New Kensington-Arnold plans outdoor lounge, 'Think Tank/Brain Space' room at high school

New Kensington-Arnold School District is preparing an outdoor lounge area and an interactive classroom space in the high school’s planetarium for the upcoming school year.

Valley Junior-Senior High School is transforming its planetarium into a “Think Tank/Brain Space” room.

Funding for the new room, amounting to $30,000, was granted to the district by the Arconic Technology Center in October.

“When we were in high school, we had a classroom period where students were taken to the computer lab. This is the think tank, or brain space, room,” Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said.

The room will include new furniture, TVs and interactive learning software.

The district hopes to obtain more grant money to introduce planetarium software.

“It’s all about a collaborative learning space with critical thinking and problem solving. It’s going to be a dynamic place for the students to learn,” Sefcheck said.

Updated furniture is planned for the outdoor lounge area, and four classrooms in each district building will have new furniture in place before school starts. Remaining classroom furniture will be in around the first week of November.

The furniture upgrades in the buildings are being funded by money received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The district’s festival committee has been working with outside organizations and plans to host a grand opening that will allow people to view the new planetarium and outdoor lounge area, Sefcheck said.

In addition, the district has awarded bids for the demolition and replacement of the pedestrian bridges at Valley High School. Ligonier Construction secured the demolition contract for $99,000, while Bridge Brothers Inc. was chosen as the lowest bidder for the premanufactured pedestrian bridge for $313,389.

The bridge projects are being funded by the district’s capital projects fund.

The timeline of the bridge projects is still unknown.