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The Westwood Community School District is using the summer months to renovate and upgrade its school buildings in an effort to enhance the learning environment for its students. The renovations are made possible using federal funding. District Superintendent Dr. Stiles Simmons says, "We expect to spend at least 12 million dollars for capital improvements across the district. We are looking to improve our air and water quality as well as improve safety and security and make some cosmetic improvements as well." The ambitious two-year project will concentrate on renovations at Thorne Elementary and Robichaud High School this summer and fall, and Daly Elementary and Tomlinson Middle School next year. District leaders hope to be completed with upgrades by fall 2023.

"Our primary focus is indoor air quality and comfort for the students in the classrooms," says David Stull, Director of Operations for the district. He says replacement of aging ventilation systems is part of the plan, along with electrical upgrades to each school building, which will include the addition of an abundance of wall outlets in classrooms now that students are using Chromebooks on a daily basis for lessons. "Part of the project will be a new energy management system that will allow us to centrally manage temperatures and devices going on and off; we're going to do a much better job of balancing and maintaining the environment in the classrooms. Most of our work is focused completely on the classrooms where students are actively engaged in learning; we're not working on offices and gymnasiums, everything we're doing is focused on the classroom."

Stull adds that improvements to building security at the district's schools include secure vestibules to check in visitors and security cameras both indoors and out. He says installation of the devices is near completion and fine-tuning the operations of the security system will be the next step.

The district has navigated the painstaking task of seeking out a consulting/advising firm, architecture firms, engineers, and general construction contractors. Simmons says district leaders are excited to be able to provide a safe and comfortable environment for students and staff. "No many how many students attend our schools, they all deserve upgraded facilities and a positive learning environment in which to receive their education, so that's our primary motivation," he says.

Stull adds, "I've been in this district 19 years, we've never had an opportunity like this to invest in our facilities and make these kinds of upgrades that will benefit our students."