Officials Give Tour Of Pennwood Middle School Renovations

The first year of renovation and construction at the Pennwood Middle School in the Pennsbury School District is nearing completion as the summer months loom.

The two-year, $44 million dollar project will vastly change the look and functionality of the Lower Makefield middle school by the time the project is completed. As of June 2017, a new classroom wing, gymnasium, locker room and breeze-way are complete or at least functional.

The last piece of the gym that is being completed is the weight room, which is waiting on rubberized floors, district officials said. Physical education teachers are currently using the renovated fitness room as an office space and a place to let gym students get Zumba lessons and the such.

The finished portion of the project includes five full-sized classrooms and a small group enrichment room. Each room has a fully interactive TV which can display the computer screen and act as a touch screen. The upgrades to the school include air conditioning and an orange line, signifying the school’s colors and tying the whole hall together.

The air conditioning is currently only in a portion of the building but will eventually be throughout the school when the work is completed next year.

One of the school’s gyms has been renovated and is already getting solid use. In addition, the boy’s locker room has also been renovated with new floors, ceiling, lighting and updated lockers.

When asked about the best part of the renovations, the sixth graders who have moved into the new wing cited the air conditioning and interactive screens as reasons the new classrooms are preferable to the old rooms.

“The interactive television is an excellent tool,” agreed Douglas Disbrow, a sixth grade math teacher who uses the new classrooms. In addition to the strong tool the screen adds, the lighting and temperature control add to the comfort of the room, the teacher added.

Increased storage and the overall modern features of the rooms are benefits to the students and teachers, said Stacy Kirsh, a sixth grade social studies and language arts teacher.

The project is expected to be finished by September 2018, according to Scott Millword, the director of facilities for the school.

The next large phase of the project will take place when the students leave the school for the summer.

In the coming months, the school office will be moved towards the main entrance to create a secure lobby. The main office and guidance center will be enlarged. District officials said the nurse’s office, family and consumer science, technical education and music areas will also be renovated over the summer.

Next school year, classrooms will be renovated in chunks of six to eight classrooms. The library and cafeteria will be renovated next summer to finish the project.

Students present on Wednesday mentioned that going to school during construction did not negatively impact their education, and in fact, was interesting to see how the school changed over time.