Over the past two years, the Stillwater district has collected enough for a $175 million bond. The bond approved the construction of two new elementary schools, the expansion of Oakland Middle School and expansion of the high school.
In order to complete such a large amount of demolition the contractors, Kraus-Anderson, needed to start construction mid-semester. At SAHS, a temporary wall was erected in the hallway just outside the White Pony Center. This places the construction site near specific first-floor classrooms where students and teachers alike are upset about the large amounts of noise and disruption.
“The first time we heard the rumbling, Mr. Ryan was doing a lecture. It built up to the point it was so loud he stopped and went ‘This is ridiculous,’ which got the whole class laughing,” freshman Brianna Pariseau explained.
Despite the challenges linked to this construction, it is a necessary evil the district must take. To help accommodate the noise, AP testing was moved out of the main forum and into the pathways office in the media center.
“It’s a distraction and a disruption, and I don’t like that, yet there’s not a lot that you can do [to help reduce the noise]. With any construction project it’s a nuisance and we’re just going to have to endure that during school,” Principal Robert Bach explained.
The main focus of the construction at SAHS aims to expand the front office. since front office receives heavy foot traffic throughout the day from PSEO, 916, senior elective, online classes, students returning to school, late busses, guest speakers and parent drop offs, the district asked for the area to be blown out to help accommodate the high volumes of traffic.
“We’ve got just this tiny little space in here. Oakland Middle School has about one third the number of students that we have here, but their front office space is about three times bigger than ours,” Bach said.
The construction at SAHS stems from the same origin as other construction projects within the district. A bond referendum was passed in 2023 permitting a $175 million bond for the construction of two new elementary schools, and the expansion of Oakland Middle School and SAHS.
“A few years ago, when I was a principal here in the district, I was able to help construct, build and be the principal at Brookview elementary. Being able to guide construction for two more elementary schools as well as Oakland is a real highlight,” Director of Operations Mark Drommerhausen said.
Kraus-Anderson, the company contracted for the construction, has worked with the district before. These trusted contractors have constant meetings to ensure every aspect of the construction is smoothly running.
There are over 30 different contractors on site; the entire operation is very “multi-layered,” Drommerhausen explained.
Overall, everything is moving smoothly and all construction is predicted to be completed by the start of the fall 2026 semester. Hopefully, the benefits from this construction will be visible and positively impact not just SAHS, but the entire school district.
