Central needs a wrecking ball, not renovations

I have a glorious vision swirling in my brain, and I would like to share it.

In my vision, I am exiting Naperville Central High School after the last day of my senior year. As I stroll into the sunshine with thousands of my peers, a wrecking ball of incredible size crashes into the building.

Nobody flinches, and the scene goes into slow motion. We strut away from the chaotic destruction with proud confidence. Cue the dance number.

This is my vision. I am sorry to say that it will not be realized; not by me or any other student at Central. The school will likely be renovated, not rebuilt, and construction will not begin in time for my graduation. The official decision-making process has been very disappointing.

Way back when the possibility of a new school was first brought up, students gained a newfound sense of hope for progress. It seemed like a solution had finally been discovered.

Of course! We could just knock the school down. We could build a new one with a reasonable layout and ventilation. We could even remove the mold farm in the ceiling.

Why didn't we think of that before?

One year later, things aren't so simple. The option for a complete rebuilding of Central lacks community support, and just getting renovations set in motion requires a referendum to pass. I barely even know what a referendum is.

The entire issue has moved beyond my grasp, and beyond that of most students. It's up to the school board and the voters to make a decision, and this process is totally invisible from a student's point of view. It's like mom and dad are out picking your Christmas present, and you have no idea what store they're at.

And the present they choose might not even be that good. Although the planned renovations sound comprehensive enough to solve the problems at Central, I'm wary of accepting them as realistic.

Didn't we think the last changes would be enough to fix things? And the ones before that? I hope the architects are broad-minded enough to look into the recent past and find out what went wrong last time.

Looking back on the amount of times the school received failed alterations, the current renovation plan becomes a leap of faith. Will it actually work? Will things get messed up again? It's hard to say.

A wrecking ball, on the other hand, is guaranteed to produce its intended results.