SAC construction: What’s up with the hold up?

In 2016, Middle College High School moved its classroom locations because the Johnson Center at Santa Ana College was going to be demolished, and it was unsafe for the students to be in a building where they would be constantly exposed to the debris. It has now been two years, and no construction has been done. They have actually used the building to promote classes and murals.

On the SAC campus, it seems that the Johnson Center is the only building that has been scheduled to start construction but has not. The Johnson Center used to be where the cafeteria and student store/bookstore were located, as well as the learning center and Financial Aid office. In the Johnson Center, the cafeteria had a lot more options of foods and drinks and was a lot bigger. It had room for people to go get food, sit, talk, study, and even rest.

Middle College High School is a small school with only 14 teachers and 14 classrooms. It is located in the Village near the parking lot #11. Because we are so separated from the rest of the campus, there is a very limited amount of places for students to spend their free time and it takes students a longer time to get to their classes. Students have free periods and college classes that sometimes get canceled, and students can’t go into a teacher’s room, and they definitely can’t leave campus. We are limited to staying at the tables in the Village and even those get occupied quickly with both college and Middle College students.

It will soon be two years that the Johnson Center was cleared out and should have already started the construction project. Over the last two years, there have been college meetings, dance classes, and presentations on the bottom floor of the building. This made many people wonder if the Johnson Center was going to reopen, and if Middle College students were going to move back to their old classroom locations. There is no clear communication between the faculty and students; many are left in the dark as to when they will see this new and improved building.

A set of interview questions were prepared and SAC faculty were contacted several times, but there was no response. However, research has been made and hopefully this information can help keep students updated with what is going on in their campus. Hopefully future MCHS and SAC students will be able to see the final product of a campus that was promised years ago.