Last year, students endured a learning environment with boarded-up windows, concrete floors and mysterious fumes. Then, on Aug. 25, many of the same students walked into Central’s new main entrance and had access to a touch-screen map which could direct them to their first class, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, new floors and cleaner, fresher air.

We, the Central Times editorial board, recognize the hard work put forth by the administrators, construction workers and district officials over the summer as they worked tirelessly to renovate what students previously deemed “the dump.”

Any major project is prone to obstacles, and the Central Times commends the staff for working steadily to find solutions to problems such as congested hallways and changes in temperature within the school.

However, there are some issues that coincide with student safety that the Central Times believe needs to receive immediate attention. As of press time, certain areas of the school are lacking a functional PA system, which needs to be put in place as soon as possible in case of lockdown or emergency announcements.

In addition, we feel there needs to be clearer “traffic routes” made known to students so common hallways can become decongested and students have a higher probability to make it to class on time. It seems confusing that on some days certain routes are available to students, and other days they are not. It would be better to have more consistency in telling students where to go.

However, these are minute issues when one thinks of the many schools in surrounding states or in different countries that do not have anything close to the benefits we are fortunate enough to have in our renovated school.

We also believe that fellow students who complain about minor problems in the new school should realize that we are fortunate to be able to learn in this type of new environment and with the latest technology.