Fourteen new teaching positions, 43 new faculty and staff and 350 students over capacity, Vandegrift expanded its campus by building two portables and taking over a portion of Four Points Middle School, calling it the Annex.

Teachers were chosen to make the move to the Annex based on available lab space, if they needed to be with other teachers for planning, taught mainly upperclassmen or taught alone in their subjects such as ASL teacher Jen Greenstreet.

“I was told I was going to be moving [to the Annex] and I was really cool with it because I liked the idea of being over here, and I’m used to moving anyway,” Greenstreet said. “I think it’s cool. It’s a new and different space and it’s fun being in a separate little teaching area, but it’s kind of a bummer having to walk so far to get to my mailbox.”

Greenstreet has noticed that students aren’t able to walk to class in the Annex within the eight minutes given for a passing period.

“It seems like students are really struggling to get over here on time,” Greenstreet said. “I have an average of about 5-6 students each class period that are actually showing up on time, which is difficult.”

Senior Riley Collister has half of her classes at the Annex and they alternate one after the other at each campus.

“Hopefully during the winter it will be a lot better, but rain is going to make most people late to get there probably, or the heat,” Collister said. “It is definitely a bummer that I am going to have to spend a lot of the time in my day walking back and forth and it’s weird to not be in Vandegrift. It’s my senior year and I’m going to middle school? It’s taking me back to the old days. ”

To help with student management and for issues that may arise, an AP is stationed at the Annex everyday. The phone number (512)570-3745 is available for students to call if they are locked out or late due to harsh weather conditions.

“In the event of inclement weather, we will monitor our lightning meter (Thorguard) to make sure students are not in danger going outside,” Associate principal Wendy Sturdevant said. “And we are encouraging students to plan to have rain jackets or umbrellas available in case of rain.”

Student safety is the school’s first priority, and to accommodate for these issues the school has made revisions to past policies, such as student parking. The administration has revised parking procedures for parking passes, so that the growing student population can safely park with less traffic issues.

“We are working to install more speed bumps and crosswalks to assist with [safety],” Sturdevant said. “We will continue to problem solve as we grow to accommodate all student classes and programs.”

There will be a Leander ISD school-bond proposal that will go for a community vote in the Fall. If it passes, it would include a school building expansion to better accommodate the growth.