The principal designer of the school, Larry Hackenberg,spoke to the architecture, design, engineering and CTE classes about the layout and design on Friday, April 25.

“When the school was built back in the 60s, architecture was very rigid and factory like,” he said. “I wanted to design the school to try to soften the design of the building by adding curved walls and ceilings.”

After the school board approved the plan, teachers met to discuss the new school. Most teachers were against an entirely new design and wanted to keep the standard high school layout, because they favored the standard narrow hallways and square private classrooms, Hackenberg said.

“At first, I was nervous to begin this project; because the concept was so different and unique,” Hackenberg said. “There were a lot of people against the plan, but eventually people came around to it.”

Hackenberg also was the primary interior designer of the school. He wanted to move away from the neutral wall colors, like many of the standard high school’s displayed. The walls were originally painted with bold and accented color schemes.

“I thought the presentation was really interesting,” architecture teacher Pat Packan said. “It was especially to hear about the science and philosophy behind the design.”