The new school year has brought many new changes to the halls of St. Dominic. These changes come in many different forms, such as the new mask rule, schedule switch ups and teacher and classroom additions. Now that we’re back in class, you may notice the many new classrooms that have opened since school was last in session. Our school has had to make several accommodations in order to fit the record breaking number of incoming freshmen, and it’s of utmost importance that we ensure better social distancing within the school.

The most prominent change for many classes has been the transformation of the collaboration room in the learning commons. One of the teachers now teaching in the back room is Mr. Schlenke Jr., and he has been putting the room to good use. Along with using the think tank room, there are teachers who take advantage of the learning commons area as a whole. Mr. Asher and Mr. Winklemann both use the open area, since their classes are too big for a classroom.

“It has its challenges teaching in such a large and busy space. Students have some difficulties hearing or seeing the Apple TV or the whiteboard, and the distractions are a concern. However, some positive aspects are that students feel more comfortable in the chairs and have more space at their ‘desks’,” Mr. Asher said.

Plenty of teachers have been taking advantage of the new access to the outdoor seating areas for classes. Places such as the benches right outside the 200s hallway, the Oak Grove and the outdoor connector area can be seen in use by classes throughout the day. A multitude of teachers in the 200s rooms bring their classes outside to the benches to get a breath of fresh air during class.

Some of our older classrooms in the building have been changed to better accommodate the large student body we have. The music room and Mrs. Findley’s stage have both been used for different purposes other than music and performing arts; the new religion teacher, Mrs. Hirtz, has been using Mr. Cissell’s music room.

“Teaching in a new space that is not a traditional classroom has been a great opportunity. I say opportunity because it makes you take a closer look at what you do, what your goals and objectives for learning are, what is important, what needs to be tossed out of your arsenal of things you’ve always done and develop new ways, new techniques to fit the needs of your students and the available space,” Mr. Hirtz said.

The changes and additions made to the classrooms of St. Dominic have overall helped the spacing issues we face now, especially with the pandemic happening. Teachers have been great about sharing space with other teachers and moving to different rooms than they are used to. We hope to see more additions being added onto the school as our community continues to grow!