Public Tours Wheeling Park High School Upgrades | News, Sports, Jobs

photo by: Photo by Joselyn King

Robotics students show off the new robotics area at Wheeling Park High School. The robotics room is located on the first floor where lockers were previously placed.

WHEELING — There’s now space for robots, violins and wrestling mats to all live together in athletic, technological harmony at Wheeling Park High School.

The public got its first chance this week to tour the extensive renovations at the facility.

“I love it. I think it’s gorgeous,” said parent Stacy Russell, a WPHS graduate. “So much thought has gone into its design.

“I love the school store. I love all the details and I love the robots.”

Work at WPHS included an expansion of the front entrance and a wrestling room addition, with most every department getting upgrades.

Construction is still continuing, and the cost when done is going to well exceed $20 million, according to school district officials.

Ohio County Schools Superintendent Rick Jones cautioned those present for the tour that “nothing is done” at the school, and that there was a lengthy punch list of things still needing to be completed or fixed.

Nevertheless, there was still much for visitors to see and experience — starting with a staircase that is now located just inside the front entrance, as well as an elevator.

Before those needing to venture upstairs had to walk through the school to find the stairwell, then walk a distance if their destination were the media center at the center of the building.

The new stairs and elevator now lead directly to that center area, where The Overlook school store, teachers lounge and technology center are located.

Patrick Riddle, technology coordinator for Ohio County Schools, said all he requested for his department in the new building was additional storage space — and maybe an office for himself with a window.

Other school officials are now envious of him, as he now has what is considered to be “the best office in the school” on the second floor above the newly-constructed entrance. His office windows overlook the parking lot and surrounding areas.

“It worked out well,” he said.

The former media center, meanwhile, remains closed off as construction happens there. The room is being repurposed with separate areas for a maker space, a small lab and presentation area where speech and debate students will practice.

There are no longer any books in the media center, Principal Meredith Dailer confirmed. Also gone from the building are student lockers. One area where lockers once stood is now home to a robotics arena.

Moving toward the gym area, new locker rooms feature dedicated areas for the swim teams, as well as referee locker rooms for both men and women. More and more referees are female, and need their own changing areas, Dailer explained.

And there are now individual shower stalls in the locker rooms. Previously, there were larger shower areas equipped with four shower heads to accommodate multiple students at a time, but students never wanted to use them, Dailer continued.

Among the areas sparking the most interest was the newly constructed wrestling room addition.

Those present looked at the new wrestling mats on the floor, which seemed slightly oversize and rolled up along the walls.

But former wrestling coach Sean Doyle – now a field representative with project engineer McKinley and Associates – explained that is intentional. The mats are laser cut to fit precisely, but they shrink to size over time. The shrinking process takes about a year, according to Doyle.

The former wrestling room is now the strings room and part of the music department. Along the walls wrestling mats once touched are violins and other string instruments.

Next door is the piano room, complete with all new electronic keyboards – though passers by won’t hear any music. Each keyboard has its own headphones, and the teacher can tune in from their desk to hear each student individually.

Sue Abraham – the mother of former Ohio County Board of Education president and current County Commission Zach Abraham and a graduate of the former Triadelphia High School – was overwhelmed by it all.

“It’s just wonderful,” she said. “I could never go here. I could never find my way around.”

And the WPHS sign with the eagle that once perched outside above the front entrance to the building is getting a new nesting place inside at Patriot Point.

Patriot Point is still being completed, and will serve as a gathering space for students, according to school officials. It can function as a meeting space for clubs, an area for students to meet to discuss projects, or an area for banquets.

It will also be open to students at lunch time, but only juniors and seniors are permitted to take food inside, Dailer said.

“It’s nice to take the public on a tour,” said Ohio County Board of Education President David Croft. “They get to see how their tax dollars are working for them.”

The renovations at WPHS are part of a $76 million plan to upgrade all facilities within Ohio County Schools. Voters in 2018 passed a $42.2 million bond issue to help fund the initiative.