Present: S. Heinrich, T. Koenig, W. Morrison, M. Morrison, D. Miller, B. Triolo, School Board Liaison J. Flis, MHS Principal B. Marston, MHS Guidance Director R. Walker and members of the public.

S. Heinrich called the meeting to order at 7:31 P.M.

Meeting with School Board

Tour of Merrimack High School

• Room E-114: Science room shared by two or more teachers, only two sinks, no eye wash station.
• Nurses suite: has two bathrooms, one handicapped accessible. Averages 44 student visits a day in addition to "daily meds" visits. Will be a problem area during accreditation.
• District Library Media Services offices: Former classroom, divided into three offices. Some materials that district staff oversees are stored in high school library which is upstairs. This office was at one time located at Thorntons Ferry school.
• Art Rooms: There is little appropriate storage for student projects in process. There were questions about whether and when the kiln is used. The venting system may or may not be workable. Supply storage area in central area "between"the two rooms. Three teachers share the two rooms.
• Room E-111: Formerly "Get Set" area. Now houses Reading program. Smaller than a standard classroom.
• Room E-113: Formerly Art room, now home economics classroom. Does not have as good storage capabilities as the room that formerly was used, smaller than standard classroom.
• Room E-115: Formerly Industrial Arts, now Science Room. This is the newest science lab. The venting system goes through the English classes upstairs. It was also noted that the floor drains are no where near the eye wash/"shower" station.
• Graphic Art Lab (E-120): there are only four periods a day when this lab is used for classes. The remaining time the lab is used for district or contract graphic art/printing jobs.
• Room D-122: well-equipped lab in which computer art as well as mechanical, electrical and architectural drawing classes are taught. Only problem seems to be distance from other art rooms for resource materials.
• It was noted that the entire E wing was added twenty-one years ago.
• Metals Shop (D-124): there is no storage space. There were questions about the spray paint venting area. The office space is blocked and basically unusable.
• Wood Shop (D-126): there is no storage area for student projects in process. Venting issues were raised.
• Room C-127: Formerly a Home Economics Room. Now used for Science. Has one sink and good storage.
• The four-way intersection was noted as being a potentially dangerous area. However, due to the fact that first floor houses basically "lab" classes which have limited enrollments, not as many students use the intersection as might.
• About 50% of the student body actually use their lockers. Those that don't carry their books/coats all day or leave them in alternate locations.
• Electrical Shop (C-128): this is actually two (one lab and one lecture) areas with basically one entrance. The vent from the wood working area impacts the classroom as well as the noise from the air compressor. Again, the lack of storage space in the IA classes was noted.
• Auto Mechanics (C-130): Lack of storage and the venting systems were discussed. The capability of the hydraulic lift was hi-lighted.
• Music areas (C-134 & 129): There are two bathrooms, storage, sound proof practice rooms, access to the stage in the little theater and music teachers office. C134, while large, is not adequate for the 100+ member band. The chorus now meets in this room. C-129, besides being used for classroom instruction, keyboard labs and computer music classes also houses weekly district leadership team meetings on Wednesday mornings. The room is also used by maintenance for table storage.
• GYM areas: There are male and female locker rooms plus male and female varsity team locker rooms. Some lockers do not have doors. (Problem worse in male locker room.) There is an office in each locker room to be shared by all teaching and coaching staff. There are training rooms in each locker room. The weight room has a chain link fence to isolate the weight equipment from the adventure area. Some members questioned whether there was adequate space for several people to safely work with weights at the same time. Gym equipment storage areas are not large enough to properly store some of the larger pieces of equipment. The Athletic Director's office is a converted closet and the Department head's office is part of a storage area.
• The Little Theater is little. (Capacity about 250) An entire grade cannot attend an assembly program here. The theater is used frequently by various classes throughout the day as well as by community groups in the evening. There is no secure storage for scenery or props.
• When assemblies are held for entire classes, gym classes are canceled and then places must be found to house those students. Usually, multiple assemblies are held for the same grade.
• Using the Little Theater for Biology lecture and then holding labs on the various classrooms was discussed by the faculty and was determined to be educationally unsound. The area gets very hot, though it is supposed to be air conditioned. When the air conditioning is working, it is very noisy. The use of the little theater as a study hall was also discussed. The seats are fairly close together without desk tops which made working difficult plus there is inadequate lighting. B. Marston noted that "The quickest way to turn an auditorium into useless space is to use it for a study hall."
• Attendance Office: this office contains school duplicating equipment and one of the computer network hubs.
• Kitchen/Cafeteria: Added cafeteria space has been a big help. There are several maintenance storage areas attached to this area. There are two "changing" rooms next to the stage in the cafeteria complete with make up mirrors. They are blocked by equipment.
• There is a courtyard which students may sit in during lunches. The science department often uses the courtyard for labs.
• Principal's suite: Most of office furniture has been donated. Some areas are very congested. There are two doors to the suite, one is for incoming traffic and one for out going traffic. Neither door is marked to indicate this. Plus, the office itself is not labeled as Main Office.
• F-102: Does not have nine sink/lab stations. However since this is strictly a biology room does not need them.
• There are storage areas between every two Science classrooms in the D wing.
• F-101: Chemistry and Biology classroom. The floor drain is not near the eye wash/shower station. There are enough lab stations for 18 students.
• F-104:This lab has fewer sinks than the others. It was noted that the electrical outlets are located next to the sinks.
• F-103: Physics classes mostly. Has stations are 18 students.
• F-105: These desks are built in and do not have any flexibility. There are stations for 18 students.
• F-107: This classroom is shared by three teachers who teach many different subjects. The desks are the oldest in the department. There is space for 18 students.
• The Chemical storage area used to be a faculty area and used to be storage space between two labs. However, safety requires that a secure space for chemical storage be set aside.
• F-108: Physical Science and Chemistry taught in this room. There are stations for 18 students.
• E-112: This is used as a quiet study area. All freshman and sophomores who have study must be in a quiet study rather than cafe study.
• R. Walker noted that sophomore testing requires four periods in a row and because of space limitations and the fact that there are really no "sophomore only" classes, it may be necessary to cancel school for freshmen, juniors and seniors on the days when the mandated testing is done.
• C-123 & 125: These rooms house the required district preschool program for coded children (MEEP). A few non-coded children may attend as well and pay tuition. There are small spaces for needed therapies as well as one bathroom. One of the classrooms is smaller than the state standard for kindergarten. There is little storage area. Some of the needed therapies are done in the corridor outside the MEEP rooms which means that high school students cannot use the corridor when passing between classes. The rooms originally were used for home economics child care classes. One advantage of having this program in the high school is that the home economics classes do work with the program. The kindergarten part of this program, called KIDS, INC. is housed at Mastricola Elementary School.
• C-121: Home Economics foods lab. There are stations for 16 students.
• C-119: Home Economics clothing lab: There are stations for 16 students.
• There is also a storage area connecting the two home economics rooms which contains a washing machine and drier.
• C-119A: This was originally used as a dining room for the home economics classes. It is now used as a meeting/conference room, almost exclusively for the Special Education department. Last year, the Special Education Dept. Head attended approximately 600 such meetings.
• C-117/Marketing & School Store: Area includes office for marketing teacher and storage for store products in which there is an oven used to bake cookies the store sells. There is no vent for oven.
• B-250: Only B room, used for Health and other PE "lecture" classes. This, like other rooms (*) over the IA labs, has to deal with fumes and noise.
• C-245, 243, 248*, 246*, 244* and 242*: Math classes.
• Special Education Area: Dept. Head office used to be Business classroom. C-247 houses 4 Special Education teachers, 18 teacher assistants and is used every period for "Academic Assistance" for study hall/resource room for students who need extra help. C-253 & 255 are small areas used for Special Education purposes. One is the ESL room. These originally were used as mock offices as part of the business curriculum. The school psychologist who deals with the special education students needs private space in which to meet with students which is currently non-existent.
• C-249: Computer Lab and Business classes.
• C-251: Business class. Members of committee commented and age and brand of some of the equipment in the room.
• C-239: Originally a business classroom, now the teacher's room. This room houses desks for all itinerant teachers, duplicating equipment, and a break area.
• The intersection between the back corridor and the central corridor is the busiest in the school. Last year, allowing only right turns at this intersection was tried in an attempt to improve safety and traffic flow. It did not work and is not in use this year.
• C-231: This is a computer lab. The committee made note of the electrical cords hanging from the ceiling.
• C-233, 235, 237: These were originally business classrooms and now being used for math classes. This classes are less than the state standard size. C-233 also has electrical cords hanging from the ceiling.
• ISA: This room is used for "In School Adjustment" or In-School Suspension.
• F-207: This room is used by one of the Guidance Counselors as an office, meeting and class room for students "at risk" of dropping out. The court mandated "Challenge" program is also conducted in this room.
• Library: In addition to the main library browsing.research area there are two small conference rooms, an office, another computer network hub, a periodical room, workrooms and storage area for high school and district resources. The library has a reserved area for teachers who bring their class to the library during their class time as well as space for students to work during study time. The conference rooms are used for meetings and in-school tutoring.
• There were small areas for the math, social studies and computer department heads to use as storage and office space.
• F-200: Small Special Education area. Used for feeding, diapering and needed breaks.
• There is also a special education only bathroom which contains the tilt table which is used during therapy.
• F-201, 202, 204, 203, 206, 208, 210, 209, and 211: Social Studies classrooms. These were part of the original high school when first built. Room 211 is shared by two teachers.
• F-205: This is a math classroom in the Social Studies wing.
• F-214/212: This is really one large room which houses the Get Set program. Used to house the reading program. There are 16 adults plus students who work out of this room. (Teachers, teaching assistants, OT, PT, etc.)
• Guidance: originally the main office. The committee noted a blocked doorway. There are individual counselor offices over the entry way. These are very cold in the winter. There is little soundproofing to provide for student privacy. Files are not in fireproof cabinets, nor are they secure. There is a career library which is often used for meetings. There is one room used by OT, PT, and the school psychologist, often simultaneously. There is at least one office which is only accessible by going through another office area. The suite has a waiting area with desks for the various guidance secretaries. This area also houses the third network hub.
• The Yearbook staff works out of a small area originally set aside for storage. R. Walker noted that the school newspaper has been canceled due to space considerations.
• There were questions about whether one large storage area would be more space efficient.
• E-218, 220, 213, 222, 215, 224, 217, 228, 219, 230 and 221: English classrooms.
• There was an English storage closet at the end of this hall.
• E-230A: The PASS room. This is study area and resource room for emotionally handicapped students.
• There were also small areas for the English, foreign language and gateway department heads. This area combined with PASS room was originally the guidance offices.
• D-225: This classroom is used for some of the courses taught by the special education department teachers - study skills, high school reading, etc.
• D-227: This is an English classroom.
• D-229: This is a Math classroom. This room is also used for some health classes. The curtained window in the back looks into the business/computer lab.
• D-232, 234, 236*, 238* and 240*: These classrooms are used for foreign language classes. *These rooms are impacted by noise and fumes from IA labs beneath them.
• Finally, it was also noted that the order in which the classrooms are numbered makes no sense.

On a motion from T. Koenig, seconded by B. Triolo, it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 10:45 P.M.

Last Updated: May 27, 1998 by Wayne Morrison