Summer Campus Improvements
Hello up there! Fortunately Mr. Menz is not afraid of heights. Here he is overseeing the resealing of the Adams building's brick façade. The Adams building also got new, energy-efficient exterior LED lighting.
As usual, WSL's Facilities Manager Paul Menz has been busy this summer with a list of projects as long as his arm. We caught up with Mr. Menz recently, which isn't easy as he is always in motion getting things done.
WSL: Mr. Menz, do you ever sit still?
PM: Not in the summer, that's for sure. Except for the one week I spend up in Maine.
WSL: What have you been working on while the rest of us have been at the beach?
PM: We've been in every classroom, every hallway, and all over the grounds. The Adams building is over 100 years old, so we work hard to keep it in good shape. This summer the biggest project was probably replacing the original slate blackboards.
WSL: You've been at the Waldorf School of Lexington since 1998...what's the best part of the job?
PM: The variety. It's not a 9 to 5 job where you do the same thing every day. There's always a new challenge, which keeps it interesting.
When you see Mr. Menz, please thank him for taking such great care of our historic school buildings and grounds!
Julius van den Broek (6th Grade Class Teacher Paula van den Broek's son) and Gabriel Brown (Senior Staff Accountant Mark Brown's son) did a lot of heavy lifting this summer. All the elementary classrooms plus the orchestra room now feature brand-new blackboards! Thank you to all the generous donors who made this important project possible.
Garden beds were weeded and replanted, bushes were pruned, and the grass was kept alive through the severe drought. Special thanks to parent and incoming board member Demetra Restuccia, who designed new landscaping for the front of the Adams building.
The nursery yard was completely regraded to improve drainage, and new fencing was installed.
WSL's kitchen got a thorough scrubbing, and new cabinets are being installed.
All the hand-crafted wooden desks were refinished so students have beautiful work surfaces.
Sheetrock for the blackboard project is hoisted in through the math office window.
The tutoring room got four new windows. In addition, many of the beautiful original windows in the Adams building were taken out and the counter-balances replaced to keep them opening and closing properly.
Other improvements include a new electrical panel in the auditorium, new radiator covers where needed, additional wall padding in the gym, and a new ceiling and upgraded lighting in the sixth grade classroom. Plus all the usual repairs, painting, and floor refinishing that make the school shine.