A few weeks ago, NASH was visited by members of the Department of Education.  A number of special education students who will be attending NASH next year will require more specific resources than what is currently available here.  It was determined that more space would be necessary for the future of NASH’s special education program, and the MPR was chosen as the best space available to meet these needs.

“The representatives looked through the whole building and determined that the MPR would be a prime space for this, as our special needs students need a variety of different tools and resources,” Dr. Kreider said.  “One of the criteria that has to be met is that these students will be somewhere where they can be exposed to the general population of the building. And that room is truly in the heart of our building.”

This sudden change has some worried, as the MPR is used actively by teachers.  

“It will have a major impact on the availability of the library for class activities,” Ms. Wienand, NASH’s librarian, said. “People use it every day, so I’m not sure what kind of impact it will have on the rest of the space, but we’ll make do with what space we have available.”

Kreider added, “What we need to do is find new space for a large group instructional area. We’re currently looking at our library-space itself. Ms. Wienand is currently doing some visits to other school libraries that are a little more updated to bring ideas about how we can update our furniture and possibly some minor updates to create a new MPR.”

Either way, these changes will be greatly benefiting a population of the school.  Mr. Connors of the Special Education Department provided further detail. “As the years go on, we’re beginning to see an increased number of students with greater needs enter the district, and of course as we bring more people in, we’re going to need more space,” he said.  “The plan right now is to split the MPR into two separate classrooms to accommodate our incoming students.  The new space will also include a sensory room.”

Sensory rooms are spaces that contain equipment that allows a stimulation break for our students, Connors added.

Kreider mentioned that additional renovations are being considered.  “Next year may present some challenges in the absence of an MPR,” he said, “but for the future, we are currently examining the safety and security of the first floor.  Many people recognize that the front of our building creates vulnerability, so we are exploring options to relocate the administrative, counseling, and health offices to the front of the building, which would allow for an open area for a large group instruction space here on the first floor.”

However you put it, it’s plain to see that big changes are coming to NASH within the next few years — but to the juniors, I’m sorry that you won’t get that rush of adrenaline when you see an “MPR” sign taped to a teacher’s door next year.