Changes have been taking place in the FHN commons. Walls are being repainted, new lights are being put in, and a new slop sink was placed in the loft.

“We’ve always wanted to get more lighting in the commons to brighten it up,” Mike Janes, FHN athletic director said. “We also needed a new paint job and once the new lights were put in it pointed out that we needed one soon.”

One of the main reasons for the repainting of the walls is because when students advertise events with posters, as a result, the posters remove the paint when they are taken down.

“We really want students to respect and take care of the new walls,” Janes said. “Hopefully no one will be throwing things [at the walls] or kicking them anymore.”

The school plans to order and place more bulletin boards around the school so once students get their posters approved they can have a place for them without creating a problem for the school.

“I think its a great idea to have bulletin boards up because now we don’t have to worry about chipping the paint,” senior Olivia Fincke said.

The paint job in the commons is planned to take about three weeks due to the fact that it will need two coats of paint and lots of trim work. One of the changes that effects the students is the lack of decorations like the spirit meter.
“I’m upset that they painted over the spirit meter because StuCo worked hard to repaint it,” senior Megan Doerhoff said. “Also it gave our commons and upbeat feel.”

The loss of the wall decorations is the only expense facing the school, because all of the renovations are paid by the district. With the new lights to brighten up the commons, paint job to give the commons a classier look, and slop sink to make cleaning easier for the janitors, the school staff is pleased with the decision that the district made in paying for these renovations.

“It’s going to be more professional,” janitor Bob Gruettemeyer said. “I think it looks much better.”