Planned last school year and installed over the summer, new turf installations transformed previous dirt patches in front of Q-building and in between E and F-Quad, creating a new and improved look on Waipahu High School’s campus. 

On the reason for these installations, Principal Zachary Sheets said that staff and students recognized the issues with the dirt and mud that would make Q-building dirty. While cleaning up the area in front of Q-building was one of the main motivators to install turf, the idea of providing an environment to socialize was another.

“Campus improvements help bring up morale of the staff and students. We talk a lot as a faculty about the concept of belonging, and providing our students a place to socialize is very important for producing positive relationships and a positive environment. Our environment and how we feel play a big role in our view of the school and our attitude toward school,” Sheets said. 

When asked about his future plans to further improve the school campus, Sheets mentioned adding shade, benches, and more turf in other areas. He has hopes to redo the school restrooms, a concern that has been pushed by a lot of students but emphasized that the students have to take care of their school environment. 

“The students must take care of the restrooms so they remain clean and fresh. Students must respect our property and realize the vandalization and lack of respect impacts all of us,” Sheets explained. 

APPS Pre-law and Fire Science teacher Ian Ferris has been teaching at Waipahu High School for 20 years. He shared his appreciation for these campus improvements by praising Principal Sheets’ efforts.

“I think that it’s awesome that Mr. Sheets has come in and made a lot of these changes, things that we’ve talked about wanting for the students, you know, to help alleviate the congestion. Either in the stairwells or the classrooms, or just in certain pockets of campus,” Ferris said, regarding the bench construction project in Fall 2023 and this year’s turf installments. 

When asked about the turf specifically in front of his Q-building classroom, Ferris mentioned that the new turf was a “game-changer” for the students by allowing them to make use of the shaded area in front of the building, providing a place to eat lunch and socialize. 

On the other hand, as the turf brings an upside to student socialization and relieves campus congestion, another question arises about how much care needs to be put into these areas to make them last. 

APPS Participation in Democracy, Modern History of Hawaii, and AP US History teacher Tracy Laferriere, has been teaching at WHS for 23 years, and like Ferris, is happy that students are enjoying themselves in the new campus environment. She conveyed her empathy toward campus support staff, especially custodians. 

“Our custodian used to have to clean out here maybe once a week, and it would take her an hour—an hour and a half or so—but now our custodian has to clean it everyday, so she’s investing anywhere from half an hour to an hour every day,” Laferriere said about the custodian who cleans the area in front of her Q-building classroom.  

When asked about the care that needs to be put in by the students, Ferris and Laferriere shared similar opinions, that in order for these new campus improvements to have longevity and serve their intended purpose, the students have to meet support staff halfway. 

Laferriere pitched her own loose idea on how students could become more involved with taking care of the campus, where clubs could volunteer to help custodians clean up in the mornings or on specific days. Ferris also referred to WHS as a community.

“This is our community, not just the teachers’ community, not just the admins; community—this is our Waipahu High School community, and like any community, it’s only going to be as good as we all chip in to take care of it,” stated Ferris.  

As students now take advantage of these new sections on campus, crowding in the halls and stairways around the school have decreased. Students no longer have to worry about trekking mud into classrooms with the turf replacing the dirt patches that would get muddy during rainy days.