Anyone driving along Route 7 past the high school will not be able to miss the sizeable progress made over the past few months on the building project. Throughout the school year, students and teachers alike have been able to closely witness the day by day progress of the building of the new Mount Greylock. With the old auditorium out of commission for entire school year, and the gym beginning renovation around April break, the Greylock population eagerly awaits the reopening of these soon to be updated spaces. And of course, as the three story building shoots up into the sky, and the foundation is laid for the main floor, it is hard not to be excited for what is to come.

The building, originally scheduled to be ready for use in spring of 2018 is currently on schedule and under budget. With this new surplus of funds, the school is now “trying to figure out what items in our original scope will be incorporated back into the project,” said principal Mary MacDonald. Since the money is in a bond for $60 million, the project is required to use all $60 million. Possible new inclusions to the project could include an outdoor amphitheater, which would add to the overall theme of outdoor learning space, or could be used to fund the new parking lot, which had previously been ruled out of the allotted $60 million. Additionally, part of that funding could help to further improve the auditorium, particularly the lighting.

The renovations on the gymnasium at this point should be completed by October 1st, and students should be able to access the locker rooms by November. The auditorium will not be functional until the new academic wings open, which is projected to be in April of 2018. MacDonald thinks that it would be “great to be on our own stage for next year’s spring drama.”

The 2017-18 school year should be completed in the new building; the class of 2018 will graduate in the updated gymnasium. Teachers will still need to transfer all of their materials to the building at some point in April, but the furniture in the building will all be new, hopefully allowing for a peaceful and smooth transition to the new classrooms. Construction has been only marginally disruptive, as students have seamlessly adapted to the more limited use of space. As completion of the project draws ever closer, it is hard not to look forward to the finished product.