On Friday Oct. 27 the official groundbreaking of the new STEM wings at both West Senior High and Central High School is taking place. The event will be at 3:30 p.m. at Central and at 5:00 p.m. at West, with round trip bus transportation taking people between ceremonies. The groundbreakings will also be livestreamed on the TCAPS YouTube page.

  “They have been having planning meetings for well over a year and half now and they are far enough into the planning and bidding process now that construction can actually start,” principal Joe Esper said.

  Construction was originally planned to break ground in early September. With a slight delay, students and community members are glad to have an official start to this project. The new wing will allow for a lot more opportunities for students. 

  “We’re gonna be able to do all the things we normally do but in a much better space and with a lot more kids. Obviously robotics is the thing that everybody thinks of first because it will have enough space for a full sized field, [where] currently the students are practicing in the hallway,” Esper said.

  Not only will the students be provided with tons of space and materials, but it will also be much safer. All of the lab equipment and machinery to build robots will be in much safer places. In addition the STEM wing will have additional spaces for other classes and activities.

  “It’s a lot more than robotics, the computer lab in there can be used for different classes. We could use it for a lot of marketing type classes. There’s a conference room, a clean lab and a lot of storage too,” Esper said.

  Having a brand new state of the art facility at West is a massive upgrade to the current STEM setup giving students much better access to materials and equipment necessary for the jobs they are doing.

  “If you’ve seen our current STEM space, students and Mr. Skodack [has] done a great job using what they have, but it is a very inadequate space. [It’s] way too small, it’s really just two classrooms that were made to be regular classrooms and there’s pillars in the way of everything, there’s no space for robotics,” Esper said.

  It’s no wonder why so many people are excited about the new STEM wing considering the current setup. The new STEM wing will provide a new level of convenience.

  “Just the fact that it’s on the first floor. It’s lost on a lot of people that right now the STEM rooms are on the second floor in the furthest point back in the wing. So every piece of material we bring in to be cut or be used has to be carried up the stairs or up the elevator. The new space [will be] on the ground floor, [with a] big overhead garage door,” Esper said.

  Not only will the STEM wing be extremely convenient and great for many different classes and groups, but it provides students with valuable opportunities.

  “I think it’s gonna be great for kids to be able to learn skills that are in high demand [and] that are highly employable,” Esper said.