Athens Drive is going to begin renovations in the summer of 2027. These renovations will include drastic changes. Here’s what’s coming up:

A new gymnasium is going to be constructed; it will be replacing the lower gym in order to make space for some health classrooms and a new weight training room. Both an entrance for students and a lobby will be assembled nearby it.

“I have noticed many issues such as hallways being too tight– too narrow for the multitude and quantity of students at Athens Drive,” said Derek Esparra-Lugo, a sophomore at Athens Drive Magnet High School.

Fortunately, Principal Amanda Boshoff has a solution.

“Many of the lockers will be removed from hallways which will expand halls by 1 foot on either side. Additionally, new building wings will have wider hallways,” said Boshoff.

Many students have felt that the trailers are inadequate for the school too. 

“[The trailers are] messy, for a word… They’re very small and they feel very lightweight, too,” said Zayra Portello, sophomore at Athens Drive Magnet High School.

Extending out from the east side of the main building, a new wing will be constructed to fix this. The wing will contain 25 classrooms, and it will be two stories tall, replacing the trailers. Along with this, an entry courtyard will be placed between the central school and the wing.

Meanwhile, the front of the building will get a complete refresh – the main entrance will be redesigned and given a new, large staircase up to it. The rooms for administration will be relocated to be next to the updated main entrance.

On the exterior of the building, the carpool loop is going to be extended, to increase driver capacity. Connecting to it will be a new parking lot; in fact, there will be a lot of new parking in other locations too. A 50-space student parking lot will be placed nearby the gym addition, 54 spaces will be added to the parking northwest of the school, and more.

The bus loop will also be renovated, with parking for the buses to go along with the car parking. It will be separated from the car parking, giving extra space for students and overall making exiting from the school feel less convoluted.

There are many updates for the electives classes too. There will be a new MakerSpace lab, new kitchens for the food classes, a new film lab and a new band room. A new softball field and bathroom facilities will also be added.

The renovations will be completed by 2031, giving Athens Drive a new coat of paint, metaphorically and literally! With the updated exterior and refreshed interior, these changes will be welcome to the school.

Esparra-Lugo hopes that “…[The school is] gonna have way less problems…having a good facility for the many programs we have here at Athens Drive.”