Over two weeks ago, the Link Crew room in the basement of the school was closed down for construction. While it was only worked on for a week, during that time Link Crew was temporarily discontinued.

Construction began while the school was closed for spring break and modifications and small extra projects were done the week students and teachers returned, confirmed Mrs. Jennifer Uliks, the student activities director. No other renovations will be made to the space.

Planning the renovation took a little more than a month or two, stated Mrs. Uliks. Once it was proposed, the process moved relatively quickly. In on the decision were people such as Principal Marina Scott, Assistant Principal Eric Maroscher, Fine Arts Director Dustin Helvie, Mrs. Uliks, and Athletic Director Briant Kelly, as well as the people working with building and grounds for the district.

According to Mr. Kelly, the construction was done to institute the same flooring as was put in half of the cafeteria (room 157, 158, and 158B) a couple of years ago. It is a special material made for dance purposes. It will allow activities such as poms and orchesis to make use of the area instead of having to be crammed in the cafeteria for practice.

“Orchesis has sort of been bumped around year after year. They used to use like, the auditorium floor, or Studio Theatre floor. Or they would share the cafeteria with poms. It just got increasingly difficult for people to practice when they needed to so we really needed a dance facility for Orchesis,” stated Mrs. Uliks.

According to senior Riley Delude, who has been a part of Orchesis for four years, the original Orchesis season was from November to March, but they’re changing from a winter sport to a spring so that they won’t have to compete with other after school activities for space. “We are actually lucky we found another open space because there are so many after school activities,” she said.

Link Crew will also continue to use this space. “Considering I’m not in dance, I just think it gives the room a weird vibe. The floor was more comfortable to sit on before and the light reflects off the [new] floor, which is brighter since changes were made, so it’s kind of blinding,” confessed freshman Megan Fahey when asked what she thinks of the renovation. She added  that other students have told her they feel the same way.

The school is looking to place rugs inside the room to make it more comfortable for students in Link Crew, affirmed Mrs. Uliks. However, there will be no other construction modifications made.

Over the years, this room has had many uses. For a long time, it was used traditionally as two classrooms for subjects such as English and social studies. Long ago, it was also the school’s auto shop. Because of the divider and the fact that it can be used as two small rooms or one big one, it has had multiple uses. Four years ago, when Link Crew was created, it was turned into the Link Crew room.

According to Mr. Kelly, the amount spent on this renovation will even out from the amount the room is used. Dr. Scott also has her yoga classes there on Friday mornings with other teachers in the building. It is also used as a place for students in various plays to rehearse.

“I think it’s a good use of taking a space and trying to use it for multiple purposes. When you’re in a building like LHS that’s older, sometimes you have to be creative on how you’re going to use spaces or renovate spaces,” said Mr. Kelly.