As Emerald High approaches completion, more Emerald High students are getting the opportunity to visit the new campus and walk through its future halls in preparation for the day they leave Dublin High for their own campus. In fact, while Emerald students, who are currently all freshmen, will remain on Dublin High’s campus until their own school is fully functional, groups of students have already been selected to tour the developing campus. 

Because Emerald High is being constructed on a smaller piece of land, the design for the school will differ from Dublin High. Indeed, instead of Dublin High’s sprawling campus, Emerald’s new campus will utilize a more modern method of vertical construction that optimizes space and allows efficient use of the available area, with most buildings consisting of three floors. In this way, the design will still accommodate a large student population without requiring too much space. 

Paarth Agrawal, a freshman attending Emerald High, showed interest in getting to tour the campus. “Being one of the first students to explore the campus is something that I and many other students look forward to,” Paarth remarked.

Paarth’s comment about the campus is an opinion shared by many freshmen, many of whom are just as eager to see their future school campus. Although students can’t tour the high school for the time being, the Emerald Yearbook Team recently took pictures of the current construction process’s progress, including pictures of the spacious Student Union, massive gymnasium, and a brand-new football field that allow future Emerald students insight into the development. The yearbook team also photographed some of the classrooms and offices, completing Emerald students’ picture of the school. 

In addition to considerations of space, Emerald High was built with modern design concepts of flexibility in mind. An example of this is the Student Union building, which will not only consist of a theater but also a balcony on the second floor overlooking the cafeteria. This innovative design will allow the Student Union to have multiple uses—a versatility reflected in numerous other buildings throughout campus.

However, the density of this construction has sparked concern about whether Emerald’s new campus will be sufficiently spacious for incoming students. Amulya Medarametla reflects this concern in her hopes for the new school: “I want Emerald High School to not feel as crowded so that we can have more space and time to get to class without so many students trampling us in a rush to make it before the bell,” Amulya commented. 

While Amulya’s concern is shared by many, the prospect of overcrowding won’t be a problem in the upcoming years because there will be far fewer students at Emerald High compared to most high schools—especially Dublin High. This is due to the fact that the school will only have freshmen and sophomores for the first year, with their first senior class graduating in 2027. However, as the school becomes more and more established, the issue of space may become a more relevant concern. 

Although Emerald High’s construction is not fully finished, the campus is getting closer to that point each day, with Phase 1 already close to completion. Eventually, the inaugural year of freshman will be able to attend the campus, and in due time, be able to claim Emerald High as their own high school.