I had the good fortune to take a short hardhat tour of the new Upper School building last week.  While there is much work to be done of course, the "bones" of the building are in place.  The overall floor plan, which I had previously seen only on blueprints and sketches, is definitely coming to life.  Most exciting was climbing the recently poured concrete staircase and going up to the second floor.  It may be hard to tell from the ground, but the floor has been poured on that level and one can easily walk around.  I certainly got a great feel for the various classrooms and other special features -- where the student lounges will be, the numerous skylights and "cut-throughs" that allow light to go from the top of the building to the first floor, the two-story tall Innovation Lab.  All of these spaces already possess a "Wow" factor; I can't wait to see the finished products.  One of the most impressive aspects of this second story walk-through was getting a glimpse of the wonderful views of campus (and beyond) that exist from that height.  Our campus contains so much beautiful scenery it is hard to say which direction provided the biggest impact.  Certainly the west-facing windows will feature some great vistas, and the south side will allow tennis fans to watch the matches from up high.  All in all, it was impressive indeed.  The contractors are right on schedule--even a little bit ahead and should have the building all closed up before the end of September, thereby eliminating delays that could be cause by inclement weather.

Meanwhile. we continue to settle in to our temporary homes collectively referred to as "The Village."  Teachers have done a fine job of moving in and creating positive classroom environments.  Given that the square footage of each room is larger than our old classrooms and the entire complex is air-conditioned, we are actually doing quite well!  Students have been trickling in already and have been genuinely impressed with the conditions; as with me, I think the reality has far surpassed their notions of what a temporary space would look like.  Freshmen will get a full tour of the buildings on their Orientation and will learn where their individual classes meet and where their lockers are.

Parents should feel free to stop by the Village anytime or come to campus to watch the progress on the new Upper School.  You can find me in my office in Building E.