Despite previous timelines suggesting that construction would finish by the time students returned to school from spring break, BVH’s quad remains closed. With that, unrest is settling within the senior class as graduation approaches and they remain without a quad.
Senior Xiomara Wright expresses distress saying that the lack of a quad “Crowds [the] hallways,” and because it is her last year at BVH, “it is not that enjoyable to have a bunch of construction going on.” Since the start of the year, the graduating class of 2026 has not had the full experience of sitting in the quad, senior lawn or otherwise. Wright states she doubts it will be done before graduation. “I heard that it was supposed to be done a while ago. Then it was supposed to be done [in] March of this year, but it is still not done,” Wright said.
While older students have had to come to terms with things like the loss of their senior lawn and tree, freshmen did not get the same experience, having never even seen the old quad. While this may be exciting, to be able to grow with the remodeled quad, starting high school without one has not been the most pleasant experience. Freshman Ayako Blanchard expressed her feelings from the perspective of a student who has never experienced the quad.
“The first day here, it was a bit crowded and I wondered why. When I realized how much construction was being done, [it made me wonder,] what is this going to be,” Blanchard said.
She also expressed feelings of excitement toward the completion of the project and getting to hang out in the quad for the first time. BVH Principal Alex Salazar clarified these delays, emphasizing the challenges of operating on an older campus.
“Starting off with the weather, we had unexpected rain a couple months ago and [that] impacted the timeline. A two-day delay can impact the timeline for weeks if deliveries have to be pushed back [and] repairs take longer[…]they hit water lines, and on one of those occasions, that happened during the school day,” Salazar lamented.
Despite these challenges, Salazar remains hopeful that the new quad will open for students to enjoy after having to adjust without one for so long. The gathering place used to be the heart of the school, but now that it is gone, students feel crowded and claustrophobic.
“One of the obvious ways it has impacted our senior class is [moving] student activities [from the] quad, because that is where everyone typically assembles,” Salazar said. “It pushed our students out to [the] main corridor and along the classrooms instead of having a central gathering place.”
Freshman Sammy Gonzalez shared her initial impression as well as his current thoughts on the construction. She explained that from the start of her first year of high school, she had trouble adjusting to the crowded environment.
“I did not know there was construction [going on] and I did not know my way around, [but] I feel like the [quad is] really nice. I would actually spend my time there,” Gonzalez said. “I am just really excited for them to open it up and let people walk through since it is hard to get to classes [as of now].”
Salazar further explained that the construction is part of the district-wide improvement efforts, not just at BVH, but other old sites as well. Regarding overall school improvements, Salazar added that he wants students to enjoy their own school like students enjoy the newer campuses.
To better handle these issues, Salazar suggests that, “We could have started months earlier, in anticipation that there were going to be delays[…]I would have suggested that we start a lot sooner than we actually did.”
While there are not any direct plans for more construction, Salazar hints at other modernization projects following the reconstruction of the quad, as prompted by the district, including an updated theatre and baseball field. There may also be an open discussion regarding other areas like the band room and older classrooms. The project is nearing completion.
“They are continuing to lay out the landscaping and [the] last thing they need to do after that is the shade structures that they have already put over by the gym,” Salazar explained. “Everytime I walk by there, like a lot of students, I take a peek. There is nothing more that I would want for our seniors and our students than for them to have their quad back.”
To add on, things are looking up for the current seniors as well as the future senior class. The new quad design features many lawn spaces, and while a senior lawn has not yet been assigned, “We can see that as something exciting, that [they] get to have a choice once that project has been completed,” Salazar suggests that after the completion of the quad, students will have a voice in choosing where their senior lawn should go. Not only does Salazar commend the senior class of 2026 “who have been more than understanding this year,” but he wants to build a community to be proud of, starting with the quad.
Gonzalez says she feels like “I get to experience something the other seniors didn’t get. I know seniors aren’t getting to experience their senior lawn, but it’s a really good idea to have a choice [in the future] of our school.”
