At the end of 2017, a new era will begin in Langley’s history. Cinderblock walls and small hallways will be mere memories in comparison to the newly renovated and updated school.
Langley has not been renovated since it was built in 1965. “It’s structurally time for an update. The setup is outdated,” said head librarian Mr. Philip Clark.
Beginning in July 2014 and ending in May 2017, the renovation will be a major milestone in Langley’s history. The addition will renovate the entire school and will add a total of 80,000 square feet to the existing 247,000. “What you know now as your school will be completely different; you won’t be able to recognize it,” said Mr. Thomas Meier, assistant principal and coordinator for the renovation committee, which includes teachers and faculty from every department.
Both students and teachers are ready for the outer appearance of Langley to match what’s going on inside. “What’s wrong with Langley? Great teachers, great students; but the building is old,” said Mr. Meier.
The planning process before the construction will take three years and will include planning, designing, and coordinating with teachers and architects. The architect company, Perkins Eastman, just recently finished renovating Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia. Internationally known, they have completed projects in 30 countries.
In addition to Perkins Eastman, Fairfax County Public School representative for design Dave Prince is working with the architects as well as teachers to help meet the needs of all the departments at Langley. He will be collecting feedback from each of the departments to come up with a “bubble graph,” or a general idea, of what the renovated school will look like.
Regarding student life, “it’s going to be a construction site for three years but the end result will be worth the time,” said Mr. Meier. Classrooms will be moved into trailers in the parking lot for months at a time, and rotated in phases.
“I’m imagining Pig-Pen from Charlie Brown: there will be a cloud of dust around each of us,” said 10th grade English teacher Ms. Anna Cohen.
The current freshman class is the only class that will be at Langley during the construction: “I’m going to be really sad that I won’t be here to see the end,” said freshman Carly Herbert.
Regarding sports, teams will probably have more away games, and while the locker rooms, weight room and gym are being renovated, temporary arrangements will be made. However, the gym will not be renovated during basketball or volleyball season, so they will not be affected.
“In the long run, the renovation is the best thing for Langley,” said Director of Student Services Mr. Geoff Noto.
Below are pictures from a recent renovation committee meeting.
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Photos by Na He Jeon