Riley Wang, rw163@uakron.edu
Since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, AEC students have seen the construction that has been taking place on the second floor. After countless months of enduring the sounds of construction equipment in the nearby biology class, the space is nearly finished and will be the new home of AEC’s new office and lunch room.
Why does the office and the lunch room need to be moved up to the second floor? When are we going to move? Are we still allowed to use the atrium? These are the questions many AECHS students have in mind, so I asked our principal, Mr. T. O’Neil, for answers. Also, for student input, I interviewed students on their opinion on moving the lunch room up on the second floor.
Interview With Mr. T. O’Neil:
Why do the office and lunch room need to be moved up to the second floor?
“The city of Akron is going to take over the atrium for an art project. I don’t know the specifics, but I believe Akron is planning to have an art display area in the atrium.” — Mr. T. O’Neil
When are we going to move?
“We are planning to move the lunchroom and the office up to the second floor by the end of this month.” — Mr. T. O’Neil
Are we still allowed to use the atrium?
“No, we cannot be in the atrium, we will be exclusively on the 2nd and 3rd. At this time, I am not sure if the University of Akron will allow us to use the 4th floor, so there is a possibility that classes on the 4th floor will be moved down to the 2nd floor.” — Mr. T. O’Neil
Student Interviews:
Do you think having the lunch room on the second floor is a good idea?
“I would say no, it seems a bit small, but the room looks nice. Also we are pretty loud during lunch and might disturb the college classes nearby.” – Mehm Chen
“I would say yes, it would be more convenient, because many students have classes on the second floor. Having lunch on the second floor also means climbing less stairs, walking from the atrium to the 4th floor really hurts my knees.” – Aubrey Wilson
“It depends, because the lunch room on the second floor is small and there is not enough space to spread out. In my opinion, the atrium is a nice place to have lunch.” — Cianna Robertson
“I think it’s a good idea because it’s closer to the classrooms so students can arrive to class on time.” – Joseph Doan
“I think it’s a good idea because it will be an enclosed area just for AECHS students and we won’t see any college students, professors, or anybody else not apart of the school walking around. Plus, if the elevators are broken, like they are right now, I won’t need to walk up that many stairs.” – Elaine Zhu