Any student at LOHS who takes a science class has inevitably found themselves passing by a certain glow illuminating the third floor. The glowing “LO” sign sitting at the entrance of the hallway is one of the several strange changes the school implemented over this past summer. Along with the sign came new furniture in various science classrooms, new floors, an updated ceiling in the entryway of the hallway along with a few other changes. Although these renovations were helpful in improving the equipment and appearance of the classrooms, we worry that these changes follow a common theme of putting money towards the image of the school, rather than focusing on larger issues that may have more impact on students.
Take the solar flower, for example, a $40,000 project dedicated to making our school a beautiful green sanctuary of energy conservation. However, the reality was an expensive toy that has less benefit than conventional solar panels. In fact, the solar flower is four times more expensive per unit of energy generated than standard rooftop solar. Nonetheless, its wow factor seems to have made it much more appealing to the school’s budget.
Chromebooks, on the other hand, happen to be a consistent problem for students with little to no assistance from the school. Many students have the same Chromebooks they were given in 7th grade, with unbearably slow loading and shameful battery lives. If more than three tabs are open at a time, students must evacuate the vicinity of their Chromebook in fear of its detonation. Newer Chromebooks are very limited, and often only given to students who broke or lost theirs. More focus on the purchase and distribution of modern, efficient Chromebooks could allow for increased productivity, especially with many teachers now banning the use of personal computers in class.
Even simple mechanical issues, such as broken locks in the bathroom stalls or the constant dirty filters in the water fountains, are paid little attention to by LOHS while students experience them daily. Students should not have to worry about holding the bathroom door closed due to an easily fixable piece of metal, and they especially should not have to search each floor for clean water.
We are aware that the budget for the science hallway renovation was obtained through the Bond Process—voters in Lake Oswego approved a bond for money that could only be used for construction improvements related to STEM areas. Despite this, we wonder if focusing on new furniture and improving the aesthetic of classrooms was the best use of this budget, or if it was even the best choice by voters.
The renovation comes during a time of rising discontent from students as expensive reconstructions seem to pop up one after another, while going to the bathroom remains an unnecessarily stressful task. We ask LOHS to consider the grievances of students first before looking to improve the image of the school.