Over the last summer, the Cannon Falls Middle/High School had many new renovations.

There were many small changes that were done to the school before the 2022-23 year started. The most noticeable one was, in the atrium, there was a new design showing our beloved, Cannon Falls Bombers’ colors. Additionally, the CF emblem was painted on various doors throughout the school. Some new TVs were also put up in the hallways.

The most exciting change was the high school gym getting completely redone. Renovations on the gym started towards the end of the last school year and continued through summer until school started. Many companies contributed to the project and many people were excited about the new gym. There is new flooring, a new scoreboard, new bleachers, new lighting, and even new doors. It hardly seemed like the same gym from last year. Everything seemed shiny and fresh. “I like the new renovations, they make the school nice and newer. As a student athlete, I love the upgrades that were done in the gym. The floors are super glossy and very simplistic, making it easy to know where the out-of-bounds line is when I’m playing in a game. I also love the new bleachers that hold all the fans for games,” senior Kyra Schoenfelder said.

All these projects were funded by bonds that were approved in the last special election. There were three goals that drove these projects. The first is to ensure safety for the school. The second is to provide better air quality for the MS/HS classrooms. Last, to bring the old school up to current standards.

There are plans to continue renovations through next summer. In order to give time for the upcoming big renovations, classes started early this year. Usually, school starts after Labor Day, but this year school was in session two weeks earlier. It was a hard time for the students because to them, it was still summer and they had to attend school. However, the early start was necessary so students could be out of school by mid-May, meaning the summer of 2023 will be extra long. This seems to lighten the mood about starting school early. “It felt like the school got an upgrade that it had been waiting for,” junior Piper O’Gorman said. 

There are many changes that are going to occur in the summer, from the air ventilation to the shop. It will make the school a better and more inviting school. The shop space renovation will bring these areas to the current standards. The shop has not been changed since 1973. It has been 50 years, and a lot of things have changed. “I’m looking forward to all of the changes that are going to happen. I really looking forward to having the shops renovated and I think teachers and students are really going to like the changes that are being made in classrooms as well,” school principal Tim Hodges said.

Many people are excited about the gym. It looked super new and it is something many students liked. “Overall, the renovations that were accomplished over the summer have definitely impacted the look and feel of the high school,” Schoenfelder stated. It could also be a joy for other people from outside of the school. Come to the volleyball games to witness the beauty of the gym and how it is being used.