When students returned from summer break everyone took notice of the new skylight.

“Structurally it was a hazard that needed to be replaced,” Principal Dr. Ted Happel said.

Before the renovation, the skylight above the Commons was a dark yellow color. This offered poor lighting for everyone, especially classes that featured photography, and made the school appear gloomy.

“The replacement of the skylights at St. Charles High School came to a total of $169,786,” Scott Bennett, the Director of Facilities for the St. Charles School district said. “This replacement was not merely cosmetic, as the skylights had been irreparably damaged by hail.”

The fresh and new skylight makes the school’s lighting much better, but also increases the safety of students and faculty. If it wasn’t for the replacement, the skylight was prone to damage that could eventually cave into the inside of the school.

“Most people come in and they’re like surprised how much brighter it is,” Happel said. “No one really thought of how much the other skylight was keeping light out.”

However, that renovation was not the only one that had been planned.

“We are trying to replace sound systems … the sound system outside at the stadium and the sound system in the gym,” Happel said. “We are supposed to be getting new student desks from the bond issue that passed. We think we have like half a million dollars worth of furniture we are supposed to be buying.”

Much more renovations are yet to come from the money received from Proposition SCSD.