BURBANK : Architect Hears Gripes About School Design

So, how do students and school officials at Burbank High like the campus and school buildings?

Not very much, an architect hired by the Burbank Unified School District to draw up plans for renovation of the campus found out at a meeting Wednesday.

Students and school officials told architect Tom Blurock that, among other things, the campus is ugly, ill-planned and confusing.

“And can you try to paint the walls something a little less obnoxious?” asked Jennifer Smith, a sophomore.

Wednesday’s meeting was among the first in a series in which students, faculty, administrators and community members are being given a chance to meet with Blurock to voice their opinions about the renovation.

The district hopes voters will approve a $100-million bond measure in April to help finance the refurbishing of district buildings, including the two high schools.

The point of the meetings was to help the students “buy into” the project, Blurock said. “You also get a lot of good ideas.”

On Wednesday, board member Denise Lioy Wilcox also recalled the school’s ugly, yellow walls, which she opined had not changed since she was a student at Burbank 20 years ago. She said that she probably could still find the graffiti she once wrote as a student.

The school’s main building was created from several smaller structures that were added on over the last 60 years or so. The result is a hodgepodge, creating an impossible situation for administrators, Wilcox said.

Principal Keiko Hentell said she wants to see a more open design with outer walkways because the crowded interior corridors that now exist create tension and safety problems.

Students at the meeting voiced their opinions on everything from the campus flora to sports facilities.

“Can we also get more grass and trees and flowers?” asked Sarah Goodlaw, a senior.

Sports and the locker rooms arose as what Blurock said will probably be longstanding issues in the redesign.

One student suggested putting all the sports facilities together. Another asked if Burbank High will get its own stadium, instead of having to use the field of cross-town rival John Burroughs.

A new stadium would be difficult because of the limited amount of land on the site, Blurock said. But it is something that will be considered, he said.

Blurock asked students if they would still want lockers for their books. The overwhelming majority raised their hands to say they did.

Wilcox said after the meeting that officials are considering eliminating lockers for books, because they can be used to hide contraband. Instead, students would be given two sets of books, one for classroom use and another for home study.