The state of McPherson High School’s building is currently dealing with an ongoing problem in MHS Whether it’s the Roundhouse, the theater, or random holes in the school, students and teachers are sick of the inconveniences.
David Maxey is familiar with this very problem. He shared that he is not a fan of his “very own waterfall” outside of his classroom.
This topic is definitely something that most – if not all – of us high school students have been questioning: Why haven’t they fixed this? Do they not think that this is a big deal?
Sophomore Donna Witter shared information about how she feels personally about this issue.
Witter says she feels that she is also disappointed in the¨lack of care,¨ in our building.
¨I hate it when the carpets get wet,¨ one student said. This is also a common phrase among students heard in the hall. Things that I’ve heard teachers say, and even things I as a student have thought about.
Witter also shared that she thinks the issue needs to be fixed, or she thinks that ¨the school should get shut down for mold,¨ due to all of the leaking.
According to Maxey there have been other challenges with this building. In the last 36 years of his teaching in the USD 418 district he remembers dealing with asbestos tiles, and ceiling scraping due to lead in our building.
When interviewing Maxey, I also asked him how long he, as an educator in our building, thinks the roof of the school has shown signs of problems.
“Oh, at least 20 years unfixed,” Maxey said. “Although they just fixed the roof about 4–5 years ago, within a year, the roof flooded again.”
Senior Cheyenne Jenkins also shared how this problem has affected her personally. She shared that she doesn’t understand why this problem is so ongoing.
¨Why not get it done?¨ Jenkins said. ¨We’ve had all summer, and have known about the issues.¨
This raised some confusion, which leads to more questions, like: Is MHS really using funding responsibly?
Why are they constantly not able to fix ongoing issues? Why didn’t they fix the problem when it first showed signs? These problems not only have an effect on just the building, but students, staff and even parents as well.
The school’s condition does, in fact, “have an impact in the engagement of our students,” Maxey said.
This is also a big problem that community members haven’t taken into consideration.
Jenkins also says that, ¨The building isn’t as distracting, as it is…….bothering.¨
Jenkins and Witter both state multiple times that they are uncomfortable with the state of MHS and that they think the problems should be addressed in an orderly manner.
The two girls also claim that another problem that could be linked to the building is the mold located in the air. They themselves, significant others, and/or peers have been affected by the current issue stated.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that students can’t learn in an environment that’s not suitable to learn in. MHS is better off than some schools, but the problems they face are still big and need fixing.
“It’s time for a new building,” Maxey says. “This one’s too far gone.”
Well, how are students really even affected, you may ask? According to the U.S. Department of Education, a child’s learning environment impacts their social behavior drastically.
The University of Buffalo also says that a positive and nice well-structured environment impacts a child by 25%. MHS does not excel in giving students a well-structured environment by not being able to fix well-known problems.
“I’ve seen students walk on that carpet, then go down that ramp, and fall multiple times,” Maxey also states, adding, “It got so bad that the janitors had to put down carpet on the tile so people would stop from slipping.”
This truly shows the inconveniences, the harm, and the lack of affection going on around the issue.
McPherson High School definitely has some work to do, whether that’s going to be building a new school, finally fixing the long-awaited problems, or just getting flood insurance.
MHS is, and will always be a cherished place with memories from many lifetimes shared by many people. Our school is not just a building – but a community.
I, like so many other students and staff, am glad that I have been able to be a part of something so important and a place filled with local, upstanding people of this community.
However, in order for McPherson High School to stay the same iconic, beautiful, homey classic building it is, we need to address issues and use our voices when something needs to change. Because if everyone believed nothing would ever change, nothing in our lives ever would.
