After permitting and construction delays, The Loyola School’s $10 million elementary building is taking shape and nearing completion. Everyone at the school is excited, but our third graders – some of whom have been at TLS since they were 2-year-olds – have been waiting longest and most patiently. We invited them to take a brief tour of the construction site and ask President James Fiore what they can expect when all 63 current TLS elementary students move in later this academic year. (Eventually, there will be 140 elementary students.) This is an edited transcript of the third graders’ “press conference with the president.”
Aubri: Will we have a library?
President James Fiore: We will have a library. The first floor is going to be kindergarten and first graders. Second floor: second and third graders. The third floor will be fourth graders. Behind the fourth-grade classrooms, there will be a library.
We have a volunteer right now helping organize all our books. We have all these awesome new books that we’re excited to use, and we’re getting them organized.
And also near that library will be a maker space. Does everybody know what a maker space is? A place where you can tinker, a place where you can make things. So we’re hoping to maybe have, like, a robotics team in there, or, or if not a team, at least being able to use robotic kits so you can learn how to make a robot.
Azariah: Is there going to be a space for us to dance and have some fun?
JF: The whole place? [Laughter] No, I would say probably the assembly hall will probably be the best place. The assembly hall is on the first floor behind the kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. It’s about half the size of a basketball court.
We’ll have assemblies in there. We’ll have lunch in there. And eventually we’ll have recess and [physical education] in there.
So is there a chance for, you know, maybe, like a movie night on a Friday or maybe like a dance party? I think we could probably do something.
Penelope: Will there be a rock-climbing wall in the new school?
JF: Have you been talking to Ms. Greta [Rutstein, the principal]? [Laughter] Yes, Ms. Greta does want a rock-climbing wall! Give us a little time. I’ll say this: Definitely, by the time you start fourth grade, we’ll have a rock climbing wall. We’ll make that happen. Hold me to that, everybody!
Aulani: Will we have lockers?
JF: We will not have lockers, but there will be cubbies in each of the classrooms, wooden cubbies. There is a storage bin underneath where you can put, like, rain boots or snow boots, right? If you want to wear your regular shoes or sneakers during the day.
Savannah: Are we going to have different rooms for different subjects?
JF: You’re going to have your home room for the bulk of your classes. But there are dedicated spaces where we will have pullouts like art or music and Spanish. I’d say the bulk of your classes, your math, your English, social studies, reading, will probably happen in [home room]. But if you have a special class, you’ll go to another classroom.
And I know you will be coming out of your classroom and going to the library to read some books or do some research for a paper. So you’ll be moving around.
Jenelyn: Will we have a science lab?
JF: Yes, there is a classroom dedicated to science as well as that maker space that I described near the library. I would see that also as kind of like a science room.
Aziyah: Is there going to be a nurse’s office?
JF: That’s a good question. So first floor, like I said: kindergarten, first graders. Second floor: second and third grade classrooms. And on that floor, behind those classrooms, there’s a nurse’s office/health center.
There will be a cot in case somebody’s sick, so they can lay down and feel better. There’s going to be a little ice maker in there in case you bump your knee and need an ice pack. There will be cabinets with, you know, Band-Aids and things.
Brayden: How will our schedule change in the new building?
JF: I think that when we get in there, there’s going to be a lot of things we’re going to have to figure out, right? We’re going to have to figure out how we operate over there, because there are going to be so many new spaces, so many new classrooms, so many new doors and locks.
So we’re going to have to figure out how we move through that building. I would think, for the most part, your schedule’s going to stay the same, but we’ll eventually tweak it and change some things around slowly.
Principal GretaRutstein: So for example, we know exactly how long it takes to get breakfast set up in here and to eat breakfast and then move into this [classroom] and to set up lunch. We know how many people it takes. We haven’t done that over there yet. We don’t know if it’s going to take less time or more time.
You guys are going to help us. We’ll have to stop every now and then and maybe have school meetings where we say, “What’s working? What’s not working?”
And you might say, “I don’t have time to finish my lunch the way you guys have the schedule.” And we say, “Oh my gosh, we didn’t realize. Let’s think about that.”
Because you guys, especially you oldest people [in the student body], you’re going to have a lot of good information for us. You’re going to be able to really help the grownups make good decisions.
You’re even going to be able to say, “You know, this works for us because we’re in third grade and we’re a little older. But I think the kindergarteners are having trouble with this.” You might notice that first, and that will be so helpful to me.
Kamiyah: Will the third-grade room be nice and clean and big?
JF: Everything will be nice and clean. It’s going to be brand new. Everything, the furniture, the books that we’re having come over, right?
So the rooms are going to be, yes, definitely nice and clean. And it’s going to be your space, right? You’re not going to have people walking through [as happens now in the third grade’s makeshift Reeves Gallery classroom in St. Ignatius Church]. You’re not going to have the bathroom right there. And it’s going to be big enough for 14-15 students easily. So, yes, big, clean and nice.
And [teacher] Miss Emme has done a wonderful job with the [portable white boards] here, but you’re going to have all four walls. You can have boards on them, you know, to hang work up or for Miss Emme to write on and do some work on.
And there will be one big, interactive TV per classroom, in case Miss Emme wants to show something or do some math problems on there and manipulate the math problems on the TV.
Will there be a teachers’ lounge?
JF: Yes. There will be a refrigerator. I think there’ll be some nice, comfy chairs to relax in. There will be like a space where each teacher can go, bring a laptop and sit there and grade your papers or something. That’s on the third floor, near the fourth-grade classrooms.
Margaret: Will there be a children’s lounge?
JF: On the first floor, near the main office, there is a space we’re calling the fireplace room. So it’ll be like big comfy chairs and a table, right? So that could be a space where students, when supervised and when allowed by Ms. Greta and your teacher, you could go in there and you could hang out.
On the third floor near the library, there’s also a space called a prayer room. So if you want to have a little moment, you could go in there as well. Again, supervised and with an adult’s permission.
How does that sound? Sound good?
[Mr. Fiore refers again to the fact that the third graders, while waiting for the new building, are taking classes in the Reeves Gallery.]
You’ve been so patient, working so hard to make it the best it can be, so we’re going to do everything we can to make the new space amazing.
What else will be in the school?
JF: There’ll be offices. My office will be over there. Ms. Greta’s office will be there. We’ll have a front office. And then we’ll probably have one or two empty offices, because eventually we might need another social worker or some other position that we just don’t know about yet, right? So we’ve got some space to grow.
There’s also a basement underneath the classrooms. And that’s mainly storage, but there are going to be some refrigerators and freezers down there for food. So the food will arrive and it will go into the warmers to keep it warm, and then we’ll bring it up when it’s time to eat.
Guys, the building is much bigger than what we have here.
Abigail: Will there be a space to put on a show with a stage?
JF: Good question! The assembly hall will have tables with benches that you guys will eat your meals at. We’ll also have free standing chairs, so in case we want to do an assembly or if we want to have back-to-school night with your parents, we can do that there.
We also bought a movable stage. They call them risers. You can set them up, and then you can break them down and put them into storage.
So if Ms. Greta needed to be able to stand up a little bit taller, to talk to all the students at once, or all the families at once, she could do that. She could walk up on the stage and talk to everybody.
I don’t know if we’re going to do, like performances, dance performances on the stage. I don’t think it’s big enough for something like that. But we’ll see what it’s like when we get in there.
All right. Here’s my question: I know we’ve talked about a lot today about the new building. I want you to think, what’s one thing you are most excited about? What’s the one reason you can’t wait to get into that new building?
Rock climbing wall!
JF: Oh, man. Now you’re putting the pressure on me. OK, all right, rock climbing wall!
Basketball and rock climbing!
JF: I’m excited for that too. I want to hear the balls bouncing. I want to hear laughter. I’m excited for all those noises to be filling that space.
Art room! Everything!
JF: I like that answer. I’m excited for everything too. I’m excited to be in the same building as you all. I’m excited to walk out of my office and be like, “Hey guys, how’s it going? What’s new? What’s going on in science? How’s the food? How’s the rock climbing wall?”
