The restrooms at WHS have been out of date for a while. Many students have noted that the bathrooms feel old, or that they’re rough because of the student behavior, but the general consensus is still the same: they need an update. For students that feel this way, great change has come for them over the Summer.
Assistant Principal Tola Dada is the head of the construction of the new restrooms.
“This planning for this project has been in the works for several years. We are fortunate that the community voted to pass the bond so that we could fund the cost for the renovations,” said Dada.
While not every student restroom in the building will be included in the construction right now, most of the busier ones were included. Administration agreed that the restrooms were on the old side, so they have been planning the new restrooms for some time.
“The restrooms were outdated and this allows us to have pride in our building. We want something that students, staff, and the community could be proud of,” Dada said.
These new updates should give the building and admins of Westside a sense of refreshment and pride. The first restroom completed was the activity gym restrooms, being completed right before the start of the school year.
“The activity gym restrooms get the most traffic and are used the most by the community. We wanted to make sure that this was done first because we will have home events as early as [the start of September],” Dada said.
Construction for the restrooms started back in May 2024, with the start of work on the activity gym restrooms, upstairs restrooms, and select staff restrooms. One thing that students noted with the new design is that the sinks are now on the outside, mostly in the hallway for the activity gym restrooms.
“The sinks are on the outside because it helps us with traffic flow. Students can get in and out faster if there are less students in the restroom,” Dada said.
Less extra things inside the restrooms means more room for stalls, which space in the restrooms was very scarce sometimes, especially during passing periods. However, more restrooms finishing up through their months of work will open up plenty of space during passing periods to help out that issue.
“We will be done with student restrooms by 9/9 and the staff restroom later in September. Each restroom takes about three months to complete,” Dada said.
The new restroom project evidence hasn’t been known to the students for that long, but its effects on the building have already been felt everywhere. Westside’s new construction on the restrooms, life complex, and possible cafeteria update will ensure that WHS feels like a more modern school for years to come.
“I’m really excited about the renovations at WHS. Our students deserve clean and modern facilities that they can be proud of. Our building always has the public here for various events and it is important that they can come to a top notch facility,” Dada said.
