GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - Monument Mountain Regional High School is more than 50 years old and the building is showing its age.
"There's no light in Monument at all. Some classrooms don't have any windows. I know some students talk about how they don't see the light of day until they leave the building," said student Lenah Helmke.
Fellow student Mira Webber added, "The roof is in very bad shape, and in the spring, there are buckets in the hallway collecting water in case it is leaking, which is not something that is very nice to see."
Helmke and Webber are part of a group of students working on a redesign for the aging building.
In addition to adding more natural light and fixing the roof, Junior Elana Doran said they also want to see the creation of a new common space for students.
Doran said, "Just like a space where students could go, where they wouldn't need to be in a classroom, and they could sit in comfy chairs or like, just kind of bring some variety to the day."
Principal Kristina Farina supports the students' efforts and agrees the building needs significant upgrades.
One of the improvements she'd like to see is getting rid of the lockers, which students rarely use, to make room to display student work.
"With this being an older building, without the fire suppression system, displaying work is very limited, because of worry about fire, obviously, but it's actually important for students to see themselves in the spaces," Farina said.
Even if the district is able to secure funding and the approval of the school committee, a significant renovation or new building is years away.
However, it isn't stopping Doran and her classmates from fighting for a better future.
Doran said, "Just because it doesn't directly affect you, doesn't mean it's not going to directly affect other people. And if we can make high school that better experience for future people, I think that's worth it."