By Siddarth Tumu ’18, Staff Writer

Hearing the many announcements in school morning meetings, walking past the construction site, seeing the new buildings, and smelling that “construction smell,” students can’t miss the fact that the Upper School expansion is taking place. But has anyone wondered if the Middle School facilities are going to be updated and expanded as well?

I had the pleasure to sit down with Mr. Ashburn, the Middle School principal, on a warm Friday afternoon.  My first question was – Are there any expansion plans for the Middle School?  I was in for a pleasant surprise.  Here is the inside scoop on what’s planned for the Middle School.

Next year, the bookstore will be moving to the room across the cafeteria, which is the room currently occupied by learning specialist Ms. Dougherty. Next year, she will be moving to room 43. The current bookstore and room 22 will be expanded to become the future Middle School and principal offices. 12 middle school teachers, Mr. Ashburn, and Mrs. Johnson will have desks in the future office. Mr. Ashburn says that the new offices will provide storage space and it will also be more convenient to meet with students. With the new offices, all the Middle School teachers can be in one location. The current Middle School office will become a classroom to replace room 22 and Mr. Ashburn’s current office will become a conference room next year.  Some classrooms will be shifting next year, such as rooms 41 and 42. Also, rooms 34 and 35 are going to be used more often.

Mr. Ashburn says these expansions are all part of the master plan, will provide much needed space and that this expansion is the first big change in the Middle School. This will result in bigger class spaces and the current faculty office will make a better classroom than room 22. The eventual outcome of NA’s master plan is to make the school into a first-class facility.

So although the changes may seem far away from the Middle School, there are nonetheless smaller changes that will be occurring closer to our “territory.” Next year, you will be able to walk into the old bookstore without worrying about unpaid dues. Instead, you might be on your way to a detention!