Stamford High School was founded in 1873. Because of its age there is a lot of history to it. In 2016 students usually don’t notice the classrooms that are barely ever used, or the doors that seem to lead to nowhere. I have decided to search for these classrooms and have asked for permission to explore these places. These “secret” places that not many have seen or even thought about include the following:

The woodshop: Woodshop is a class that was offered at SHS around the 20th century but was suddenly discontinued. This room is located on the 6th floor, across the unfamiliar piano room. Strangely, this classroom still has all of the instruments and tools used to build, including wood. It would be amazing if we could one day put this class to use and learn how to build something such as birdhouses!

The piano room: The piano room, located on the 6th floor right across from the woodshop, is a room full of pianos for students to learn. I had never heard of the piano room nor had I noticed it until Mr. Ringel told me about it. Like gym or art, this class should be more promoted. It will give students the opportunity to learn music without having to join the band.

Auto-mechanics room: Auto-mechanics is also a class that was offered around the 20th century in which students learned things about cars and even got to put to practice what they learned. This classroom is located on the fourth floor near the back doors that lead to the tennis courts, and next to the janitors’ office. You can usually see some of the items that were used and even some of the vehicles, but they are usually just tractors used around the school’s campus. The classroom seems pretty cool, and in my opinion this class should still be offered because it will give students an opportunity to do something fun while also learning.

The old gym: This is the gym before SHS had nine floors and was only made up of one or two buildings. Because it was built around the early 1900s, this gym is considered historic. It maybe shouldn’t be used, but instead should just be shown to people.

The clock tower: The clock tower is actually very well known at Stamford High. Unlike the infamous “pool” that is told to be somewhere in the building, the clock tower actually exists. It can be located on the 3rd floor through the classroom of an art teacher. To reach the clock tower, you have to go through the push up ceilings and there is said to be a ladder leading up to it. The clock tower was built in 1928. Even though this isn’t an unknown place at SHS, it is still a cool location with a cool view.

In my opinion, these classes and places in SHS should be available to students. Having an automobile shop or a woodshop would make students more open-minded to different things and would give them an opportunity to explore new things.

Interested in other places you never knew existed in SHS? Click here.