For the 2023-2024 school year, Bonita Vista High School (BVH) Civil Engineering and Architecture teacher Beatriz Velosa’s classroom 807, will be renovated by the second semester. As a first year teacher at BVH, Velosa has been sharing a classroom with Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A and Cybersecurity teacher Oscar Gracia in room 902.
“In [my current] class, students are doing a project [where it takes a lot of space], so they are finding spaces on the floor to work on. Especially because we don’t have a lot of electrical outlets in this room,” Velosa said,
Velosa currently faces the struggle with little to no space for her students to do hands-on projects, which is one of various reasons she is excited for her new classroom. Junior Jerico Miciano who partakes in her Civil Engineering and Architecture class mentions the importance of space when working on projects.
“It is very hands-on [within] the class that requires a lot of material management, so that has added to the space contribution. In the room, there is not much space, the [computer] keyboards crowd a lot of [desk] space from working on the desk, and the rows are cramped,” Miciano said.
With the challenges students face with limited space, senior Erick Rodriguez-Arana expresses his excitement to move classrooms. Moreso, he looks forward to working on upcoming projects for the class.
“I want to do projects with my peers that show or demonstrate our full knowledge of architecture, and see how the new space we are going to have [will benefit us],” Rodriguez-Arana said.
Students switching between Gracia’s classroom and Velosa’s classroom for more space creates an issue where they have to bring their projects every time they move. However, Velosa’s new classroom will allow her students to work efficiently given the space and not having the burden to move their projects.
“I do take my students to [the renovating classroom] often, because we need more space to do hands-on projects. The goal is for us to move in by the end semester, [but for now] we are just going back and forth,” Velosa said.
There are steps these students follow when they switch classrooms for a positive learning environment.
For instance, they have to remove desks and chairs out of the classroom that take up unnecessary space for their projects. Adjusting the classroom to expand the space brings up more challenges for students.
“[The classroom] disrupts teamwork at times, communication is important in making collaborative projects. By classroom switches every once in a while, we have problems with our overall teamwork,” Rodriguez-Arana said.
The students’ difficulties with communication due to the constantly switching classrooms affects teamwork activities. Fortunately, the Career and Technical Education (CTE) has been helping with the new classroom renovation to speed up the process. They have cleaned up and painted the new classroom, making room 807 the only classroom with a paint job.
“CTE has been in charge of making sure that I get tables for the students and laptops. The administration helped them find a room at BVH for [the class], but CTE are the ones that found furniture and suggested they paint the room. They have been helpful because they did not need to paint, but it is nice,” Velosa said.
Amongst painting the room, CTE has been tremendous with how efficient they have been with assisting Velosa with the furniture she needs for the classroom. Students in her class have expectations for the new classroom as they hope it provides the needs that can assist them through their classroom activities.
“[I hope] the future classroom is very spacious and space is important in a hands-on class. We need all the space we can get, [so] we are able to manage and keep our materials safe,” Miciano said.
Expectations from Velosa and her students wish for larger space for their upcoming projects as it is very crucial for them. With the new space that the classroom will have Velosa is excited to teach in the classroom. She has enjoyed her time so far at BVH as the change in environments was enjoyable and she expresses her excitement to teach.
“I am really excited to teach now because I was [working at BVM] for seven years, so I learned and became accustomed to something. I had gotten used to it, [but] I am the kind of person who likes change, so getting to teach new students here at BVH was a nice switch,” Velosa said.
