After several months of construction, the second floor of the Seaver building reopened when classes resumed post-winter break. The goal of the project was to create a Wellness Center that could allow students to easily access counselors, in contrast to their previous location near the dean’s offices in the Chalmers building. The history department, which had its office in the Feldman-Horn Gallery for the duration of construction, moved into a new office in the recently remodeled building. The primary faculty who were involved with the construction were President Rick Commons, Head of School Laura Ross, Head of Upper School Beth Slattery and the Director of Operations Jeff Gin.
Construction has only recently reached an end, so interior furnishing has not yet been completed. Commons said he was satisfied with the overall results of the construction but still wishes to improve the interior elements.
“It was a success in the design,” Commons said. “I would say it needs to be warmed up and lived in a little bit, and we need to figure out what needs to be adjusted. We’re 90% of the way to where we need to be, but not all the way yet.”
Upper School History Teacher Sandra Brasda said that the current improvements to the interior of the building are being carried out collaboratively by faculty.
“We’re all working really hard to make it a warm, comfortable and welcoming environment where students can come and hang out, and teachers can work appropriately,” Brasda said. “[Some things] are missing right now, but there are things that we are actively working on very hard, on all levels. It’s kind of a work in progress still.”
Since the initial planning for the construction began, the former Director of Operations Dave Mintz retired. The necessary transitions from this event, along with other factors, contributed to the difficulty of the project. In spite of this, Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said she is excited for the opening of the Wellness Center.
“I’m excited, particularly for the Wellness Center, when it really is available and fully open and when the counselors are all moved up there,” Slattery said.
Ethan Kang ’27 said that any major improvements to the building were not as noticeable, yet the addition of the Wellness Center is a positive one.
“The new building definitely has noticeable differences, but I don’t really see any major improvements when comparing it to the one from last year,” he said. “It is nice that they redid the Wellness Center to make it easier for students to relax.”
Phoebe Sun ’28 said that she was unable to make a comparison because she did not see what the building looked like before this year’s remodeling.
“As a sophomore, I didn’t see the building before construction, so my perspective is different from juniors and seniors who can compare both versions,” Sun said. “For me, this just feels like the normal campus, while for them the changes are probably more noticeable and impactful.”
Sun said that the history department’s move from the Feldman-Horn gallery back to the Seaver building was beneficial for art students.
“One benefit of the construction being finished is that the history teachers were able to move back to their old offices, which allowed visual art students to have the gallery spaces back,” Sun said. “It also makes the campus feel more normal again.”
