As fall rolls around, Hellgate students return to another school year to discover their building, extracurriculars, and academics undergoing several new changes. These changes will affect students and staff throughout the year, resulting from construction as well as decisions made by the administration.

Student Government Takes Center Stage

Welcoming the student body to the new school year with an all-school assembly, Principal Miller made clear his desire to emphasize student government as a more prominent club at Hellgate. This policy includes offering students the incentive of half a class credit for participating in the club. Another, more controversial piece of the policy prohibits any other club meeting during lunch on Wednesdays, again aiming to increase student government participation.

Schoolwide Late Work Dates

In previous years, requirements about turning in late work varied from teacher to teacher. This year, students need to keep in mind a few key dates to turn in any late work before – any work turned in after these dates will be automatically counted as a zero. A list of these dates can be found in most classrooms.

The Yellow Line

One of the most notorious changes of these first few weeks of school has been the yellow lines in the new commons area. In the past, with students eating scattered throughout the halls, the custodial staff has been unable to cope with cleaning so much space. Confining students to the new commons area with two taped yellow lines on the floor has been the administration’s way of dealing with this issue, which has caused contention with students (see “Say What?! The Yellow Line” by Dylan Yonce). Although Hellgate’s open campus policy is still in place, the commons area has remained crowded during lunch.

New Year, New School (Building)

After nearly two years, a large part of the school building has seen the results of the construction project, mainly on the first floor. The new “Knight Hall” area currently acts as a temporary space for student access to computers and a workspace until the new library is finished in December. This space will also be used for meetings.

The rest of the first floor has been transformed as well, into the open commons area, new cafeteria, and office area. Visitors and students entering the school from Gerald Street now find the main office and administration more easily accessible.

Photos courtesy of Camas Allison-Bunnell.