Conestoga High School recently invested a total budget of $39.6 million into a 65,008 square foot addition, as well as other renovations, and the results are breathtaking.
The project, titled “CHS Expansion & Renovation Project,” finally seemed to take off on November 21, 2019, when the Tredyffrin Township Planning Commission voted in favor of the plan. A few weeks later, on December 10, the committee modeled the final budget and square footage analysis. New classrooms, science laboratories, art classrooms, bathrooms, and even an atrium and laboratory were all recently added to the campus.
The Atrium truly is the star of the show. It is the “focal point of the new addition” according to the Tredyffrin/Easttown Township. It contains comfortable seating areas for students to work, both individually and collaboratively, as well as a main tiered, stair seating area where students can study and/or gather. This space also is equipped with charging stations that are available throughout the course of the day, and skylights that bring in plenty of abundant natural light, minimizing excess electricity.
On Wednesday, October 27, 2021, the high school hosted a community open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony, and since then, the space has been open to the students.
“The new infrastructure includes over 20 new spaces for students. New classrooms, laboratories, art rooms, individual bathrooms, and, almost everyone’s favorite, the Atrium, are all brand new,” said Conestoga High School freshman Virginia Bove ’25, “CHS’s library, nurse’s suite, and some existing classrooms were refurbished. The new changes are absolutely fantastic, and walking into the new spaces makes me genuinely excited to be there.”
Unfortunately, these updates were not available until much later than originally expected. The COVID-19 pandemic put initial construction on hold. Construction was first moved from January 2020 to March 2020 due to the amount of time it took for the Township to approve the project. The pandemic then further delayed construction but was able to continue later that spring. Current students are emphatic that the space is finally available.
“Everyone loves the new addition to Conestoga. The Atrium is such a great space to complete work, chat with friends, or just relax,” said Conestoga High School freshman Elise Bove ’25, “the new classrooms are extremely nice as well, and I am so glad I will be able to enjoy these lovely spaces for my entire high school career.”
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