In return to Logan High, 'the seniors were as lost as the freshmen'

It has been a noisy, dusty and sometimes confusing return to school for students and faculty at Logan High, where a major renovation is expected to continue through the academic year.

While a lot of work was completed over the summer on the project — funded by a $55 million bond passed by voters in 2013 and underway since the fall of 2015 — district officials said there’s still plenty to be done.

And although the renovation is welcome and necessary, Logan High photography teacher Roger Rigby said, it has caused some inconvenience.

“Sometimes it’s so noisy we can’t hear each other,” Rigby said of the construction, much of which is currently taking place directly above his classroom.

Some teachers didn’t have enough time to move into their classrooms before school started, Rigby said. While he is staying in his same classroom, many teachers had to move everything out after the end of school this summer, and were only able to move into their new classrooms a week before the first day of school.

Some teachers were so busy getting their rooms physically organized, Rigby said, that they fell behind in their curriculum planning.

Logan School District Superintendent Frank Schofield acknowledged the inconveniences, but said some delays in construction are to be expected with a project of this size. He was grateful that the teachers and students were able to all be safely in their assigned classrooms on the first day of school.

Schofield’s primary concerns were the dust from construction and the noise being distractions from the teaching and learning process. He noted, however, that the second phase of construction would mostly occur further from the main school building. Last year there was demolition and construction happening just outside the classroom walls.

The school had changed quite a bit over the summer, said Rigby, who was amused by the fact that “everyone was confused on the first day of school. The seniors were as lost as the freshmen.”

“It’s going to be a long year,” he said, “but when it’s done it will be a great building.”

While he’s also excited about the new building, Schofield doesn't want students to forget where they came from.

“We tried to incorporate things that would tie in the history of the building and the community, while still providing an updated facility for students,” he said.

Among those features is the school’s new bell tower, which is said to resemble a tower that stood on the plot of land that was once occupied by Brigham Young Academy.

Guidance counselor Grant Calverley said he was excited by the “cool, unique layout,” of the building.

“I hope the students take pride in their new building, take care of it and respect it,” Calverley said.