As students return to the halls of Milford, they’ll once again notice some major changes–and even a few halls that are missing. Over the past three years, Milford High School has been undergoing a massive renovation project, which has changed the experience of many students, as well as the faculty.
Most recently, the 100 hallway, commonly known as the quads, was blocked off and is being converted into new offices for the HVS administration. In addition, a multipurpose room is also being constructed near the pools and fitness center.
Milford Principal Kevin McKenna explained the district’s reasoning for these changes. “One of the things with the administrative building coming into Milford High is that we only have about 1,100 students. This building can hold 2,000 students. So we were close to 50% capacity.”
The goal of the quads’ renovations, as McKenna described, was to utilize the extra space that has been present for several years. Adding offices for administration seemed like one of the best options, as the current administration building is “so bad that construction says, you need to level it and rebuild.” Athletics seem to have the opposite problem: “Athletics needs a little bit more space than they have now. The cheerleaders need space. We have more sports than we’ve ever had, right? Definitely. The dance team needs a space where they can go.”
Since Milford’s public pool was shut down several years ago due to low profits, the area has not been utilized to its fullest extent. To turn that around, it is being repurposed as a space for athletics, events, and even testing. Both projects are slated to be completed this year–the multipurpose room by the new year and the quads by spring break. A small portion of the quads will also be opened up once most of the construction in that area is completed, allowing students to navigate through that part of the school.
Looking ahead into the future, there are still a few projects on the drawing board. The 900 and 200 halls remain the last parts of Milford untouched by renovations, but that may change in the coming years. “The science classrooms, I do think there’s a different vision.” McKenna described. “These plans are not set in stone, but we were thinking about putting whiteboards and things outside in the [200 hallway].” McKenna also said that some lockers may be removed from that area. Soon enough, Milford could be fully renovated. In the past three years, the school’s look has been completely redone, with hallways and classrooms having received numerous aesthetic improvements, such as new desks, chairs, and floors. Functional changes have also been put in place, with new Smartboards, whiteboards, and sound systems being installed in classrooms to improve students’ learning. The HVS bonds have funded all of these changes passed in 2019 and 2024.
Regardless of the benefits of these new renovations, some students are unhappy with the changes. “I don’t like it,” Senior Haydyn Howell said. “I liked having the quads; it opened up a lot of classrooms and more bathrooms.” Howell brings up a valuable point.
It’s a well-known issue in all High Schools that vaping in bathrooms is an increasing epidemic, but this means that many school bathrooms are being shut down regularly. At some points, all but one of the student bathrooms in the school were locked in hopes of limiting this issue. In the six minutes that students have to navigate the schools and make it to class on time, running around trying to find an open bathroom can be extremely difficult. It is now a worry amongst students that the kids who don’t participate in these illegal activities will fall victim to bathroom shortages.
Now we are losing another bathroom, for good, due to this change. Howell also stated, “It’s honestly sad to know the memories inside those classes are gone forever.” Upperclassmen can definitely relate to this. If you’re thinking back to all the fun times you had in freshman year algebra with Mr. Wagner, it’s going to sting a little knowing you’ll never get to go back there. Or if your locker was in the quads all three years of high school up until now, that could be a little annoying to have that changed.
Overall, change is inevitable, and the decision to continue with these renovations is for the good of the school, which is what truly matters.