From having classes in Lister to the loss of the snack shop, the renovation of Nobles’ primary academic building, Shattuck Schoolhouse, hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park. But there may come a day when students are sitting in their new and improved Shattuck classroom, missing the sun glinting through the expansive windows in the recital hall, or longing for the chance to sneak a snack from the Castle while taking a “bathroom break” from math class. One day, students will tell future Sixies about treacherous walks from the Henderson Arts Center to the Lister Crew Center, or the three flights of stairs up to Calculus in the Harrington apartments, and be able to laugh about it. Instead of complaining about losing the Beach and gaining trailers that make Nobles look like a movie set, try to find the silver linings from these past seven months. That walk from Henderson to Lister and back three times a week wasn’t torture; it was really just good exercise.
The Shattuck renovation has pushed all of us to embrace the New England weather, freezing as it may be. Carolina Garcia Zamora (Class III) said, “It’s nice to have to walk around, because it forces you to go outside more.” But there are also the lucky students who got to spend all their time in one building with the absence of Shattuck. Jameson O’Neill (Class II) said, “Almost all my classes were in Baker, so I didn’t have to go far, which was nice.” Though being able to walk around outside has been a benefit of the renovation, anyone can appreciate being the first to get to class and picking any seat they want.
But it’s not just students who have been able to see the bright side of this renovation. English Faculty Dave Liebowitz said, “I enjoyed teaching in Lawrence because it provided a space for breakout discussions, and I enjoyed the sense of community that was gained from breaking down and putting the classroom together.” In large auditoriums such as Lawrence and Towles, students have been able to get a taste of the lecture-style seating that many will experience in college. Additionally, Lawrence has the perk of being easily accessible right after assembly or M-block.
“I’ve been teaching in the recital hall, so I spend a lot of time down there with people that I never see. I get to hang out with [Director of Instrumental Music] Antonio Berdugo a lot, so I have a new friendship with him. I also get to see [Performing Arts Faculty] Adaire [Robinson-Bohnslav] and [Performing Arts Department Chair] Dan [Halperin], and because of where my classroom used to be, I would never see them,” English Faculty Gia Batty said. The Shattuck renovation has fostered new connections across the entire community. Teachers being relocated led to new experiences in areas that they will never get to teach in again. Instead of seeing the construction as an annoying burden, the renovation has been a once-in-a-lifetime chance to develop new connections and meet a new person to sit with in the Castle. This new form of relationship-building also holds true with freshmen and sophomores, whose temporary alcoves in Henderson offer a space for entire grades to spend time together, as the Shattuck alcoves were not large enough for all of Class IV or Class III.
For those who struggle to control their spending at Shattuck’s snack shop, one of the biggest benefits has been free snacks in the Castle. Getting a free treat every morning without having to do a mental calculation of how much money it will cost has been something everyone in the community can appreciate. When students are pondering whether they would prefer a six-dollar muffin or a four-dollar bag of gummy bears next quarter, they will surely think fondly back on the days when their biggest snack-related stress was getting to the Castle before they ran out of Goldfish.
As we welcome back Shattuck, we must never forget what the renovation has taught us about patience, connection, and appreciation for the little things in life. After all, maybe the real renovation was the lessons we learned along the way.
