With the exciting rebuild of Toll Gate High School, students are receiving brand new classrooms and learning environments. Although this new school is developing a better learning environment there are cons to the students currently surrounded by the construction. Many of my classmates in the class of “2026”, who will not be here to enjoy the new Toll Gate experience, feel more strongly about the distractions that this project has caused in the classrooms. Even though this is progressive for the future learners of Warwick, those of us currently in school are going through difficult learning times from construction. A lot of my classmates and teachers have shared their frustration with trying to learn or teach with the sound of the jack hammers and other machinery used. 

There have been numerous complaints from my classmates and teachers of people getting headaches from the noise and commotion. Classrooms closer to the site are most affected making it almost impossible for productive learning. A classmate, Vanessa Jones, stated her opinion on the racket and commotion we have to deal with on a daily basis. “The jackhammering gave me headaches and it definitely made it a lot harder to concentrate in class.” Teachers had similar complaints, like Katherine Rauch who also shared her opinion on the matter. “Complete torture for people on b3. If my classroom was there I would have left, I don’t know how they did it…” 

 In the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, there were everyday announcements warning students of the explosions being set off on school grounds. A football player I spoke to expressed that they were practicing very close to the explosions, concerned that the smoke from the dynamite was dangerous for the players. The project is also directly affecting senior athletes not being able to practice on their home field. Since the project is not set to be finished until the 2027-2028 school year the underclassmen, sophomores and juniors, will also continue to be affected by these changes before they are rewarded with their brand new school. Although the construction is necessary to improve the structure and learning conditions of the school in the long term, students are forced to face these short term challenges.

While some students can be understanding of the benefits of this project in the long term of the new Toll Gate High School, they will hope that going into the next school year the construction projects could be arranged or consider some ways to potentially minimize the distractions its causes for the students and teachers on campus. While students and staff members are adapting to the racket, they wait for their new and improved campus.