Every day, French teacher Ms. Marie-Françoise Dao Hodang has to make the long walk from the portables to the front of the school. At minimum, the trek is five to eight minutes long and requires serious time management skills.
“In order to get things done,” Ms. Dao Hodang said. “You really have to go the distance between the portables and the other side of the school.”
In an effort to modernize the campus, the old and outdated 100 and 200 buildings were demolished. After three years of construction, the new buildings being erected in the east side of the school will be completed by the end of March to early April 2017. However, the official completion date has yet to be announced.
The new buildings will provide enough classrooms for the 100 and 200 building teachers, solving the problems of the long walk, and allowing for teachers that are sharing classrooms to move into one of their own. Currently, the school board and other staff members are deciding on the types of furnishings and technology that will impact the learning environment.
Presently, the 300, 400, 500 and 700 buildings classrooms are stocked with ENO Boards and different types of student desks such as, round tables, rectangular desks or individual desk chairs. In the new buildings, the furniture will be easier to move around and teachers will no longer have to struggle with adjusting desks and chairs into new orientations to suit their needs.
“Once we move into the new buildings, it will be nice to have the technology that we lack in the portables,” Ms. Dao Hodang said. “I look forward to having a mounted projector in class and being able to use it for my lessons.”
Once that transition is finalized, the area where the portables are now will be turned back into a multi-purpose field like it was in 2014.
All this is what Principal Dr. Jennifer Lashier calls Phase 1.0, with the next step being the pool’s renovation. Currently, the pool is 33 yards long, and does not meet CIF regulations for Swim and Water Polo. As a result, the renovation will include changing the pool’s length into a 25-yard pool and, despite other rumors, will retain its current location.
“I’m super excited for the things to come. The opportunities this construction provides is a testament of our community’s commitment to our students and their learning.” Principal Dr. Lashier said. “By the time construction is finished, Temple City High School will be a sight to see.”
TCHS School Newspaper