— First of a Series —
Starting with this issue, The Tattoo will chronicle the
renovations at the two high schools in Bristol, Connecticut. Our staff writers
will describe the trials, tribulations and occasional funny
moments of life under construction.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998
If I had any presumptions about perhaps this construction being a good idea, then today they were forgotten.
I was late for my English class when a group of freshman, who were obviously lost, dazed or apparently stupid, stood in the middle of the hallway and decided to talk to each other amidst
the confusion and traffic of the mid day rush.
Normally I would have decided to miss the whole mess of the “naive and stupid” in the hallway, but due to the remodeling of the hallway of my choice I didn’t have another option to access.
Also even though it is only day three of school I have heard all about the construction, the details of how long it will take, and how troubling it has been for faculty and students alike. I now
know that the construction will take approximately 900 days, which in junior time doesn’t mean much since I will be out of this school by the time that they are done. Therefore I don’t
really care about this, except that it is causing me to be late for classes.
On a whole I actually can’t think of any good that is coming out of this for my benefit. I have complaining teachers that are traveling around and in time I feel will lose my papers in the
confusion and stupid freshman that are adding to my troubles as well.
The only upside in this is the making fun of the situation as much that it can be made fun of. For example the hallway that holds the history department has no ceiling or floor which gives it a “bat cave” appearance that throws off echoes that are really quite humorous to hear and to say. Those are the two good sides the ONLY good sides.
Now I am wondering what tomorrow will be like or what room I will be in, if one at all??
— Jessica Norton, junior, Bristol Eastern High School
Wednesday, Sept. 9
When I was walking to my science class, it occurred to me this morning just how inconvenient the new construction at Bristol Central was going to make day-to-day life. Usually, to get to the
science room, I would just have to walk down one of the connecting halls and take a right.
Well, it’s no longer that easy. I must now go down two flights of stairs to the bottom floor, across the bottom floor, then back up two flights of stairs. Oh, I’m starting to love it already.
Now, the construction workers have at least been able to open up one of the connecting halls in the middle floor, so that cross-school transit has been made a little easier. However, it is still very tough to get to classes without having to go a long way out of the way.
Just to mention that would of course be leaving out the fact that the school now resembles a dungeon, with the atmosphere not exactly making the whole experience any easier to put up with.
I’m a senior, though, so I know the school already. It’s the freshmen who are really suffering. How am I supposed to tell my freshman sister how to get to class when I am not even sure? It’s
sad to see the scared looks of the freshmen as they take a turn and realize that they are at a dead end, trapped in a building that has all the charm of a medieval torture chamber.
I’d stop to laugh, but I have to find out how to get to my next class.
— Collin Seguin, senior, Bristol Central High School
Friday, Sept. 12
English class. We’re reading Streetcar Named Desire. My teacher tells us it was once called The Poker Night. We’re all fascinated. Really.
Stanley slaps Stella in the kitchen and we all gasp. In my mind Marlon Brando wails into the night: “STELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAA!!!” and then… BBBBBBBBBBBRRTTTTTTTTTTKKKKKKBBBBBBBBRTTTTTTTKKKKKKK
Construction plods on.
That scratching sound in the distance can only be poor Mr. Williams turning slowly in his grave.
— Joe Wilbur, junior at Bristol Eastern
