Eastwood Academy students enjoy first day in new addition

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Students at Eastwood Academy looked right at home in the recently completed two-story library wing on Monday, as they gathered for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s calm and chill. It makes me happy,” senior Josue Cruz said. “I’ll come here more often to study. It’s nice how things have changed.”

The school’s new addition – which is the final phase of the school’s 2012 Bond Program construction – features a two-story library expansion, additional teaching spaces, small and large group gathering areas, a community meeting room, and an enclosed walkway that connects to the main entrance.

“It feels good to have the additional space,” Eastwood Principal Brandi Lira said. “Our kids now have a building that is modern and contemporary and designed especially for them.”

The first phase of the $10.9 million project included renovations to the existing building and construction of an administrative wing, which opened in January.

The administrative wing houses the facility’s main entrance, a student dining and multipurpose area, career and technical education classrooms, an athletics facility, and a large covered patio.

“It’s calm, peaceful, and welcoming,” senior Alfred Rivera said. “The chairs are super comfy and stress-relieving.”

Senior Miguel Cisneros agreed that the building now seems warm and welcoming.

“It feel like a college environment,” Cisneros said. “I think all the students appreciate it.”

Eastwood is one of more than a dozen schools to formally open new or renovated buildings to students for the start of the 2018-2019 school year – the largest number of openings at one time in district history.

Follow @Build_HISD on Twitter for the latest construction updates on the 2012 Bond Program and school construction across the district.