Watching the deconstruction of the old Francis Howell North building while sitting in classes has shown the depleting history the school once boasted.

“There was a lot of wood paneling, and that was really cool,” principal Jeff Fletcher said. “There were also a lot of murals that kids had done on the walls. A lot of really cool traditions over the years that kids and teachers had added to that building that I think that part gets lost.”

But the loss of some school history is worth it for the massive benefits FHN students have gained. As of now, the old school should be completely demolished by the end of fall. The old building is being replaced with new guest bleachers for the football field, grass practice fields and a dedicated area for marching band rehearsals, with construction set to begin in the spring.

“It’ll give us the opportunity to kind of spread out and everybody to be practicing on campus right after school,” Fletcher said.

The other big change coming from the new construction is a change in how parking and departure in the afternoons will go. A new road, planned to be completed next year, will be exclusively for buses to enter and leave.

“All of that traffic, where we have to, like, hold everybody, to let the buses go through, that won’t happen next year when that drive is complete, because the buses will all exit out the other side, and so it’ll improve the flow,” Fletcher said.