Lane has received a bounty of renovations over the course of winter break, but nothing has awed the students more than the newly painted, vibrant walls of door A, the lunchroom, and several first floor classrooms.

“I think the drama classroom looks really cool, there’s lights and there’s more stuff being added to the room and it’ll be even better,” underclassman Jeremy Zelner, Div.778 said.

Lane was given a $50 million capital improvement upgrade from the city of Chicago via CPS to fix the roof, windows, and damages. That budget also made room for freshly painted walls of every classroom. A team came in and evaluated every room in the building and decided to repaint every room with water damage with a new paint job. Dr. Dignam and Mr. Ara oversaw the color palette of the new rooms.

“The last thing I wanted was more pale pinks or yellows you typically see in classrooms, which are not exciting. It’s cool to be in a classroom that’s renovated and new,” Ara said.

Staircase A next to the auditorium was the subject of a lot of controversy following winter break.

Senior Erica Skibicki, Div. 559 had opinions on the renovations.

“I get what [the administration] is trying to do with the school and modernizing it, the renovations mostly look nice, but in some areas they don’t match the style of the school. I find that completely random and does not fit the school at all,” Skibicki said.

The idea behind that section was to highlight the auditorium. Administration plans to add a mural spanning the entire wall, and leave the magenta as a backdrop. There will also be new couches and a designated area for Jazz Band to perform.

The lunchroom got some overdue TLC over the break as well. It received new floors, and the ancient tables from the 1930s were removed. All of the walls were repainted bright green, yellow, gray, and red while the ceiling is black.

Eighth grader Mercy Oladipo, Div.950, likes the improvements.

“I like the floor and there’s more space between the tables. I like that they’re smooth and don’t catch on clothes. There are a lot of colors, but they’re cohesive and people will get used to it,” Oladipo said.

Other students had more of an ambivalent opinion.

“I like the lunchroom. It looks a lot cleaner and modern, but there might be too many colors on the wall for my taste,” Skibicki said.

A handful of rooms on the first floor got makeovers over winter break as well.

Several lockers were removed to add wall windows so that anyone walking down the hall can see the new appeal of the classrooms.

The drama room by Door J was repainted magenta, gray, and black. It also received new speakers, stage lights, and a performance area.

Room 145 by door M got brand new walls and a green screen paint job fit for the needs of TV Production and Journalism students.

Room 137 was repainted a bright yellow and updated for AP Literature  and Yearbook students.

Room 139 was reconstructed and repainted red with brand new high tables for a tech class.

“I like that Lane is trying to modernize the school one step at a time and the new windows in some classes keep things open and not confined to just a four wall classroom,” Piotr Lesniak, Div. 574 said.

Bright new colors are the most noticeable changes in all of these renovations, but the modernization has stirred up controversy in the opinions of senior students who fear the architectural appeal of the school is being damaged.

“The magenta by A is vomit inducing. Lane has a long and treasured architectural past. The brick walls add to the school and make it look more like Hogwarts,” Lesniak said.

“I like the idea of modernizing the engineering classes, robotics, creation and design, but too much modernization at one time is detrimental to Lane’s roots,” he said.

Lane has had quite the makeover this school year, and administration only hopes to make it better for every new generation.