High School Auditorium Nearly Complete; Business Classrooms Upgrade to Begin in June 2022
The summer of 2022 is going to be a busy one at BH-BL High School—and possibly one of the most memorable ones as well. Construction crews will be putting the finishing touches on the school’s new auditorium and beginning the work for major renovations in the Business/Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) wing.
New High School Auditorium
The highly anticipated new auditorium is slated to open its doors and welcome the community in the fall of 2022. For some, the space will be unrecognizable now that it has been completely modernized, the stage expanded, and balcony seating added. When complete, the entire auditorium, which was gutted and reconstructed in its original footprint, will have approximately 1,000 new seats; air conditioning; new carpeting, house lights and ambient floor/aisle lighting; state-of-the-art audio and lighting systems; a lighting booth in the balcony; and a sound booth with cutting-edge technology to allow for live video streaming of concerts and productions. The orchestra pit, which was also lengthened, now has the ability to be mechanically raised and lowered. Additionally, the fly space above the stage was heightened to allow for efficient scenery changes and set storage.
“Over the years, this space has truly become a district- and communitywide auditorium,” says Fine Arts Director Pete Giroux. “So many wonderful annual events are held in the auditorium, it will be awesome to have them in a state-of-the-art facility that the community deserves.”
HS Business/FACS Classrooms
Work on this section of the school will begin in June and is expected to be ready for use in the 2022-23 school year. The Business and FACS classrooms are among some of the oldest, most dated rooms in the school. They are located in the original section of the high school, built in 1955, and have received very few upgrades over the year. When finished, the new classrooms will feature new lighting, floors, ceilings and technology infrastructure upgrades to support today’s learning devices such as high-definition interactive projectors, document cameras, and large screen whiteboards. It also includes the creation of flexible work spaces that allow students to collaborate, create, communicate, design, solve problems, and think critically.
“We are so excited for the transformation of the new wing because it will provide our students with access to large and small group presentation rooms, access to on-demand financial data, a new textile lab, and even a new foods lab,” adds District Department Head for Business, FACS, and Technology Stephanie Andrejcak. “These classrooms and labs will expose students to the spaces they’ll experience in the real world and better prepare them for their next steps after high school, whether that’s continuing their education or entering the workforce.”