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Watchung Hills district highlights new design lab, learning commons and nearly $5 million in state aid
Summary
Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett announced completed renovations at Watchung Hills Regional High School — including a new design lab and a 2021 learning commons with podcast, TV and VR facilities — and said nearly $5 million in state aid approved through recent referendums paid for the work without raising local taxes.
Elizabeth Jewett, superintendent of the Watchung Hills Regional High School District, announced that the district has completed a series of facility renovations at Watchung Hills Regional High School, including a new design lab and a learning commons finished in 2021.
Jewett said the upgrades were intended to provide "state of the art facilities designed to foster innovation, creativity, and collaboration" and stressed the changes go beyond cosmetic work. "We've enhanced our athletic facilities, upgraded our academic spaces, and enhanced our spaces for the arts," she said.
The district's most recent project, Jewett said, is a new design lab described as a multipurpose space for the robotics team, engineering courses and a new design program that offers hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering, art and design thinking. The learning commons, completed in 2021, was described as including flexible spaces for instruction and quiet study and featuring a podcast room, TV studio, VR lab and maker technologies. Jewett also noted renovated specialty labs — including ceramics and photography — new locker rooms and an upgraded nurses' office and athletic trainers suite.
On funding, Jewett said, "Thanks to responsible financial planning and the overwhelming support of our community, we have secured nearly $5,000,000 in state aid through our past 3 referendums, which meant these renovations did not impact local taxes." The transcript did not specify the dates of those referendums or the exact breakdown of state aid versus other funding sources.
Jewett thanked the community for its support and said the district is "committed to continuous improvement with future projects already in the pipeline." She closed by urging the community to "stay tuned for more exciting developments." No specific timelines or named future projects were provided in the remarks.
The announcement summarizes completed facility upgrades and funding claims made by Superintendent Elizabeth Jewett; the district did not provide additional documentation or specific referendum dates in these remarks.
