Students Advocate for Change at Nauset High
Nauset Regional High School has served the towns of the Outer Cape for over 45 years. Vibrant spaces and beautiful murals exist throughout the school. The main courtyard greets visitors with a number of murals and art installations, highlighting student talent while also disguising deteriorating cedar siding. Murals in many stairwells mask worn surfaces and distract from the lack of safety vestibules standard in modernized schools. Students and faculty cherish the openness of the school, although the sheer number of doors interferes with securing the buildings in the event of an emergency. Faculty members design innovative curricula but lack teaching space for classes.
Nauset students were interviewed to speak about a number of problems they believe justify a new design. Sarah Kelly, a senior from Wellfleet, believes that the buildings “are a real mess” and if the “opponents of the renovation would just take the time to walk around and see what’s wrong with it, they would understand.” Along with the brown water, the school’s heating system is also shot. Ella Grimm, a junior from Truro said that “you’re freezing or you’re super-hot, and the teachers cannot really control it.” The original 49-year-old boilers are on its last legs as the water in the bathroom sinks run cold. In addition, the school feels very dark with small windows throughout the building. Katie Sanborn, a junior from Yarmouth Port said “you kind of feel trapped in the classrooms” due to the lack of natural light. On March 30th, residents of the four towns in the Nauset Regional School District must vote to renovate the school.
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