Students Give the Ticket Booth an Upgrade

The+new+ticket+booth+is+currently+under+construction.+Photo+by%3A+Ariel+Barbera

The new ticket booth is currently under construction. Photo by: Ariel Barbera

By Ariel Barbera, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

The new ticket booth was only a small concept last school year, and now it’s making a change to the Robert E. Lau Memorial Stadium.

The construction of the ticket booth started on September 12 when many students in the construction class gathered supplies from donors to build this new addition to the stadium. The  booth was designed to replicate the whole look of the stadium building by using the same brick material and having an identical roof style.

Technology Education teacher James Rayburn thinks that the ticket booth is looking amazing so far.

Technology Education teacher James Rayburn works on a new machine in between his teaching periods. Photo by: Ariel Barbera
Technology Education teacher James Rayburn works on a new machine in between his teaching periods. Photo by: Ariel Barbera

“It’s beautiful in a sense that you see the original idea come, and it’s going to be a reality. Way back in March, it started as a concept and now here it is, a reality. There are a lot of people to thank for that. Donors, sponsors and people of expertise on all of the different things needed to construct the building made sure that we’re building it properly and it’s going to stand for a lot of years,” said Rayburn.

Back in March of last school year, Principal Kevin Molin proposed the idea of a new ticket booth to the construction crew. Student Alex Wright took on the task and provided Molin with a variety of different concept designs before graduating. Now it is becoming a reality with the help of hard-working students.

“Mr. Stoneburg is the teacher of construction, and he has his construction students up there building it,” said Rayburn. “He had the walls constructed ahead of time. Once the foundation was laid, he took his students up there, and they assembled the walls since they were already pre-built. A company has already come along to put a rubber part on the roof and will later come back to put a metal part on the roof.”

Construction teacher Jack Stoneberg has been putting a lot of effort into building the new ticket booth.

“I think it’s turned out great. I think it’s really good to do real-world projects, and the kids are excited about it,” said Stoneberg. “Our part of the construction should be over in another week, and once the brick comes it should take a few weeks.”

The football team practices on the Robert E. Lau Memorial Stadium. Photo by: Ariel Barbera
The football team practices on the Robert E. Lau Memorial Stadium field. Photo by: Ariel Barbera

Over the weeks, local companies have been donating materials to help with building the new booth. The Shrewsbury Concrete Company has played a big part in providing concrete for the students to use.

Junior Aaron Fair contributes to the construction of the ticket booth by hammering in the nails that help hold up the walls.

“[Building it] was more on the easier side because Stoneberg had everything planned out before we began building it,” said Fair. “I think it will turn out good if things keep going the way they have.”

During the school day, students have been going up during period ⅘ and several other periods to work on constructing the building. In a few more weeks, the ticket booth should look identical to the Robert E. Lau Memorial Stadium.