Kennedy campus is in year two of getting a new look, as the reconstruction of the campus will eliminate portable classrooms and become a more modernized, cost-effective, and environment-friendly infrastructure that brings students and staff closer together.
Students of Kennedy High School have been awaiting news regarding the construction taking place and what that means for them. The construction being done has changed classroom functionality and affected student life on campus.
“It is an inconvenience for me and other students especially when getting to class,” stated one Kennedy junior Abigail Herrera.
However, it is safe to say that the intention of Kennedy’s renovation will be to ensure a better life on campus for students. Assistant Principal Susan Sim Kim is the facilities overseer for construction. She declared that the newer facility will improve students’ learning environment which is something that LAUSD makes continuous, honest efforts to achieve.
The little theater and cafeteria might be undergoing the most development, as the Kennedy campus should expect to see it bigger than ever. Recent updates show that the school is planning to expand the little theater which includes having the back portion extruded out for more available space. Now students will be able to carry out curriculum activities more freely.
The project development started in early May and the main upholstery for the cafeteria and little theater underwent its main construction as of June 2023. The layout of the design is meant to include more technological installment and fix the plumbing issues that were prevalent within the buildings last year
“Our company Amorosa is working on building safety barricades as part of the safety procedure that the school board is permitting,” said safety manager Hector Garcia.
“How it works is that the programs who are funding the construction will select the lowest bidding companies to do the work of particular areas, which is why the Kemp Bros company and Amorosa company are working on different projects,” Garcia stated when asked about the project they were doing. The Kemp Bros company is primarily involved with the reconstruction of the little theater and cafeteria which is expected to continue for an additional five years. The company Amorosa focuses on making LAUSD schools safe and an overall better environment, making sure to keep the well-being of students in mind. “Amorosa should take two years,” Garcia further added; the project of installing safety equipment and redoing the Kennedy campus’s ground will continue into 2025.
“Going through construction is not easy. We all need to work together to keep the campus safe during construction,” Sim Kim remarked.
Students should expect better electricity, improved technology within the buildings, improved accessibility, and an overall enhanced environment. More importantly, the reformation of Kennedy’s buildings will provide a conservative framework for more environmentally sustainable architecture to take place in the future.
As for concerns involving how this project is being funded, LA County is using its bond money to support this and future projects. Members of the LA County Board of Education recently voted on renovating school facilities to provide a safer and more adaptive learning environment for students. Many LAUSD schools have undergone sustainable reinvention since 2001 and it has become a $20.3 billion project, county-wide. These efforts also reduce costs for the school, providing more useful funding for other projects. Teachers and staff will also benefit from the improved framework of the infrastructure as the design is expected to aid with “high performance” work, as stated by Sim Kim. Kennedy continues to take into account the input of fellow students and parents to make the school’s learning environment more suitable for everyone.
Kennedy will have a more developed look that will function to improve the school’s learning, communication, and environmental problems. The expected deadline for this project is said to be done in the 1st Quarter of 2028, while the cafeteria and little theater should be completed in the 2nd Quarter of 2025 (when this year’s juniors will be nearing graduation).
