This September, the incoming class of 2020 wasn’t the only change that stood out to the returning upperclassmen and sophomores. The construction around the parking lots grabbed the attention of many students, and those who went inside the building were surprised to be met with bare areas where the lockers used to stand.

Principal Jeff Erickson described his ideal study area to be a place where “students are working hard with their classmates, hanging out, and studying. [The administration] created places where students can work and collaborate.”

Changing the rows of lockers to the study areas we have today wasn’t just a simple redecoration. The Student Government donated $5-6,000 to the renovation and furniture. This was part of an overall comprehensive bond that the district gave for the new science classrooms and the research center. The bond was approved last November. This renovation was the result of a comprehensive study taken a few years ago to determine every room’s capacity. Plans to improve the school began last year when the Port was upgraded to be able to manage more students coming to use the desktops.

There seemed to be an emphasis on the new areas giving students a place to work together during MAST and for Tonka Online. Both programs expanded this year to better assist the student body. For example, the new MAST app allows easier communication between students and teachers to request a meeting during MAST. Tonka Online, computer science, and the new research course will continue to grow in the future.

The removal and selling of lockers, to other schools, seemed to raise concerns. Several students seen using the new areas seemed with the possibility of a locker shortage. Nevertheless, this problem was foreseen and included in the renovation plans. According to Erickson, about five to six hundred tenth through twelfth graders request a locker, and all of the ninth graders automatically receive a locker, but only about half of the freshmen actually put them to use. Many of the lockers just serve as decorations to fill up the blank spaces.

The Crow’s Nest, the Sick Bay, and the furnished area by the Port aren’t the only changes that took place over the summer. The Special Ed classrooms have been moved to be more inclusive and are now more embedded into the rest of the building.

In addition, a new Pagel, funded completely by the Minnetonka Ice Hockey League working with the District, is currently being built.

While change can sometimes be difficult, students at MHS will undoubtedly benefit from all of the resources now at their disposal.