The robotics team and AV clubs worked with Director of Technology Services Jason Ketter to create new room signs for the school with the robotics team’s laser cutter over the summer, at the request of administration.

“It really helped me because when we first got the laser cutter in I didn’t know how to use it,” senior robotics member Sam Wilson said. “It helped me figure out the software.”

Robin Jackson, father of sophomore Nicole Jackson, donated $10,000 for the debate and robotics programs to be split evenly. The robotics team also hopes to use the laser cutter to create this year’s robot. The cutter will add versatility to the materials the team is able to use.

“We want to be able to make our robot out of more materials,” senior Katie Rosasco said. “Last year we were restricted to just metal. With the laser cutter we can now use more material.”

The administration renumbered and organized classrooms into departements to better foster collaboration and make the room numbers more efficient. All classrooms on the basement floor now begin with zero, while the upstairs classrooms begin with one. The classrooms are now organized according to departments as well. However the system isn’t entirely new.

“This goes back to a system that we had when I originally started working here,” Student Records and Learning Management Systems Coordinator Elizabeth Middleton said. “The classes on the main level start with 100 and the classes on the lower level were two-digits.”

After complaints that the current numbering system wasn’t logical, administrators decided to change the system. Not only do the numbers make more sense, but they also organize the departments and look cleaner and fresher.

“It was something that needed to be checked off our to-do list,” Assistant Principal for Student Life Fran Koehler said.

Safety was also a priority for the new system. Not only will the logical layout be useful for emergency personnel, according to Middleton but classrooms aren’t the only rooms to get numbers now. Unlike the prior system, all doors will be marked with a sign, to aide in finding rooms and ensure a The numbering system also includes letters to denote the what the room is used for. Rooms with the letter ‘A’ are for administration, while ‘C’ denotes a classroom, and ‘S’ is for storage.

“Part of this plan also came from recommendations from safety organizations and police and fire, that we have every doorway numbered.” Middleton said. “Even a closet or something like that.”

English teachers Melissia Wilcox and Katie Cox are in the South Six, while the remaining English teachers are in the between freshmen lockers and the counseling department. In order to departmentalize the classrooms, many teachers had to switch rooms, such as English Curriculum Coordinator Casey Engel. The religion department consolidated to the hallway between freshman lockers and the service learning offices, nicknamed the Holy Hallway. However religion teachers Polly Holmes, Jessica Hall, and Stephanie Pino-Dressmen continue to use rooms throughout the school.

“It’s an intimidating prospect,” Engel said. “But I quickly came to realize that I really appreciated the change”

The Math department and Science departments remain in the South Six and science labs, respectively. The Fine Arts department now shares the basement with sciences and debate, while the History Department resides in the freshman hallway with the Foreign Language department. For the classrooms that didn’t move around the school, nothing will change.

“Students still probably won’t use the new room numbers,” Middleton said. “It really had more to do with visitors in the building.”                  

Students and teachers alike were initially hesitant to renumber the rooms. Students such as sophomore Ally Heefner worried that it would cause to much confusion. Most students were unaware of the change at all, as they had never know classrooms by the number before according to sophomore Callie Cameron. While some students have embraced the new change.

“I honestly don’t mind it,” senior Elizabeth Ericson said. “New year. New classrooms. Fresh start.”