Once decorating the center of the front courtyard area at Neuqua Valley, the commemorative bricks are something many students remember. Over the summer, however, the bricks were removed without a trace and everyone is wondering where they went.
Not to worry, the bricks haven’t gone away for forever. The administration found that having the bricks in the center of the courtyard meant that salt would have to be poured on top during the winter to prevent slipping. It was the salt’s placement on the continuously walked on top of that was slowly beginning to destroy the bricks. “Before they completely crumbled, we pulled them out one by one,” said Principal Bob McBride. The bricks were carefully relocated and each brick was had its picture taken to make sure it was accounted for. Any bricks that fell apart during the process will be replaced. “What we are going to do, is on the wings of the school, on either side of the walkway, we’re going to create some patios with those bricks,” said McBride.
Because these areas won’t be used as a main walkway during the winter, there will be no salt, shoveling, or damage to the bricks any longer. Had they been left in their original spot for this winter, the bricks would have been destroyed and become potentially irreplaceable. However, the new patios being planned to use the bricks won’t be immediately done, and students will probably have to wait until next summer to make their reappearance on the Neuqua Valley campus.
Hong-Ah Do, Front Page and NeuquaMedia Editor
