While students and teachers were taking a breather, the maintenance staff has been working throughout the summer to prepare the campus by detailing the school and giving it a new coat of paint.

The maintenance staff deep cleaned the entire campus, from pressure washing all of the sidewalks, to cleaning the drain pipes on top of the buildings. All of the floors were stripped and waxed and the science labs were cleaned.

Routine maintenance needs to be completed every summer, some of this labor includes, air conditioning upkeep and checking that the toilets, sinks, and pipes work properly. The crew also fixed the lights as well as the fixtures in the classrooms. The prominent husky statue, in front of the main office, was washed and waxed to prevent the metal from corrosion.

“Just a few of the things that happened around here,” maintenance worker Timothy Sexton said.

The most noticeable change in the school’s appearance is the new paint job. Buildings six and seven have been painted an earthy burnt orange, matching the rest of the campus, giving the school a pop of color. The courtyard’s columns were painted as well. Buildings two, three and four were touched up to prevent painting everything, every year.

“If this is done, we save time,” Sexton said.

In the summer of 2015, the interior of buildings two and four were painted, and buildings one, eight, and nine exteriors were painted. The summer of 2016, the parking lot side of buildings two and three exterior and building three interior were painted. During the spring break of 2017, the courtyard side of building two and three were painted.

The most common question that students ask is, “why that color?” The school’s design board was created by the county and is held at the school. The color was predetermined when the school opened and the rules have to be obeyed.

“I’m guessing the school was last painted when it opened 12 years ago,” teacher Brett Hamilton said. “The entire school was in need of complete paint job, inside and out.”

In January, Hamilton began the painting process by calling approved SCPS vendors out to provide the school a quote. Then the vendors emailed the quotes to him. The quotes were then taken to the principal for final approval and a purchase order was created. Hamilton kept in touch with the company over that period and finalized a start date that fit the school’s and the company’s schedule.

Projects like these can end up costing a lot of money. The exterior painting including the prep, columns and all of the white doors and the stadium columns and doors cost $17,719. The money came from district funds left over from last year.

“Students can help by: cleaning up after themselves, not spitting gum on the ground, not writing on the walls or doors, and not kicking the doors to open them,” principal Mary Williams said. “Treat our facility like you would treat your own home.”

Gallery | 7 Photos

The husky statue, a memorable place, was washed over the summer. Since this type of metal can corrode, it is important to wash the statue regularly.