Measure Q Inches Along

By Forrest Lewis

The Measure Q bond is a beacon of hope for the Northern Humboldt Union High School District.  Despite widespread and deep budget cuts, the 25.8 million dollar bond provides the district with the funds to remodel the gymnasium bathrooms and locker rooms, build a fine arts facility and track and field, update the library and media centers, install working clocks and electrical wiring, and set up various technological updates on campus.  Dedicated students and community members promoted the November 2 ballot measure last fall which would rehabilitate the two high school campuses constructed over sixty years ago.  Board meetings were conducted, speeches made, and editorials appeared in almost every newspaper across Humboldt County.  When the fateful day arrived, dedicated residents from Arcata to Orick came together to approve the ballot measure with a majority of 58.9%.  Students rejoiced.

  Yet nearly a year later, the 2011-12 school year commences in quite the same fashion as the previous semester concluded.  “I knew measure Q wouldn’t be in full force,” said senior Sonia Goetsch-Avila, “but I was at least expecting something.  I hope that at least next year there will be a new performing arts stage for the drama class to act on.”

The soccer field resembles more of a lake than a playing surface at times, the clocks display different times in more classrooms than not, and the drama department and orchestra still perform on their scratched stage in the multi purpose room with poor acoustics.  What happened to the promise of a 13 million dollar revival?

  The simple answer – Measure Q is a work in progress.  “It takes a little while with the Measure Q,” said Dave Navarre school principal, “So far improvements have only occurred on a limited basis.”  Room 400 features a completely remodeled lab with over twenty brand new computers.  The previously used computers, showing only slight wear and tear after a few years of use, were relocated downstairs to room 300.  “The main point of this upgrade was to make room 300 a quality lab available for students,” said technology teacher Kelly Helms, “The machinery down there was extremely ancient and archaic, but now it offers an alternative for the library computer lab.”  A new network server was installed on campus to compliment the computer hardware.  “The new server was supposedly going to make the network 100 times faster,” said Joanne Mauro, tech committee member and photo teacher. “The system definitely had some bugs at the beginning, but I’m definitely noticing the dramatic improvement already.”  The combination of the upgraded computers and new network server brings an entire new interface to Arcata High’s technology department.

  The next step in the process of improving the technology around campus involves the installation of multimedia projectors in most classrooms.  Teachers Eric Vollmers, Kelly Helms, Earl Peters, and Danielle Lehman were issued these interactive white boards as pilots for this product.  The projectors encourage student involvement through the use of “magic wands” that control the computer when standing in front of the class.  Some projectors are experiencing technical difficulties due to wiring issues and conflicts between the remote sensors and the fluorescent lighting which must be fixed before these machines work to their full capacity.

“All teachers should have the opportunity to utilize technology in their daily curriculum” said Librarian Jennifer Berube, chair of the technology committee.  Berube is an advocate for personal tablet computers and wireless internet being available to all students, but with only 773,000 dollars of the Measure Q bond dedicated for such expenses, the fund must be used sparingly so as not to invest it all in hardware that will be obsolete by the end of the decade.

The first major construction on the Measure Q project schedule will be the installation of a new wiring and clock system scheduled to begin this November.  If all goes according to plan, a majority of the construction will occur over Christmas Break to minimize distractions in the everyday life of the students.  The complete reworking of the infrastructure will include working phones, clocks, and a Public Address (P.A.) system in the form of speakers mounted in every classroom on campus.  The P.A. system will allow the office to connect to all classrooms simultaneously – either for emergencies such as lockdowns or simple announcements – or one-on-one communication and conference calling between classrooms.

For upperclassmen, the communication and wiring upgrades may be one of the few improvements seen in their remaining time left at Arcata High.  The Arcata High School Measure Q Project Schedule, which can be viewed on the NHUHSD website, shows that after the completion of the phone, clock, and P.A. installation, there will be a six month break before the construction of an accessible bathroom in the gym next fall.  The online agenda notes that, “Schedules depicted here are tentative based on the information available and are subject to change as each project is developed and any special requirements become evident.”  If the tentative schedule remains unchanged, 2013 will be the major year for development.  January will feature the media center/library upgrade followed by vocational technology classroom renovations in March, the construction of a fine arts facility in May, and the physical education upgrades in December.  Some of these construction projects will only take around six months, while others will carry on well into 2014.  Even though most of the improvements are years in the making, Principal Navarre is already thinking long-term.  “We’re just stewards here” Navarre stated, “The administration, the teachers, we’re just here to serve during this time period.  You are going to have children and grandchildren that pass through this facility so it’s good to pass onward the improvements.”