New windows, fresh paint and bright classrooms. This is what Bingham students were expecting when they walked into school on the first day. Instead they were greeted with construction workers, loud bangs and no flooring. Bingham High has been working on renovations for the past four years as part of a five year and 50 million dollar renovation. The changes being made are helpful to the school. Mr. Erickson, a VP, said, “Some of it is infrastructure, but it is also modernizing the features we use daily.” The renovations have included new paint, skylights, and lighting in order to create a more inviting space to learn in. 

So far the upstairs, vocational hall, and music areas have been given a face lift. This past summer the Administration announced that they would be renovating all the main floor offices, the main hall, the library, and the counseling center. The main floor offices including the attendance and main offices have been finished and have moved into their permanent home. According to the administration, you can already feel a better flow of how the offices work. This has created a better working environment.   However, the library has been completely gutted and the counseling center is missing a home. Now, over a month into school, it looks like there is no end in sight, and students are wondering what the renovations are supposed to look like. 

The library was the biggest one in the district and housed over 18,000 books. For the renovations they had to pack up all books and copier supplies. The copy center is currently located in the vocational hall along with the counseling center. The old library was cut in half and the west side was used to create a second story from scratch. To access the second story, there is a main staircase that leads up to the new counseling center, filled with storage , reception , a wellness room, multiple conference rooms, counselors, and the school psychiatrist. The renovations made have created multiple new areas for students and teachers to meet. Students can access the counseling center upstairs and through the media center. The renovations were made with students in mind to create a better flow for usage of the space. Students have the opportunity to interact with more staff and don’t need to worry about being in the correct office. Erickson said, “recognize the effort and the money being spent is used so the students have a wonderful experience. It’s all here for students to be able to come to a space that is inviting, safe, and that they enjoy being in and have friends there.” Students are going to benefit from the renovations as soon as they are completed. According to Erickson, renovations should be completed sometime in the next couple of weeks. 

Administrators have asked students to be patient, and remember that this is all for their benefit in the long run, even if parking is currently a mess.