This summer, Ascension started renovations to the SMP campus that included everything from adding science labs to doubling the size of the art studio. Most of these changes have been in an effort to accommodate the growing amount of students, and as a result our staff is growing as well.
Though the halls have been getting more crowded, students don’t seem to see it as a bad thing.
“I really like that the population of the school is growing because it makes it seem happier and there are tons of new people to hang out with!” said Sophomore Elizabeth Lee. “I really love all the new students! They are all really nice, and even though I haven’t met all of them, I look forward to it!”
When it comes to the faculty things are no different
“I think the new staff has done a fantastic job thus far of acclimating to our policies,” said Senior Bennett Anderson, who has two new teachers and Mrs Walker, a returning teacher. “I especially admire how Father Montgomery has adapted. He already knows everybody’s name, greets us when we walk by . . . He’s just a chill guy!”
Bennett is not the only one who shares this opinion as most other students say the same thing about how Father Montgomery will high five, handshake, or at least wave at any student he sees.
As far as the architectural changes go, more good is all they have to report.
“The architectural changes haven’t affected me much,” said Freshman Abigail Boland. “They were easy to get used to. I really like the new Art room and Science lab. I thought those were definitely useful makeovers that our school needed.”
Those makeovers were needed, especially since everyone is required to take science, and art is the most requested elective. Both the labs and studio have been put to good use already; the Anatomy class is in the new mini lab, and all of the other science classrooms have their own lab tables, sinks, and equipment.
However, some of the student body shares a different opinion on some of the changes. This is tactfully represented by one of the Junior class, as follows, “Throughout my years at ascension I have seen many faces come and go and as one can infer many changes therein. The most recent of which is the increase in chapel duration as well as frequency of the Eucharist ceremony we have all come to know and love. Although faith plays a large part in the Ascension way of life a proverbial line must be drawn in the sand. Students need an intermittent breather in between academic classes longer than five minutes which effectively gives the student enough time to return to their back pack and proceed the their next class. – The Thomas Ashy”
This is not a lone take on the matter. Many students feel the same way about having to rush back to class, especially the prefects and volunteers who sell snack after chapel and are often late back to class because of this.
Only at Ascension would you find this much changing after only one summer.