After years of planning, the Marcus Freshman Center is becoming a reality. Ground for the new building was broken on April 23, and the center is scheduled to be ready for the 2014-2015 school year. The ninth grade campus will be in the current location of the softball field and part of the athletic parking lot. Once constructed, the center will be connected to the main campus through a hallway in between the Marauder gym and the red gyms. Freshman students will still have access to the main building and will also be able to attend campus events like pep rallies.
“Anything new always provides a lot more energy,” Principal Gary Shafferman said. “[The freshman center] just provides flexibility. It’s going to allow the teachers to be innovative.”
The freshman center is not expected to offer any new courses. However, it will provide a new approach to teaching. The center will include many features, like movable walls between classes for collaboration and iPad docking stations in the hallways for studying.
“You’re not going to have the normal rows and so forth because of the configuration of the furniture,” Shafferman said.
The freshman campus will also ease the overcrowding of the school. With roughly 900 students moved to a separate building, all areas of the school should be less crowded. This includes the cafeteria, given that the freshman center will have its own eating area. Algebra teacher John Kostibas said that he looks forward to the advantages the center will bring.
“I think it will affect [the school] positively because we are crowded,” Kostibas said. “I think it’s going to help the existing campus by taking off pressure. Sometimes we feel like we’re bursting at the seams.”
LISD West Zone Communications Coordinator Elizabeth Haas said she is confident that the freshman center will be a great facility for students, given the positive results of the other freshmen campuses in LISD like at Harmon and Lewisville.
“Research shows that having a center like this helps students transition from middle school to high school,” Haas said. “It makes it go more smoothly, and we’ve seen that with our other campuses in the district.”
Although the center will provide many new learning opportunities, it has also caused some confusion because of construction and the relocation of some sports teams. Construction on the new IAC (Indoor Athletic Complex) is also underway on the south side of the football field. The old facility had to be moved from the north to the south side of the football field in order to accommodate for the freshman center.
Although many sports teams have gotten new facilities due to the freshman center, it has caused changes to many parts of the campus. For example, the tennis team has been relocated to new tennis courts that are located off campus.
“We might have to use shuttle buses to get down to the sports center, and it’ll take a lot of practice time away from us,” freshman tennis player Rachel Wright said.
Kostibas also sees potential problems with the new center. He said that parking could be an issue, and he worries that the freshmen won’t get to interact with upperclassmen. Regardless, Kostibas said that the positives of the center outweigh all other factors.
“They will get more attention,” Kostibas said. “At this school, kids feel like they are going from middle school to college because we are so big. When they have their own little school, they’re going to feel a little more protected. It won’t be as harsh of a transition into Marcus.”
Sophomore Reilly Bitzer said he also looks forward to the additions to the school and thought they would have a positive impact on the future of the school and incoming students.
“I think that it will be beneficial to the incoming freshman because they will have a place of their own,” Bitzer said. “I’m glad that my sixth grade brother with be able to attend it because it’s going to ease his transition into high school.”
Not everyone thinks that the center is a good idea, however. Freshman Tasha Cable said she was really looking forward to going to high school after eighth grade, and wouldn’t have wanted to go to just another area for freshmen.
“I don’t think it is going to be beneficial for them because I think that the upperclassmen help them,” Cable said. “I feel like [the center] is just another middle school year.”
Changes to the school are fast approaching. Kostibas said he is hopeful for the future of the freshman center.
“I actually look forward to it,” Kostibas said. “It will benefit the kids. I think they will feel much better when they have a smaller campus that is their own.”