“This building makes me want to go home,” Anna Fawcett, a seventh-grade dance major from Ambridge, says.
After years of talk of a separate building for middle school students, Lincoln Park finally put their money where their mouth is and bought the new building: an old daycare center.
“This has been in the works for a long time,” Melissa Potts-George, a former high school English teacher-turned assistant principal, explains. “Not necessarily this building in particular, but the thought of giving the middle school their own space has been something that we’ve been–that the administration before me–has been tossing around for a long time.”
The building, a neutral-toned space with a fairly straightforward setup, was the ideal option when the previous owners decided to sell it.
“We found this to be the perfect space because the classrooms were already here. There were the perfect number of classrooms, and it gave the middle school their own space where they can be middle school,” Potts-George says.
Seventh-grade dance major Raelyn Salka from West Mifflin agrees, stating, “I like how small it is. It’s easy to navigate.”
Not all students have the same opinion, though. Eighth-grader Kendal Wanner from Pittsburgh comments, “I don’t really like [the building] because I never really wanted to, like, switch, because I liked the old building.”
Eighth-grader Lilly Gough from North Serabane shared a similar opinion. While she understands the desire for a new building, Gough says, “[the building] is a little stupid. I thought we were fine at the four classrooms we all had in each grade.”
There is reason for this move, though, according to Assistant Principal turned Principal Tonya Milsom.
“Well, one of the things we know is space is a hot commodity here at Lincoln Park, and so we’ve known that we need to increase space,” Principal Milsom explains. “We know that we need space, and we know that the middle school needs something different than the high school. They need more dedicated space so that we can eliminate the distractions of spending your whole day in the same environment as a high school.”
Principal Milsom does understand the need of the high school building for middle schoolers, though, explaining that there are benefits at the building, like artistic spaces, that the new building just doesn’t have, which is why middle school students will attend their major classes in the high school building during the second half of the day.
Principal Milsom also reports seeing greater focus from students without the distraction of the high schoolers.
“I’m also seeing a lot less tomfoolery because there’s a vice-principal there and a guidance counselor and support staff. The students are finding themselves a lot more focused. Overall, the environment has been positive.”
Despite varying opinions from middle school students on the reasons for this move, one fact remains sure: this building is the future of the middle school department at Lincoln Park.
“It’s already a mess on the playground! We won’t have that!” Principal Potts-George shouts as she strolls down the hallway.