CHAMPION — When students return to school today at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center, they will notice all the changes that took place over the summer, including remodeled classrooms and the 460 hallway lockers going from blue to modern red.

Superintendent Jason Gray said he has been director since 2002 and the center, which was built more than 40 years ago, has changed in many ways.

“Like career and technical education, this building is constantly evolving. We have to modernize and equip our labs to stay up with the current trends,” he said.

Treasurer Cody Holecko said TCTC received a $430,834 student wellness grant from the state that covered the bulk of the projects, in addition to local permanent improvement funds.

He said the former nurse’s office has been expanded into a large wellness clinic with an area set up for Quickmed. The new area includes four patient beds, restroom with shower and two nurses’ stations.

Gray said a portion of the clinic assigned to Quickmed will have a full-time nurse practitioner on site for staff and student wellness screenings.

“We will now be able to do onsite health care at no charge to our students, such as physicals and vaccinations. We will be able to do most anything that students and staff would normally have to go to the emergency room for,” Gray said.

He said a quarantine room was added that had to be used last school year during the pandemic.

Also included in the clinic are a social worker from Cadence Care Network, who will have office space and focus on overall wellness of the whole student.

“There will be cushioned chairs and other modernized items for the nursing area for patients,” Gray said.

“We will now have the counselors, social worker and the nurse clinic all within the same pod for maximum student support,” Gray said.

Gray said the visual design lab also was expanded with new flooring, countertops and cabinetry. Flooding problems that have occurred in the lab in previous years also have been corrected.

Cindy Hickey, visual arts teacher, said the addition and remodeling of the lab will allow for more use of visual art equipment and technology.

“This will bring excitement for the students to see what was added and what they will be able to do with the visual design field. There is a new photography area and print area for customer service,” she said.

New TCTC Director Paula Baco said the visual design lab on the first floor received a full remodel and a modernized layout for the program’s needs.

Gray said because the former Career Paths to the Teaching Profession was used for the wellness center, it has combined with early childhood as one lab program now known as Education and Family Services.

Gray said the Education and Family Services had two large rooms remodeled into the new program’s lab areas.

Gray said the auto collision lab also was modernized and painted.

He said the hallways have been painted a new color and the late 1970s brick drywall was changed in the cafeteria to “bring the school into the 21st century.”

Gray said drywalling brick columns in the cafeteria is part of the “get out of the 1970s theme.”

In addition, six drinking fountains have been replaced with energy efficient models with bottle fillers.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com