On Tuesday, October 14, PCDS Upper School students walked into campus after Fall Break through their usual morning route: the Walk of Champions. Only this morning, it looked a little different. Rather than the uniform concrete floor students walked across as they made their way into the quad, fresh epoxy covered portions of the ground.
This project is just one of the many campus improvements spearheaded by The Board of Trustees Facilities Planning Committee, which consists of PCDS Board members, parent volunteers, Head of School Mr. Rodin, Assistant Head of School Mrs. Abero, Chief Financial Officer Ms. Pontius, and Director of Operations, Campus Safety, and Emergency Response, Mr. Mitten.
Mr. Mitten, who not only serves on the board but also facilitates the construction, said, “This project was considered as a way to increase the look of the Walk of Champions for PCDS and to dress up the entryway.” In addition to aesthetics, Mr. Mitten praised the epoxy’s ease of maintenance compared to the concrete, which can stain.
Many Upper School students were surprised at the subtle yet noticeable difference.
The first thought junior Mady Nakaji had when she walked in at 7:50 a.m. on October 14 was the “funky,” “pungent,” and “awful” smell. “I honestly hate it, if I’m being honest,” she told EEN.
Other students similarly criticized the project. Sophomore Laurel Morris said that the project “doesn’t make very much sense;” junior Wesley Tarbell liked the new material but would prefer a more cohesive design where all of the tiles are the same; junior Cole Bower pointed out that the floor “low-key probably gets slippery in the rain” and that “it’s just a waste of money;” and junior Juliana Crisalli said that “it smelled really bad.”
However, not everyone condemned the new flooring. Sophomore Mary Bartolino said that the change of scenery “made the entrance into school more interesting and more exciting;” junior Julian Owens commented, “I think that it’s beautiful, and I’m glad they made a change;” senior Jack Moriarty thought that, although he “didn’t see it coming,” it was “good to change things up.”
