Life in the Trailers:
modular classrooms find there fit on campus

Modular classrooms, math complex, art box, interim spaces, trailers. Last year the mention of any one of these words brought on a roll of the eyes, or a heavy sigh. Today, students and faculty alike will tell you how thrilled they are with "life in the trailers."

Gordon Chase, chair of the visual arts department, says that as a teacher he is "on a daily basis, happy with the space in the arts complex." The art complex or art box , as it hs been named by the visual arts department, houses Milton's two-dimensional visual arts—painting and drawing—and is located east of Kellner. The 3-D areas— woodworking and ceramics—moved from Warren to the basement of Robert Saltonstall Gymnasium.

According to Gordon, the students find the new classroom space attractive, clean and well-lit. One recent Sunday evening, Gordon arrived at the art complex to find more than 25 students—many of who stopped by after chapel—working in the art classrooms. "Some students were creating posters for Magus Mabus, while others worked on their own art projects," explained Gordon. "That’s the kind of mix we hope for in the visual art department, boarding students, day students, whether they are enrolled in visual arts or not, working together on artistic expressions outside of class in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere."

According to Gordon this type of evening activity rarely took place in their former location, the top floor of Warren Hall; students felt as if those classrooms were far away and they were often locked in the evening. The art department is working hard to make the new facilities welcoming and lively. While student artwork already fills the hallway walls and interior classroom spaces, Gordon is planning Friday evening programs in the new space to introduce it to students and young artists that may be unfamiliar with the visual arts at Milton has to offer.

The mathematics department is also operating from modular classrooms this fall. Having called Warren Hall home for many years, the department, according to chair Jackie Bonenfant, is thrilled with their new light-bright teaching space. Plenty of electrical outlets and bathrooms, clean spacious work areas, large blackboards and whiteboards offset the small office space members of the department now share. "Office space is small," says Jackie, "but after a few weeks each faculty member found his or her own nest."

The additional electrical outlets provide better access to technology; Warren Hall offered computers in two classrooms while in the new space five classrooms each have eight computers.
While students do have complaints about the location of the math complex — further away form the other classroom buildings — the new accommodations seem to meet and in some instances exceed the needs of the community.