When she found out Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in Reston was going to be renovated, PTA president Joan Burkhart expected a headache.
Instead, the ongoing project has resulted in a few altered hallways, but for the most part nothing has changed.
"You don't see that much going on from inside the building," Burkhart said. "They took off the ceiling, so it looks bizarre when you enter the building. But there is so much artwork on the walls, so it kind of looks like a modern gallery with all the pipes exposed."
The $11 million renovation project marks the first time the school has been renovated in 30 years. Overall it will be a 5 1/2-year process for all those involved and should come to an end in FY ‘04. The actual construction part of the project takes a total of 18 months barring any major setbacks.
"We've seen the destruction, and now we're starting to see it come together," said Lewis Rauch, Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Facilities Services coordinator.
HUNTERS WOODS WAS DESIGNED and developed at a time when Reston was concerned about aesthetics, so the building was constructed to blend in with everything else. As a result, the front entrance is nearly underground, and it is almost impossible to tell it is a school from the street. The inside of the school tends to be dark and was created with open classrooms.
The renovations will change all that. A new entrance will be moved to the second floor of the school and will be visible from the street. Revamped classrooms will include walls, and light will shine in.
"The school had about six windows," said principal Stephen Hockett. "Now you walk around and see lots of windows."
The school is also getting some amenities that would have seemed to be inherent for a magnet school for the arts and sciences, including a stage, black-box theater, science labs and museum space.
"We don't have a stage, and we're supposed to be an arts school. If we have a production, we have to pull out risers or use something temporary," Burkhart said. "It will be nice to have an actual stage."
Trying to keep the renovations and the classes going at the same time has presented some challenges for administrators. Eight trailers were brought in to serve as temporary classrooms as workers renovate portions of the building. All of the construction workers are required to wear badges or they have to leave the work site. Demolition work has to be scheduled so it does not interfere with testing or other programs going on inside the school.
"Even though the renovation is going on and it's a big thing, the instructional program is our No. 1 priority," Hockett said. "If something is going on and it's a bit noisy, I pick up the phone and it stops. Instruction remains No. 1, and the kids remain No. 1."
THE WORK IS ARRANGED so the students and the construction workers never meet. A lot of the interior work is done after hours, on the weekends or behind temporary walls.
"We have to be aware of the children. The children are curious about what is going on. We have to be in communication with the teachers. I make sure nobody gets surprised," said Vance King, construction supervisor for Caldwell & Santmyer, which is doing the work. "I also have to remind the workers about their language, trash and other things construction workers don't think about."
To be on the safe side, the school system also has an on-site inspector, Tom Short.
"When it's completed, the whole building will look as if it was just built today," Short said.
The addition being built on the side of the building is expected to be open in September, and then the work will shift to inside the existing facility. Along with the new wing, a new Kiss-n-Ride loop, separate from the bus loop, is being installed to help cut down on traffic jams in the mornings and afternoons.
In addition, the students and staff are getting to add their own touch to the newly revamped school.
"One thing I think is interesting is the principal was given 400 tiles and the kids put pictures on them," King said. "When they walk down the hall, they'll find their picture."
In all, the school will have 1,200 such tiles when the construction is completed.
All the scheduling will pay off when the building is finished and everyone involved gets to see the students enter their new school for the first time.
"They're real excited, especially when they see something they have not had before," Short said. "The teachers are so excited. The kids don't care if there is a little scratch on the wall or a mark on the wall."