Great presentation on the
MHS Science Lab project last Wednesday! Here is the agenda: http://www.melroseschools.com/mhs/pdfs/Agenda%20for%20Science%20Renovations%20Parent%20Mtg%20Oct%2024.pdf
and here are the graphics: http://www.melroseschools.com/mhs/pdfs/Science%20Lab%20Renovation/Melrose%20HS%20Parents%20Presentation%208%2024%2012.pdf.
These were my takeaways:
* If we want our students
to receive the kind of science, technology, and engineering education that will
make them successful in whatever post-secondary experience they choose,
top-notch science labs are fundamental to the inquiry-based teaching and
learning required. That is why this project is so important for our students
and families.
* Just a few of the improvements
that students and staff will experience: natural and artificial lighting that
is appropriate for lectures and/or experiments; a separate chemical storage
room so teachers can remove only what will be needed for the day’s experiment;
computers at lab stations so students can input data in real-time and teachers
can gauge how the experiment is progressing; key safety provisions like in-room
showers and warm-water eye-baths in case of chemical spillage (an extreme
rarity!); handicap-accessible lab stations; flexibility to add furniture/fixtures
that could be needed in the future but aren't even invented yet.
* Student safety during
the demolition/rebuild is the top priority. There will be CORI checks
for all on-site workers. There will be an air-quality clearance before students
return to school after February vacation (when demolition will be complete).
The sharing of space by middle- and high-schoolers will be coordinated
appropriately (and the administration has experience in this area based on the
prior middle school demo/rebuild).
The strength of the
partnership among Superintendent Taymore, City Planner Denise Gaffey, Interim
Principal Marianne Farrell, Science Department Chair Julie Shea, along with the project architect and project managers is clear. They are running under extremely tight deadlines and working with incredible focus and effort in order to improve
science, technology, and engineering education at Melrose High School
