On Tuesday, both educators and students in Burlington, Vermont, celebrated the opening of a temporary high school in an old Macy's department store.
The original Burlington High School building was closed due to chemical contamination concerns.
But as students entered the new "Downtown BHS," they were happy to resume in-person learning. Also, their school's new home still had many original features revealing it was a place to shop, and providing content for quite a few amusing social media posts.
Burlington High School was closed due to chemical contamination concerns
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
But it reopened in an old Macy's building
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
"I'm definitely excited," sophomore Daniel Gibson told NECN of the new school building opening. "It's just harder to do school online."
Gibson and his fellow students haven't been able to attend the city's regular high school since last March.
Both teachers and students are pretty excited about the changes
At first, the pandemic closed it to in-person learning. But then, right before this academic year, word got out that potentially harmful chemicals linked to old construction materials were found in the air inside.
This combination meant far more remote learning for BHS kids than just about anywhere else.
Inside, some classroom walls still remind students of the products that were sold here
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
"Yes, there is the importance of understanding content in the classroom, but there's also that human connection piece and just growing through discourse and conversation," interim BHS Principal Lauren McBride said.
McBride joined school district representatives and elected officials in thanking the many people who worked tirelessly to make this conversation a reality.
The escalator leads to a former jewelry section
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
Here's a video tour of the premises
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
The school district highlighted that getting a safe space for in-person classes has been a priority
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont, also shared some good news
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
The governor announced all Vermont teachers, school staff, and employees of child care centers will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines starting next week
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
WCAX reported that the conversion took 10 weeks and had a $10 million budget. The old school closed in September, and they're planning on using the converted Macy's store as a temporary location for up to 3 years, depending on how long it takes to clean up and renovate BHS.
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
The conversion took about 10 weeks
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
And had a budget of $10 million
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
"Honestly it feels genuinely better than the old BHS campus. You can truly feel how much time and effort went into building it," Aria Batten, 16, told BuzzFeed News.
"They truly thought out the safety and construction behind it, and it makes me feel really good."
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Here's what people said about the conversion
