Although there are only a few students who have seen them so far, there have been several significant changes to building spaces at Elk Grove High School for the 2020-21 school year.

Along with the new advanced machinery lab, a new and improved journalism space, new sidewalks, and some new pictures in the front lobby at Door No. 1, a significant part of Elk Grove High School’s building and land space was also changed last summer with the repaving of the parking lots and sidewalks in and around EGHS.

This particular project hasn’t been done in about 20 years, assistant principal of operations Kyle Burritt said.

With a new diagonal parking space design comes a question: Why are the diagonal spaces angled away from Arlington Heights road as opposed to towards Arlington Heights Road?

“The answer is simple,” Burritt said. “It’s so that we can have more parking spots now than the previous lot.”

There were about 40 to 45 spots in the block that is right there when students and staff entered from Arlington Heights Road. But with the new layout, drivers have to turn right and pull into the next aisle.

Drivers cannot back into the spots. Despite this, the new parking lot features:

• A new smooth surface
• Fixed potholes
• New sidewalks also compliment the new lot.

In addition to the parking lot, there are now new pictures in the EGHS lobby that greet you upon entrance to Door No. 1. 

Construction on the expansion of the manufacturing center at Elk Grove — located across from the weight room — has also been underway. The project was the result of a $100,000 grant the school received last fall.

Room 140 in the English hallway has also been converted from a double-classroom into the news studio. The former news studio, located in 196, was absorbed into the aforementioned manufacturing center. The room will be the new home to The Guardian newspaper and the multimedia communications classes at EGHS.