This School In Vermont Has Been Installed In A Former Macy’s And The Vibe Is Unlike Anything Else, Not Only Because Of The Escalators (20 Pics)
On Tuesday, both educators and students in Burlington, Vermont, celebrated the opening of a temporary high school in an old Macy’s department store.
The original Burlington High School building was closed due to chemical contamination concerns.
But as students entered the new “Downtown BHS,” they were happy to resume in-person learning. Also, their school’s new home still had many original features revealing it was a place to shop, and providing content for quite a few amusing social media posts.
Burlington High School was closed due to chemical contamination concerns
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
But it reopened in an old Macy’s building
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
“I’m definitely excited,” sophomore Daniel Gibson told NECN of the new school building opening. “It’s just harder to do school online.”
Gibson and his fellow students haven’t been able to attend the city’s regular high school since last March.
Both teachers and students are pretty excited about the changes
@mirandaljunggg♬ baby one more time x levitating – Adam Wright
At first, the pandemic closed it to in-person learning. But then, right before this academic year, word got out that potentially harmful chemicals linked to old construction materials were found in the air inside.
This combination meant far more remote learning for BHS kids than just about anywhere else.
Inside, some classroom walls still remind students of the products that were sold here
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
“Yes, there is the importance of understanding content in the classroom, but there’s also that human connection piece and just growing through discourse and conversation,” interim BHS Principal Lauren McBride said.
McBride joined school district representatives and elected officials in thanking the many people who worked tirelessly to make this conversation a reality.
The escalator leads to a former jewelry section
Image credits: mirandaljunggg
Here’s a video tour of the premises
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
The school district highlighted that getting a safe space for in-person classes has been a priority
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont, also shared some good news
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
The governor announced all Vermont teachers, school staff, and employees of child care centers will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines starting next week
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
WCAX reported that the conversion took 10 weeks and had a $10 million budget. The old school closed in September, and they’re planning on using the converted Macy’s store as a temporary location for up to 3 years, depending on how long it takes to clean up and renovate BHS.
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
The conversion took about 10 weeks
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
And had a budget of $10 million
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
“Honestly it feels genuinely better than the old BHS campus. You can truly feel how much time and effort went into building it,” Aria Batten, 16, told BuzzFeed News.
“They truly thought out the safety and construction behind it, and it makes me feel really good.”
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Image credits: Cat Cutillo
Here’s what people said about the conversion
That sounds super cool - honestly I would probably look forward to going to school if it were in a former Macy's building just because it's a pretty crazy experience. This is what should happen to all unused buildings, we should re purpose them instead of letting them just sit there and take up space.
I’m glad you think that way. We have to be flexible where we can and adapt to meet the challenges we face.
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I think that this is great. the mall is large enough and gives them space to social distance while remaining to be safer than their original school. cool!
Right! I see no downsides! Plus, it's easier for kids to carry their heavy bags on an escalator than climbing up :D
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It sounds great but then you think about the fact that it means America's malls work better as schools than the actual schools.... (Not trying to turn this into something negative, it IS a good thing none the less)
Its probably because most malls were built after the school building were & were already prepared for large amounts of people. Granted, i dont like in VT but it live in CT & a ton of our schools were built ages ago. They were made to hold 1 grade lv at a time vs having 3 8th grade groups sharing rooms for example. Or were made to have a school total of a few hundred kids & now have to house 100 kids just in 1 grade lv. They're def trying to play catch up &/or build more schools BUT that usually means more taxes. Being our taxes are already pretty high for the US, it can be slow...
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That sounds super cool - honestly I would probably look forward to going to school if it were in a former Macy's building just because it's a pretty crazy experience. This is what should happen to all unused buildings, we should re purpose them instead of letting them just sit there and take up space.
I’m glad you think that way. We have to be flexible where we can and adapt to meet the challenges we face.
Load More Replies... I think that this is great. the mall is large enough and gives them space to social distance while remaining to be safer than their original school. cool!
Right! I see no downsides! Plus, it's easier for kids to carry their heavy bags on an escalator than climbing up :D
Load More Replies... It sounds great but then you think about the fact that it means America's malls work better as schools than the actual schools.... (Not trying to turn this into something negative, it IS a good thing none the less)
Its probably because most malls were built after the school building were & were already prepared for large amounts of people. Granted, i dont like in VT but it live in CT & a ton of our schools were built ages ago. They were made to hold 1 grade lv at a time vs having 3 8th grade groups sharing rooms for example. Or were made to have a school total of a few hundred kids & now have to house 100 kids just in 1 grade lv. They're def trying to play catch up &/or build more schools BUT that usually means more taxes. Being our taxes are already pretty high for the US, it can be slow...
Load More Replies...
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