Norwood High Students Displaced to Junior High North Amid Delayed $5 Million Renovation-October 13, 1985

For Norwood High School’s 950 sophomores, juniors, and seniors, the current academic year has fallen woefully short of expectations. Displaced from their home campus because a $5 million renovation project failed to reach completion by the start of the term, students are currently holding classes at the former Junior High North.

“Most of the seniors I know are pretty ticked off,” said senior Jeffrey Lockwood. “It’s not like being a senior. I don’t like being here and I think most of the kids don’t like it.”

While the School Department initially planned to return students to the high school following the winter break in January, lagging construction progress has led some officials to speculate that students may be forced to remain at the junior high for the entirety of the school year.

Cramped Quarters and Heightened Security

In interviews conducted at the facility, students voiced deep frustration over the cramped conditions. Unlike the high school’s sprawling campus, which features five separate buildings connected by outdoor courtyards, Junior High North encloses students within a single structure.

“I think the junior high school is too crowded,” said senior Amy Sanderson. “We’re always rushing to get around. There’s no place to go outside to get some fresh air.” Sanderson added that the tighter confines foster a tense atmosphere: “I feel like we’re being watched over more closely than we were at the high school. It’s like we’re trapped.”

Assistant Principal George Usevich acknowledged that the smaller facility makes maintaining hallway order easier, but students viewed that tighter supervision with disfavor.

For the incoming sophomore class, the transition was doubly frustrating. Having just graduated from Junior High North before it closed in 1984 due to declining enrollment, students found themselves right back where they started. “I don’t like having to go back to a school that I went to for three years already,” said sophomore Amy Grove.

Impact on Athletics, Science Labs, and Library Resources

The disruption extends far beyond academics into extracurricular life. Inadequate athletic facilities at the North building mean the football team must board buses for practices at Junior High South playing fields. With the high school’s home fields undergoing reseeding, the team is playing without home-field advantage, dampening school spirit.

Superintendent James Savage noted that academic programs have been replicated as best as possible, but school leaders have openly lamented losses in specialized subjects. Chemistry and physics classes, for instance, suffer because indispensable laboratory equipment could not be fully reproduced at the junior high. Furthermore, the building’s library has been repurposed to house computer terminals rather than circulating books.

Seniors feel the sting most acutely, mourning the loss of traditional milestones associated with their final year.

“It’s not anyone’s fault,” Lockwood reflected regarding the delayed renovation, “but we get hurt the most by it.” Sanderson echoed the sentiment: “When I think about it, I get really mad. I never thought I would say I want to be back at the high school.”

(photo: 1986 TIOT)

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger