Thursday, December 12, 2024
Lawrence Road and Turtle Hook Middle Schools unveiled their new additions on Saturday, part of the extensive construction work in the Uniondale school district.
“We know that the environment does matter,” district Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil said, “(so) when they see the bright lights and the phenomenal fields and the wonderful classrooms that are built and designed for innovative learning, they know that the community is behind them every step of the way.”
Both buildings were the focus of a series of construction projects by H2M Architects and Engineers that involved both new infrastructure and the expansion and renovation of existing facilities.
Lawrence Road’s general-purpose room — where students eat lunch, study and watch performances on the stage — was expanded and remodeled. The walls are now a bright white, with a colorful mural of shapes and fruits painted on the cafeteria wall, and the new flooring is white with red and blue squares throughout. Booths line two of the walls, and the middle of the room has both long and round tables where students can gather.
The new south wing of the building houses new classrooms with new furniture, including trapezoid-shaped desks that make it easy for students to work collaboratively. The new wing contains all of the music rooms, including a new chorus room for students who have until now practiced in the general-purpose room.
Lawrence Road Principal Mark McCaw said that the upgrades would help the staff in “turning up the rigor and turning up the opportunities” for students, and in turn boost their drive to succeed. “That’s the school of the future,” McCaw said.
Turtle Hook’s renovations also included an expansion and redesign of its general-purpose room to give students more space, with booths and tables offering flexible seating options.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Turtle Hook Principal Donald Humphrey expressed his gratitude for the project and his hope that the building upgrades will empower and inspire students.
“It will serve as a space for connection and community,” Humphrey said, “where students and staff can come together to build relationships, develop social skills and mature, and nurture a sense of belonging.”
Humphrey gave a tour of the new facilities, including new classrooms, furniture and upgrades similar to those at Lawrence Road. Band and orchestra students performed in the upgraded music rooms to show off their functionality.
Students, parents and other community members were able to see the school’s new auxiliary gym, a smaller gym for extra phys. ed. activities, as well as the new boys’ and girls’ locker rooms.
The Turtle Hook library was renovated, and students admired the new reading and study space, one of many new hangout spots in the building.
Haydee Torres, 13, described the new library as “intriguing,” and said it would draw more students. Kaya-Lee Richards, 14, agreed, saying it was “brighter” and “welcoming” now.
“They have new furniture, so it’s comfy here,” Abigail Petgrave, 13, said, adding that there are now more opportunities for studying and hanging out.
The most extensive work was the addition of a second floor in both buildings, for classrooms, restrooms and, at Lawrence Road, a library.
While the construction was in progress, each school housed all of its sixth-graders in one wing. Both McCaw and Humphrey emphasized the desire to help sixth-graders “acclimate” to the middle school environment by having all their core subject classes — math, English, science and social studies — located near one another.
Martin Dar Conte III, the district’s director of facilities, said that all nine buildings have undergone renovations thanks to the $158 million bond that was passed in 2018, with most of the construction finishing up this year.
Dar Conte stepped into his new role this summer, and, he said, he and his staff helped bring the project to the finish line.
“Between my maintenance and custodial and ground staff, they really picked up the slack and brought everything together,” he said. “So I was very, very happy and impressed with them, with the work that they did.”
