Officials Tour Fairfield Ludlowe High School Ahead of $11.6M Project Vote

With the Board of Selectmen's vote on the $11.6 million Fairfield Ludlowe High School expansion and renovation project looming, Ludlowe Headmaster Greg Hatzis treated town officials to a tour of the school Tuesday.  

"My job is to plan for what I'm told is coming," Hatzis said of the projected rise in enrollment at the high schools heralding the proposed project. "Otherwise, we're left unplanned."    

First stop: The library  

Hatzis said the library is used by individual students, groups, and entire classes at any given time and can become loud and crowded.  

"We'd like this to be an inviting place for the students to do homework and study," he said.  

That could be accomplished with the proposed expansion of the cafeteria, which would allow for more space for the students who socialize or do group projects, preserving the library as a place for quiet study and computer use.  

Next: The cafeteria  

Currently, the cafeteria's capacity is approximately 315-320 people, Hatzis said. But if high school enrollment rises as projected, the area will need to hold upwards of 400 students during lunch waves.  

With the existing high school schedule -- eight 44-minute periods each day, with an activity period factored in on Tuesdays -- many students have opted not to take a lunch period and instead pack their schedules, Hatzis said.  

The schedule is something school officials are hoping to change in the near future and will perhaps move toward 80-minute block periods that would allow a designated lunchtime for every student.  

Should that happen, the cafeteria needs to be expanded to accommodate the students, Hatzis said.  

The expansion would allow room for a senior lounge and other spaces for students to socialize and do group work or meet with a teacher. The creation of such space would, Hatzis hopes, return the library to its intended use for quiet study.  

Next: A chemistry lab  

Hatzis showed a chemistry class in progress. The teacher's supplies were kept on a cart to facilitate transport between periods.  

The rush to get from one science classroom to another between periods is an issue, especially for students seeking one-on-one time with their instructor.

"My teacher has to run out after class to get across the school to teach another class, so I can't talk to him after class," senior Mike Teng said.      

"They have to take down the labs and move them -- it cuts into class time and it's a hassle to transport," senior KC McAuliffe added.  

The proposed project includes the addition of two science labs and four general purpose classrooms.  

Next: The windows  

The last stop of the tour was the main office to check out the windows -- most of which would be replaced as part of the project.  

The office showcased the building's original windows from back when the school was built in 1949.  

"Eight-five percent of the windows in the school are in poor condition," Director of Operations Tom Cullen said. Approximately the same number of windows have tested positive for PCBs.