Since only about 30 students each year request a locker, Building Services decided to change some of the surplus lockers into charging stations and seating areas.

Locker banks in the basement, foreign language hall, and the science hall converted to benches with four electrical outlets in each.

During the summer, contractors took two weeks to replace three sets of lockers with the charging stations, according to lead custodian Matt Titone. Instead of being able to slide the group of lockers out from the wall, the contractors discovered that the lockers were cemented into the floor. There was a lot of preparation work involving re-wiring the lights, leading to changing contractors and plans of instalment.

The charging stations are meant to be more student friendly and a step forward to converting the school’s old electrical structure to a more modern day lifestyle. “No matter who it is, no matter students and teacher, you will need to talk and re-power no matter if it is the laptops or cell phone. A lot more student friendly,” Chief Information Officer of Albemarle Public Schools Vincent Scheivert said.

Teachers have also begun making lesson plans allowing students to learn in the hallways. Other teachers have found it a bit difficult to plan a lesson involving the charging stations. “I have to make a guided rubric on how students should behave in the hallway,”government student teacher Pat O’Brien said.

Over the summer, Building Services came to check on the condition of the building which lead to the choosing of the locations of the charging stations. While additional charging stations are planned, “At this point, I don’t anticipate too many changes for next year,” principal Jay Thomas said. Updates will not be a yearly project because Building Services wishes to allow other surrounding school to create similar stations.

The charging stations are helpful to many students and teachers given there are never enough chargers for everyone’s laptop in the classroom now that Albemarle High School begins to embrace technology.