As Many of you may know, I have been writing building updates as our beautiful Grace-Hopper establishment has been rising. Although this year is coming to an end, the building isn’t, and it is only rising higher from here. What started as a dispatch was laid brick by brick into what we have today: an incredible, multi-story building. The Whiting-Turner team has come so far within the past year and is only getting started. Now that the structure is nearly done, they are ready to get moving on all the other good stuff that comes along with our school. 
This article is unlike any other of this mini series because it comes with information from an exclusive interview with ACC’s principle, Ms. Chung. Heavy insight on progress and upcoming steps was given during this interview and I’m eager to share. Ms. Chung has been incredibly involved in this process as well as the tours that carpentry students have been taking on the construction site. She shared that the back part of the building facing seventh street has an almost completely developed main structure, unlike the front area that we can clearly see at the entrance of our school. This area needed excavation before cornerstones were laid and concrete poured, which wasn’t an easy job. But this construction team didn’t let a problem like that deter them. They pushed forward and planned steadily to keep this project on track. When asked about how the process of actual building worked and why a lot of the progress hasn’t been shown, Ms. Chung said, “It’s very complex how they have to set things up before actually starting specific parts of the build.” Although you may not see much going on, every boom and crack and pounding noise you hear while writing your English essay is all for a reason.
As mentioned previously, ACC members have ingrained themselves in this incredible process. Our carpentry students take monthly tours of the site to learn about all the work that goes into the building, and Ms. Chung along with plenty of students and staff has greatly enjoyed watching this vision come to life before our eyes. At one point during the interview she said, “It’s unbelievable how the building has gone up so quickly. They started, I think, in September and it seems like once they got all the main structures up it just went so quickly and it’s been amazing to watch. You see so many people working on different parts of the building at the same time.” It’s very encouraging to see that the face of our school is so integrated in our future.
A lot of what has been discussed in these articles is just cement and cranes and dirt, and although it’s pretty awesome that all of that will be our school soon, we’re also wondering how we will make this building ours. Many of my peers as well as myself have expressed concern about having a hard time transitioning our Arlington Tech culture and energy. One of the biggest parts of ACC culture is our favorite game in the box, four square. If you have spent any time in the box at all, you will know what this is. A fan favorite among students (and not so much among teachers) is exactly how it sounds. There are four squares. Guard your square and don’t let the ball bounce twice in yours. Although it seems innocent, this simple game has led to year long rivalries and multiple teachers coming unwarned and met with a ball whizzing past their head. This game is a huge part of who we are and has been confirmed to reappear in the Grace-Hopper center!
Another piece of our culture is our mini library that many students reside in for a place of peace. In our new building there are plans to have an expanded library with an extreme surplus of books. It will be home to a calm aroma and plenty of comfortable seating to choose from. But that’s not what really makes our library special, that’s why I’m incredibly happy to inform you that our wonderful librarian, Ms. Alexander is coming along with us. I know many of you will be very happy to know this and so am I.
