BEVERLY — "It's like walking through a movie set, everything is so new and pristine," Beverly High senior Kelsea Walsh says about the city's new $80 million high school, parts of which opened to students last week. "It sort of feels like we're freshmen again, not knowing where anything is."
Everyone at Beverly High seems to still be getting the hang of where they're going and where they are in the new building.
"We're on the third floor, aren't we?" Principal Sean Gallagher asks Assistant Principal Erin Brown as he gives a tour of the new building. No, Brown corrects him, this is the fourth floor.
For now, most classes are still held in the old building, which was opened in 1965. The auditorium, band and music rooms are now open and being used by students.
"It's been a little challenging the last month or so, but we're getting our act together," longtime band director Ray Novack said. "It's amazing. Like when you move out of a house after 33 years you can't believe how much stuff you've collected; this feels the same way."
The major transition for the rest of the school happens Nov. 30, the new building's official grand opening. On that day and thereafter, all classes will be held in the new building.
Earlier this month, school officials announced changes in the academic calendar to give more time for teachers and movers to prepare for the move. Students will attend school a half-day on Monday, Nov. 22, and won't return until Nov. 30. Originally, students were going to be in the classroom until Thanksgiving. An extra day will be added at the end of the school year to make up for the lost time.
"We knew for a while we'd have to change the schedule, but it wasn't clear when the building would be available," said Marie Galinski, Beverly public schools superintendent.
Teachers will box up their classrooms after students leave Nov. 22 and use the next two days before Thanksgiving to move into the new building. Moving will continue after the holiday, right up until the official opening on Nov. 30.
At least part of that first day will be devoted to helping students figure out where things are. Hourlong tours are planned "to get students acclimated to the new setting and help them figure out where they're supposed to go," Gallagher said.
Construction began last year on the new high school, which is directly adjacent to the current school.
Undertaking a major construction project right next to more than 1,200 students and employees has been an incredible juggling act, Gallagher said. It's almost like replacing utility wires without cutting the power.
Once the new building is complete, students and teachers will shift 100 feet to the new space and workers will begin the abatement and demolition of the old high school.
A key aspect of the project has been "separating the construction and teaching and learning pieces," Gallagher said. "It's been pretty seamless. I don't think (the students) have been affected at all."
Students interviewed reported that the construction hasn't really been much of a bother — aside from the confusion as things are shuffled. For instance, the school cafeteria is now temporarily in a space soon destined to be a weight room, while the old cafeteria is renovated.
"It's been smooth," senior Brad Burns said of the transition. "The only difficulty is not knowing where you're going."
The construction firm, architect and school administrators have met weekly to get updates on the project and discuss how to proceed. Initially, the move into the new building was to take place over holiday break, in late December and early January, but the date was moved up because the project is ahead of schedule, Gallagher said.
Mayor Bill Scanlon told the City Council on Tuesday that work on the new school "is largely on time and on budget."
The city has been deliberating a new high school for years and finally approved money for the project in 2006. The issue came to the fore when school officials were warned that the school could lose accreditation due to the building's poor condition.
The state is paying 56 percent, or about $45 million, of the school's $80 million price.
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