It’s a little more than a reunion for  ’94 alumni Josh Herrman as he walks the halls of Northwest again. This time, instead of reminiscing over the times he had as a Grizzly, he’s working on plans to reconstruct the building.

After Herrman graduated he became an architect and has been apart of the remodel of multiple buildings in the Wichita area, including the Harley Davidson building and the new Northeast Magnet building.

“Walking into the school I noticed almost everything is the same. The commons are exactly the same, the only thing different is the color and arrangement of the lockers. The auditorium, the gym, it was all exactly the same,” Herrman said.

The buildings elements aren’t the only thing still a part of Northwest.

“Ms.Pickert was my gym teacher and Mrs.Frentz from the E hall was also there when I was. Even some of the faculty is the same,” Herrman said.

Although our school is just another building with walls, windows and a few interior details here and there, it’s also the emblem of school pride to all grizzlies. It doesn’t matter if you enjoy school or not, the building itself will always stay remembered.

“I hope a sense of school pride will come from not only past but current and future grizzlies. This school has looked great for the last 40 years and we want to make it look great for the next 40,” Herrman said.

In order for Herrman and his team to remodel Northwest, there has to be more than just a few ideas, it requires a system.

“We put together a list of all the needs in the building and then we program the school with what isn’t there,” Herrman said. “We basically put together a schematic design plan, like a four plan. We look over it with all the faculty to figure out the best way to make it work. We have a good diagram but it may slightly change.”

The remodeling of Northwest is definitely big deal and all the students and faculty should be glad to know it’s being taken care of by someone who thinks of the construction as more than just a job, but as a project to ignite the school spirit for all grizzlies.

“The personal connection I have with this job makes it better. My wife, my friends, some of my coworkers and myself all graduated from Northwest. I get excited with every building I work on and I want them to all come out great, but I kinda hope Northwest is extra good.”