By Peyton Berry

Have you ever wondered, “What is going on with all these construction vehicles and workers? What are they doing now?” Well, Tempe Prep is knee deep in the exciting new update coming our way. We all have heard that Tempe Prep is building a new 20,000 square feet fine arts and science building! But what does this new building have to do with us?

Some of the things that are on campus right now no longer meet the requirements and needs of the students and staff. The science rooms are too small, there is not enough space in them to do experiments safely. Second, the music room does not have good enough acoustics that are needed. And the art room doesn’t have enough natural light that it needs. Finally, the auditorium is just too small.

The new building will fix all of these issues. It will have bigger science rooms, a bigger 400-seat auditorium, an art room with some natural light, and finally, a music room with the acoustics that the orchestra and choir will love.  Of course, this new building will be expensive, costing around $7.2 million, but it will bring so many opportunities for the students of Tempe Prep.

For the faculty at Tempe Prep, there will be two private offices for the special education director and the school counselor.

Dr Porter said that “the actual construction began in July, [but] the entire project began three years ago.” This means that they had been planning this for a long time and it is finally happening! He also says that “we are shooting to have it all done by the end of the 3rd quarter.” But that is not guaranteed, because of Covid. They may have to hold back the project even later if there is a shortage in workers. We should just hope for the best that the project stays on task.

Along with the new building, they also added new turf to the outdoor paideia area. With the new turf, not only does it bring beautiful scenery to the school, but it also makes it more comfortable for students.

Ella Meaker, a 6th grader, said, “With the new turf we are able to play a lot more sports.” That is so true! There have been fun times playing volleyball, basketball and even just sitting and enjoying the new turf while eating lunch and chatting with friends.

So, who is excited for the new building?! It will be a big change, but it will be an exciting one.