What should the new Ike look like?

By LETY CLARK-OLIVERO
EISENHOWER HIGH SCHOOL
Eisenhower High School is going to be rebuilt in two years.
In the meantime, students and staff members have all kinds of ideas about what should be incorporated into the new building.
Forty-year-old Ryan Froula, for example, has put much thought into what the new Ike needs. The math teacher wants to make sure it’s “large enough to accommodate the student body in all areas.”
Some things, Froula says, should be kept, including mementos like the crest, plaques and aerial photograph of the current — soon-to-be old — school.
In the new school, he also wants to see technology galore.
“There are fantastic opportunities to teach and learn using a multitude of technologies,” he says.
On Froula’s wish list for his classroom: A projector, document camera, mobile computer lab and Smart Board, which is like a white board with a touch screen.
Phil English, a 54-year-old science teacher, has similar views.
“It needs to be energy-efficient and people-friendly,” he says of the new Ike.
Like Froula, English says the building should be more spacious and shouldn’t feel crowded. He would also like to see an expanded agricultural curriculum, including a greenhouse.
Fifty-eight-year-old Belinda Buehler, who teaches home economics and healthy choices, looks at the school in a more food-oriented way. She would like to have a culinary program as well as microwaves in the cafeteria and a built-in barbecue area, either indoors or outdoors.
She would also like to see a preschool for childcare and more vocational options for students who aren’t looking to go to college or a university.
Buehler also suggested an outdoor courtyard.
Jessica Bush, an 18-year-old senior, has more of a sports-related view. She wants to see a state-of-the-art weight room, swimming pool, and more than one gym.
Jason Easter, a 15-year-old sophomore, reiterates the need for a sports complex with extra parking and new fields with artificial turf. He favors tearing down the old stadium and — if possible — building a new one across the street at Fisher Park.
“Put in a sports complex,” agrees Timothy Cummings, a 16-year-old junior. He says he would appreciate an multi-use stadium with an aquatic center and indoor track.
Froula, who is also a baseball coach, says he thinks a “state-of-the-art” sports complex is very important.
When it comes to the cafeteria, freshmen might have stronger opinions because they are required to stay on campus for lunch.
Rachel Lopez, a 14-year-old freshman, would like to see more food options as well as more room.
Now, “There’s only three feet of walking space” between tables, she says
English agrees. “Students shouldn’t have to eat in the halls at lunch,” he says.
Many students also want to see a center for socialization. A commons are would give students a place to study, chit chat or hang around.
According to Cassie Manjarrez, a 16-year-old junior, this is very important. “We need a hang-out area,” she says.
Overall, she says, “The new Ike should be a safe place where students want to come and learn.”

— Lety Clark-Olivero is a senior at Eisenhower High School and a member of the Herald-Republic’s Unleashed journalism program for students.