This past summer of 2024, a huge change was made at Eagle Rock Jr./Sr. High School. New floors were installed in some classrooms as part of the Flooring Replacement Project paid for by school bond funds. Returning students may have noticed the new flooring on the second floor and in some of the bungalows. What was the inspiration behind this? Why did our school suddenly decide to spend money on new floors instead of something more fun, like field trips or school supplies for teachers? The answer might surprise you—and perhaps give you an opinion as to whether or not the installation of the floors was worth the struggle.
One of the first things to consider is what the teachers of our school had to go through in order for the new floors to be installed.
To answer this question, I interviewed Ms. Youngblood, who teaches Language and Literature, Theory of Knowledge, and supervises the yearbook.
“My floor was the first group of individuals to have to clear out our rooms, so we had pretty poor directions on how to do it, and it got a little frustrating,” she said when asked about the process of installing them. “It was quite an endeavor to put it all back and separate our stuff that had been put in a pile, but I’m grateful to our custodial staff for having saved whatever they could at the last minute.”
Ms. Youngblood said she was unprepared for the new floors to be installed, as well as unaware that it was necessary for her to remove every item from her walls. Without the help of our custodial staff, she said she could have lost everything attached to her walls. Thankfully, this was not the case, but it was still a tedious process having to sort through her stuff and put it back in its place. This was the case for most teachers.
So, what does this say about the process of installing the new flooring? Does the new design make up for all the effort put in by teachers? Should we have just kept our floors as they were? To help us answer these questions, we have to think about why the floors were installed in the first place.
These floors were not installed to give our school a makeover, but rather for more serious reasons concerning the safety of students here at ERHS.
“My room was flooded about two years ago, and the floor in my room had to be changed,” said Mr. Espanta, currently teaching AP World History, AP US History, and 8th grade US History. When asked about whether he thought the costs of the flooring was worth it, he responded, “Students’ safety was a concern, and anytime we use funds to secure that students are safe is money well spent.”
Flooding in certain rooms wasn’t the only issue, however. You may have heard rumors of the old floor tiles containing asbestos, all of which are true. However, it may not be as big of a deal as we think it is. Asbestos was a common material in buildings at the time of our school’s construction, often found in paint, wall insulation, and, obviously, flooring tiles. Though it can sound scary at first, asbestos is not an unusual thing, and small traces are typically harmless. “I think they’re being super hyper-careful because you’re students--you’re kids and you’re growing,” said Ms. Youngblood. The matte finish on the floors is also easy to maintain, allowing the school to continue operating without having to wax the floors every year, as they have done previously.
Looks are another concern, but not in the most serious way. If you take a moment to notice, the new green floor coloring does not match the green paint on most of the classroom walls. Various sources have also recognized that the new floors can look particularly dirty. Aside from this, however, they do seem like an overall improvement from the previous floors.
“I think the old ones were a lot yellower and kind of old looking. I think these look a lot better, because they are fresher and more new, and they’re a lot smoother to walk on. The colors definitely match ERHS.” - Evie Campbell, 8th grade.
The new flooring seems like a fine addition to our school, but the real question is whether the reward was worth the cost. The floors help prevent a potential safety hazard and do a great job of showing school spirit, but they also required lots of effort from our school staff, and cost thousands of dollars that could have been put toward something else.
In some ways, this project is like staying home on a school day. It sounds super fun at the moment, but when you miss out with friends and overdue assignments start piling up, you might just change your mind.
The floors feel nice, but they make the trash look even dirtier than it already is.