To update and expand Indian Valley Middle School (IVMS), renovations are happening during the 2022-2025 school years as faculty and students are working in the building while construction is carried out.
The construction at IVMS is expected to take at least three years, according to Principal Jeff Pammer.
Pammer said that eighth-grade students and teachers are seeing more of the effects of construction than other parts of the school due to their classrooms being “gutted.”
Currently, the construction is focused on renovating the music department.
The orchestra and band hallway will no longer exist, and the auditorium will be completely refurbished along with the stage being expanded.
“A bigger stage would be nice because I’m always worried about [band director Mike] Haggerty falling off,” Pammer said. “He’s right on the edge of the stage because there’s so many kids in the band.”
The cafeteria is another primary part of the building’s 2022-23 reconstructions.
It will be expanding to accommodate the school’s 750-800 students.
In addition, many eighth-grade classes have been temporarily moved down to the sixth-grade area.
Most people have been very welcoming about the renovations.
“I am super excited about the renovation happening at [Indian] Valley,” English teacher Heather Gossler said. “It always makes me happy when there are improvements and things are made better for students.”
Some of the school’s upgrades are to adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990’s standards.
These renovations include updating the bathrooms and adding an elevator to aid students with disabilities.
According to 7th grader Ryan Hafner, staff and students don’t notice the noise from the construction anymore.
“I really don’t notice [the noises] anymore because [the workers] do most of the work on the weekends,” Hafner said.
After years of planning Indian Valley’s renovations, dating back to before COVID-19, the school is officially being brought up to date.
Souderton Area School District superintendent Frank Gallagher is pleased with IVMS’s reconstruction so far.

“These momentous improvement projects will serve generations of future students in the Souderton Area School District,” Gallagher said.
The school’s hallways are stripped down to cement flooring with large chunks missing in the hallway walls where lockers used to be.

The students had a town hall meeting at the beginning of the year to discuss how to respect the building with all of the internal systems being exposed.
“[Students] notice cameras all over the building,” Pammer said. “They’ll get caught so they have no problem with the renovations as of now.”