Work progressing on Lynbrook High School extension

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Work has progressed on the new extension for Lynbrook High School in the weeks since construction broke ground in late March.

The community approved the project as part of a $28.9 million bond referendum in October 2017. The two-story, 33,274-square-foot extension will stretch from the front of the high school, where the security vestibule is, to the fields. The total cost of the 20-year bond was $33.9 million, $5 million of which was covered by reserves. Approval of the bond raised property taxes by $168 a year for the average Lynbrook homeowner.

The first floor will house a school store; three music rooms for the school’s band, chorus and orchestra; three art rooms; and an innovation lab for 21st-century learning. The second floor will comprise five new classrooms, including two for family and consumer science classes and one for the career development program.

School officials have long sought the upgrades. The school’s current band room is cramped and is the only space where ensemble groups can practice, officials said. The chorus and orchestra have practiced in the auditorium for many years, but the extension will give them a proper space.

When the Herald toured the school in 2017 before the bond vote, Principal Joseph Rainis explained that many science classrooms did not have sufficient space for lab stations, and added that the school had only one science research facility, which was converted from an auto shop and doubled as a space for equipment storage.

The new science classrooms will range from 922 to 1,633 square feet, and will provide space for more science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, courses.

At the groundbreaking in March, Burak thanked residents for their support. “A lot of time and effort went in on this,” she said, “and we are so thankful for all the support that we have received from the community.”