For at least the next year, Conestoga Jr/Sr High School is under construction to increase the size of the school as the number of students increases.

Indeed, the population around Beaver Lake is expected to grow over the next 20 years, and the school wants to be prepared for this increase starting now. This construction project is also being undertaken at the elementary school.

Mike Apple, superintendent of schools, shared that the goal of the project is to recreate the same architecture so as not to differentiate between the old and new premises. At the entrance of the school, 30,000 square feet are being added. Behind and between the school and the Den, 25,000 square feet are going to be added. In total, the school will have 55,000 square feet more to welcome more students and create more rooms.

The new building and renovations at the entrance will be for the middle school. Some dedicated rooms will be for drawing, cooking, or reading, and some of them will replace the classes currently located in the library and on the stage.

The construction is not just outside, as the inside of the current school is also undergoing renovations. There is new carpet and fresh paint throughout the renovated areas. The organization of the building is going to change; the office area will be bigger – taking over Amy McHenry’s current room and all the rooms next to hers.

Apple also shared that all of this started three years ago with the ventilation system and the fire protection system. The construction and renovations began this summer, and the projection is that all the rooms will be open for the next school year, with all workers gone by Christmas 2026.

Some additional features, like more windows and more vegetation, are planned. After all of that, the only possible construction will be for the parking area and the training area. All this construction is important because the school has not been changed since its original construction in 1978.