenient. Plus, some places really are problematic for maneuvering, especially for the disabled. And I’ve heard the air quality in our school isn’t up to par.
What I think is most important about a new high school, however, is that it’s a new start. We need to fill it with what we need. It’s an opportunity for changes in the high school system. Back in the 1960’s when this school opened, it was hailed as the leader in the country’s drive toward improving education (the USSR’s successful launch of Sputnik made us take a second look at our schools to see why they weren’t up to standards). It was innovative, new, fresh, and you wouldn’t believe how much press it got, from Time, Life, The New York Times, the Architectural Forum.
This new school, if it is to be built, must be a testament to how much our town emphasizes education, how important it is. Academics is one of the greatest assets of Wayland. We need to make it the best it can be. It’s not going to be just another school to replace the one we have now. It’s got to be much more. It needs to be as well-designed and well-constructed as it was in the late 50s, when we were very lucky to have such a wise School Committee.
I think our town became so widely recognized for its high school because we anticipated the need for better education and so we addressed it with a willingness to stick our necks out and try new ideas. What with the failure of No Child Left Behind, our nation seems, at a moment, to be about to reconsider its education system again, and, with such a need for a new high school, we have a good opportunity to recreate what happened back in the late 50s; we can possibly once more lead the country in improvements in our education.
Dan S. • Jun 4, 2008 at 7:21 AM
Yeah and we need A/C too!!!
Jim • Jun 4, 2008 at 7:11 AM
I personally like the school the way it is and as a student I don’t see any faults in it. I like the equipment, classrooms, and campus. The school should stay the way it is.