New building opens up new possibilities

By Melanie Clark

Features/ Entertainment editor

Crete-Monee High School has invested $11 million into a new building called the “Bridges Program” for students who need a change of scenery.

Here is sneak peak at the new manufacturing wing at the new building. Photo by Mr. Kenealy “The alternative placement at what was formally called ‘Monee Education center’ was a facility built where we could take care of the students who needed a different setting to get acclimated either to coming back to the high school or they needed a smaller setting to stay permanently,” Principal Mr. Holifield said.

Some students have mixed feelings about the new program due to their misconceptions about what it is

“I don’t know if it was needed for the school. I don’t think there’s anyone who is bad for them to need such a big school addition for that, so I honestly don’t think it was important. I think there’s more that we can focus on,” Student Ariyah Harvey said.

Some people think they should have put that money into something different for the school, like a pool or newer programs.

“We’re running out of space in the high school. So, for example, in the manufacturing class, a small classroom in the E hallway, the room it’s now in is five times the size of it. And for that type of programming, it was a space issue. So it afforded us the opportunity to expand your career tech ed offerings, and we’re looking forward to doing that,” Mr. Holifield said.

“I think the new addition to the school is nice. I take metal working with Cuban,” Gracie Wehland said.

Aside from the Bridges program, there are more areas of the new building that students can go to expand their skills and gain more knowledge.

Holified said that students are able to get more specialized attention from their teachers through the use of interventions.

Mrs. Hysell shows off something she made during Mr. Cuban's welding demonstration. Photo by Mr. Kenealy. “We have, for example, a game room for students who need to do something different where it’s not straight classes. We also have what they call the Arrowhead Studio, where they make items like mugs with the high school logo on them, so it gives them the opportunity to do a lot with their hands because not everyone operates in a format where you are sitting behind a desk in a classroom,” Mr. Holifield said.

Students have been curious as to what the new addition to the school looks like and if they can visit the area.

“I don’t know if they opened it up, but I haven’t been through there, so I feel like it adds some sadness to me, so I can’t see it yet. And we’re about to leave soon in a few months, so will we ever get to see it? It is what I want to know,” Harvey said.

“Every student will get an official tour of the new section, not just the seniors; every student will get a tour,” Holifield said.

The new space and new classes give students more opportunities to express themselves.

“I honestly like it. I like how it separated classes from everything else,” Sophomore student Elijah Kruger said,

“It is a lot of space, and new students might get confused by that,” said new CMHS sophomore Nathaniel Blair.

Despite the program’s benefits, some students believe the $11 million project could have been spent in other ways.

“I think it could have been used for funding clubs,” senior Winter Brooks said. However, she also said that she understood the want to move MEC to a new spot since the old building was not that nice.

The building seems to be an excellent addition to the school due to the lack of space, as it offers new opportunities for students to grow. It not only gives students a comfortable learning environment but offers them subjects they may be interested in, such as metalworking, graphic design, etc.

News Editor Ahmiya Byers contributed to this article.