W Building finally under construction

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By Mai Villalon

Tall white walls are placed around the left half of W Building to keep students out.

Mai Villalon, student reporter

After all the other buildings on McKinley High School’s campus, W Building is finally undergoing renovations. W Building is the oldest building on the MHS campus.

“The W Building was chosen to be the last building to be constructed,” Principal Ron Okamura said. “It’s the last building on the list here to get renovated… It’s a two-year project. We’re gonna have half the building one year. [The] following year we’re gonna do the other half.”

Some students claimed to have trouble hearing their teachers during class time because of the noise. Construction started over the summer while students were not present on campus.

“It’s horrible because you could hear the construction noise from outside while inside the classroom,” freshman Alphonso Patterson said. He said he was watching a movie inside his classroom and could not hear the movie well.

W Building was completed in 1940 and is a preserved historic site since MHS is one of the oldest high schools in the state of Hawaii. This is why the newly renovated W Building will have similar features from its previous form, like its window structures and the murals on the walls and arches.

Teachers have also had to move classrooms while the building is closed off. English teacher Christopher Martin, who used to be on the makai side of W Building but is now in F-150, has adjusted to his new classroom, although he said the new room is smaller than he would prefer.

“I miss my office,” Martin said. “I hope it finishes on time so I can move back.”