EVHS has been undergoing a long-term construction plan for almost three years, where many new amenities are currently being built for students. The Cougar Hall is the newest edition that has been introduced to everyone this school year. Thanks to its new facilities and spaciousness, the building is a popular and crowded place, especially during the rainy season, when students flock there during lunches and breaks for shelter.
Mr. Kleckner, the EVHS principal, has repeatedly said that the Cougar Hall is for all students and hopes for widespread usage. It contains a printer that can be useful for students who don’t have access to a printer at home or are running late. Moreover, the learning lounge has five conference rooms available for students to book and the Learning Center has a wellness center open to
Front view of the Cougar Hall taken by Inaaya Yusuf
all students for decompressing. Ethen, a current senior at EVHS is pleased with the new Cougar Hall. He said that “The old Cougar Hall was half the size in my freshman year as it is now. It was just filled with lunch tables and it was just really crowded.”
School staff hope that the Cougar Hall will make students comfortable and give them a safe space, and have strived to achieve those goals. According to Mr.
Kleckner, “We have two sets of new student restrooms that are gender neutral to make sure that we are being inclusive to all the students at EVHS.” There has also been a Wellness Center added to ensure that students are getting the mental support they need at school. The Wellness Center is a space in which students can make an appointment to talk to the school’s social workers if they are struggling with anything and they just need someone to talk to. Right view of the Cougar Hall taken by Medha Garapadi
When students were asked to rate Cougar Hall on a scale of 1-10
with 10 being the highest, the average rating was an 8, with most students being quite satisfied with the new building.
Breanna, a sophomore at EVHS says that her favorite part of Co
ugar Hall was the “high ceilings.” Dhiriti, a freshman who is using the new amenities, says that the printer makes her life a lot easier. Andrew Lee, a junior at EVHS, found it great that there was a place for many students to socialize.
When asked about any improvements the building could have, a sophomore stated that it could “Definitely have more tables and seatings. Another sophomore said that it could have “more entrances and better organization”.
Although the Cougar Hall is completed and open to students, there are still some new amenities that the school is hoping to provide. When asked what would be added, Mr. Kleckner shared that “The kitchen we hope to open up next week and we're going to be adding microwaves for students to be able to microwave their food. And so we're really trying to add a lot of things to make the student experience better.”
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