The San Juan High classroom modernization project, funded through the 2024 K–12 and community college facilities modernization bond, will transform the 12,000-square-foot science wing to include two new large chemistry classrooms, three life science classrooms and two additional general science classrooms. Photo courtesy of San Juan Unified School District

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Construction of new science classrooms within Building B of San Juan High School on Greenback Lane is moving toward scheduled completion before the start of the 2027-28 school year. The building undergoing renovations is closest to the main administrative entrance.

Clues to what materials were used to build many of the classrooms within the wing left behind by the original builders have been found as interior walls and floors have been stripped down to their bare shells to reveal their secrets, said San Juan principal David Levis.

Much of the existing science wing was first built in the 1930s.

Yellow-vested construction workers are a common sight on the rooftop of the science wing which faces the student cafeteria courtyard and where temporary construction offices and equipment are now staged.

Yellow-vested construction workers are a common sight on the rooftop of the science wing which faces the student cafeteria courtyard and where temporary construction offices and equipment are now staged. Photo courtesy of San Juan Unified School District

Levis previously welcomed students arriving for classes each day at a portable desk in the high school lobby, situated just before the lobby entrance to the main Building “C” science wing hallway.

While his office has temporarily been moved back to the administrative office during construction, Levis said he still enjoys making his daily rounds of the high school campus’s multiple classroom wings and meeting more than 500 Spartan students on campus each day.

Four existing science classrooms used for chemistry, physics/environmental science and biology have been temporarily relocated to other classrooms on campus during construction, he said.

Levis said one of the ongoing goals for San Juan High School is to provide students with a much stronger science background to better help them become more competitive when entering college. Each of the temporarily relocated lab spaces are well able to continue to achieve that goal, he said.

San Juan students are required core science classes for graduation and college-prep Advanced Placement (AP) science courses are offered.

“The overall construction zone is separated from the student spaces and from what I understand, it’s generally going well,” he said.

Sample classroom project drawings in decorative red and white Spartan school colors are visible to the public on the Studio W Architects website. Photo courtesy of Studio W Architects

San Juan students continue to have multiple pedestrian access points to their classrooms in nearby Buildings A, C, D and E which are not affected by the ongoing work. Access to the main visitor parking lot facing Greenback Lane is generally unaffected. Visitors can use either the main entrance or the attendance office from this lot.

The San Juan Unified School District has partnered with Studio W Architects to modernize the existing science wing at San Juan High School, transforming the building into a forward-thinking educational environment that supports contemporary science programs and support services.

Additional planned campus site upgrades include new perimeter fencing accessibility improvements.

The science wing portion of the district’s modernization project is expected to cost $15 million, according to a report from Studio W Architects in Sacramento, who have partnered with the San Juan Unified School District to remodel about 12,000-square feet of classroom space. Sample classroom project drawings in decorative red and white Spartan school colors are visible to the public on the Studio W Architects website.

“Several workers have shared with me some of the original builder’s notes they have found so far,” he said.

Two notes, originally written in the 1930s in pencil on a memo note pad of the Palm Iron and Bridge Works at 15th and S Streets in downtown Sacramento, describes individual classroom featuring “maple flooring, fibre (fiber) board ceiling, stucco walls and decorative plywood wainscoting panels.”

While all student lockers along the hallway of Building B were removed at the start of construction, some are still available to students in the Lower A portion of campus if students request them.

“I’m hoping that some of the original student lockers might be configured as historic display cases to showcase these and other items for San Juan’s history,” he said.

The San Juan High classroom modernization project, funded through the 2024 K–12 and community college facilities modernization bond, will transform the 12,000-square-foot science wing to include two new large chemistry classrooms, three life science classrooms and two additional general science classrooms.

The project also includes the creation of a makerspace for hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities; a new teacher prep area and shared lab prep space; and new family resource center with private offices and new modernized restrooms.

The updated science labs will open onto an outdoor courtyard, promoting indoor-outdoor learning opportunities, Levis said.

Yellow-vested construction workers are a common sight on the rooftop of the science wing which faces the student cafeteria courtyard and where temporary construction offices and equipment are now staged. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

Construction partners on this project include CORE Construction, Kitchell Construction and Studio W Architects.

The Roseville office of CORE Construction which is managing major demolition, site, renovation work and campus-wide improvements at San Juan High, having completed over 2,000 active campus K-12 projects safely and with minimal disruptions to ongoing day-to-day activities, according to the company.

Planned campus-wide improvements include new interior and exterior paint, new flooring, updated furniture, new window coverings, new whiteboards, gutter repair and replacement, new acoustical wall paneling, abatement, and some new lockers.

The approximate total cost of the modernization project at San Juan High School should total nearly $28.5 million, according to district documents.

San Juan students and their families can learn more about the ongoing San Juan High School science wing modernization project at: www.sanjuan.edu/our-district/construction-news/construction-projects/san-juan-high-school-science-wing-modernization.