by Annie Zhang
Image Credit: http://www.bths.mcvsd.org/
Look through the Wikipedia page for Biotechnology High School. Scroll down to the Architecture section.
At first glance, you’ll think the best spots here are the biotech labs, the tissue culture facilities, the “Energy Star compliant EPDM roof,” and the “Hookups for alternative fuel vehicles.” The features with $16.9 million (plus more than a decade of intensive PSFA fundraising) funneled into their construction and upkeep. And you’d be right, these features are impressive—the hallways of endless glass windows; the sleek black lab benches; the closets full of petri dishes, micropipettes, and microscopes; the tall fume hoods; the sterile cloning lab.
But after four years at Biotech, I wouldn’t think of putting these labs, these facilities on a “Top 5 Spots at BTHS” list.
Instead, I’ll pay homage to them, then move on to the nooks and crannies of this school that have truly made my Biotech experience. Here, in no particular order, are my top 5 spots at Biotechnology High School.
The Stairwell Alcoves
Biotech has a grand total of two stairwells: one next to the front entrance, and one at the opposite end of the hallway, behind the chemistry and BTLS (Biotech Lab Skills) labs. At the base of both these stairwells is the staircase itself, as well as, to the right, a small, empty alcove. In between and during classes, these alcoves are nothing special. But come lunchtime, you’ll hear the loveliest voices and instruments echoing in these stairwells. Tucked away in the alcoves, students will be singing, or more commonly, practicing the violin, ukulele, saxophone, or even once, I’ve heard the trombone. And, in this one hour, if you walk slowly enough down the stairs, between club meetings, lunch, and extra help, you’ll enjoy a free, if somewhat beautifully messy concert.
The Front Entrance
One of the first things you’ll see when you walk into Biotech is a TV, hung up, front and center, on the wall opposite the entrance doors. Mornings, it’ll play announcements and slideshows. Later, it’ll play the local news. On both sides of this foyer are sofas and couches, and above, on the stone walls, hang photography, poetry, fiction, and visual art, all student-produced and selected by our school’s National Honor Society. But the real treasure when it comes to the front entrance is the ceiling. When you rush out the doors at the end of a day, lift your head, and look up. I can’t describe how beautiful the pattern of beams and light is on the ceiling. I remember it’s slanted, covered with panels, wood, and different shapes; I remember when you lift your head up, you feel dizzy and small, and awed by the design. But I can’t do justice to how wonderful this ceiling is, purely from memory. You really will just have to see for yourself.
The Upperclassman Locker Banks
Now, first off, all Biotech lockers are huge, and a gift in themselves because of their size. But the upperclassman locker banks are a certified upgrade from the underclassman ones. They’re essentially nooks in the wall, a small square room, with three sides lined in lockers, and the fourth side open to a quieter hallway leading into the MPR. This hallway’s one of the best places to be at lunchtime. There are two pianos here, one old and brown, and one newer and black; as others eat in the MPR, students will play to the side, usually classical music, but also, often, The Office or Wii theme song, or Coldplay and other 2000’s pop bands. Pair this, often mellow background piano with the soft brown carpeting and the closed-off feel of the upperclassman locker banks, and you’ll have the number one spot to read, finish homework, and recharge by yourself at Biotech.
The Golf Course
All the way in the backfields of Biotech, right before you walk too far off, and wander into the East Freehold Showgrounds and horse racetracks, we have a miniature golf course. Either freshman or sophomore year in gym class, you’ll walk through a weedy field, and as a class, come to a small golf course, manicured by the MCVSD Career Center students next door. Here, you’ll learn to hold a club, and swing a few rounds of golf, under the context of your future Big Biotech Businessperson days.
The Bookshelves, Back of the Media Center
The media center is a luxury: 30-something Apple monitors line the perimeter of the room. Depending on the day, the vibe is either introverted and slow, with maybe five students in the whole room, sat away quietly at separate computers (e.g. Fridays at lunch); or extroverted and hectic, with the room jam-packed, loud, and fun, and maybe three students crammed around each computer (e.g. midterms and finals). On the back wall is a painted portrait with the definition of “Biotechnology” you’ll have to memorize in sophomore year, and the names of all the seniors from Biotech’s first graduating class threaded like DNA around the edges. It’s along this back wall, if you move a little ways to the backdoor on the right, that you’ll find one or two wooden bookshelves. The books there are all mediocre, but they’re generally old paperbacks, and have the same, precious feel of old, used books. What makes this place so special is these bookshelves are the closest thing you’ll find at Biotech to a library. That is, save the window ledges of some English and history teachers’ classrooms, which are lined with magazines and novels, or tomes on dictatorial regimes, respectively.