Turlock High School shows off new, $20.8M science building. What’s inside?
Students taking science courses at Turlock High School couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic change when classes resumed April 12 after spring break.
After a school year mostly spent studying remotely on their learning-device screens, they began learning in person in a new, two-story, six-classroom, $20.8 million science building.
There still are screens used for instruction, but these are 75-inch, high-definition TV screens with live camera feeds so teachers can show lab work as it’s happening.
The building and much of its contents were paid for through Measures N and O, which were approved by voters in 2016 and combined gave Turlock schools nearly $89 million. At the grand opening of the building Thursday afternoon, invited guests got to see what a good chunk of that money bought.
Addressing the audience before the building opened for tours, retired Turlock High science department chair Eric Julien, who was a driving force on the M and O campaigns, called the facility “truly an impressive sight” and praised its well-designed, functional classrooms. “We have inspired science teachers who will who will use this building as intended and bring it to life.”
A student, too, Science Olympiad team captain Lilyane Stessman, told the crowd that teachers are the beating heart of the building.
“This past year, struggling to understand science through a screen, gave me an appreciation for the students and staff that make up our science program. Behind me, Turlock High School has built a state-of-the-art science building, which would be nothing without our state-of-the-art science teachers.”
The teachers are beyond appreciative, one of them indicated in remarks at the grand opening. Shadi Safi, who teaches human anatomy and physiology, said he wasn’t even in a science classroom when he started at THS. The same was true for others.
“When it comes to curriculum, a lot of lab activities we could simply not do in the previous rooms,” he said.
For instance, a chemistry class was taught in a classroom with no Bunsen burners, no lab benches and only one sink. The new facility lets students engage in the activities that go hand-in-hand with the curriculum, Safi said.
The building has a prep room and a wealth of equipment, with more on the way, including microscopes with cameras that can be plugged into students’ computers, he said.
But the value of the building goes way beyond its instruction technology. The science teachers are now all under one roof, where they can reach out and support one another, Safi said. There’s an abundance of storage, including space behind sliding whiteboards. There are glass-fronted, mirrored display cubbies, and educational materials can be pinned to the walls.
Not surprisingly, other students who served as tour hosts at the grand opening are loving the new building.
“I was not a huge fan of doing online classes,” junior Sehajpreet Kaur said, “and being in class and doing hands-on projects is much better. I learn much more in this class.”
Fellow junior Skye Cardoza, who plans to be a marine biologist, said just entering the building inspires. There’s a solar system mural that’s simply beautiful, she said, and the overall building “has a big wow factor to it.”
She added, “It really just makes me motivated to learn and really just pay attention during classes.”
This story was originally published May 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
