Other than the strikingly modern technological advances, students and teachers alike at Paly appreciate certain features about the new Science building, mainly the spacious new design and clean facilities.
"[The building is] a pleasant place that’s bright and cheery and great to work in," said Ron Pruzan, a new physics and biology teacher in the science department.
"I love the layout," senior Anitha Veerappan said. "There’s room for people to do labs and to sit. They’re [the administration] doing a great job."
The new building is an extreme improvement over Paly’s old facilities, according to assistant principal Chuck Merritt. The new building cost roughly $7 million and was funded by Building for Excellence, a school-improvement organization. The old science building, supplemented by three portables, had six classrooms able to hold approximately 198 students in less-than-spacious conditions. The new building’s 10 classrooms can accommodate more than 320 people, Merritt said.
Three classrooms each in the new building are for chemistry and biology, and two classrooms each are devoted to physics and general science. The old building had two chemistry rooms, two biology rooms, one physics room and one multipurpose room for other subjects, such as geology.
"The Palo Alto Foundation for Education also raised half a million dollars for facilities inside the building," according to Merritt, including new balances, probe-ware, multiple fume hoods and hot plates, computers, televisions and other pieces of expensive sophisticated equipment.
"It’s intimidating…I’m so scared I’m going to break something," senior Jean Choi said.
The previous building, which was demolished over the summer, was replaced because it "had really outlived its original length of use," Merritt said. The building "wasn’t sufficient in terms of space, [and the] facility wasn’t modern." Both the roof and the rest of the building were in need of extensive repair and replacement, Merritt emphasized.
A lawn area with trees and benches is planned for the location of the old science building as soon as concrete pouring is completed, according to Merritt.
Physics teacher Gul Eris has no nostalgia for the old building. "The new building is definitely much roomier and a much better environment for students to learn," Eris said. "The equipment is new here, so not everything is breaking down." Some downsides are that the "cabinets are small compared to the equipment we have, which is not very convenient," Eris added.
Locating all of the science classes and offices in the same building benefits everyone because different classes will be able to share materials, according to Merritt. The new building includes teacher offices, copy and supplies rooms, student and staff bathrooms, a Science Resource Center (SRC), a janitor room, and a common lab preparation area.
"Science education is going to benefit tremendously," Merritt said. "Having all of the science facilities in the same building and also new science equipment really brings classes up to date… This is a vast improvement."