When school buses dropped Baldwin High School students off at the newly renovated south end of the building on the first day of school, they were greeted by a line of administrators and teachers ready to welcome them to their new digs.

What they found were wide, brightly lit hallways decorated in school colors of purple and white, with some shades of gray and black mixed in. A skylight inside the entry allowed sunshine to pour into the building.

It was a stark contrast to what they left behind the previous June -- dark, narrow halls and stairwells that were painted orange, yellow or green.

"The kids were really excited. They had no idea what to expect with this building until they got here," said principal Todd Keruskin.

As the second phase of the $63 million five-phase renovation of the high school, the entire south wing was renovated and an addition was built.

A ceremonial groundbreaking on the renovation project was held in December 2005, with work on the first phase, which was largely demolition, beginning in January 2006. By the end of the entire project, about 80 percent of the school -- much of it built in 1939 -- will be new.

The new entrance to the south wing was just the beginning of the excitement when school started this year. As students moved farther into the building, which is now air-conditioned, they discovered a new six-lane swimming pool (the old one had five lanes) with a large spectator's deck and a handicapped viewing platform.

During the renovation, the swim team used the pool at Brentwood High School.

The pool sits near the new gym, which was completed in January. The gym seats about 2,000 people, twice the number the old gym handled and sufficient to fit the 1,600 students at one time. Several weeks ago, the high school held the first pep rally the entire school could attend. In the past, two rallies were held to accommodate everyone.

The increased seating capacity is also important because enrollment is up by about 50 students this year, an increase Dr. Keruskin attributes to more parochial students choosing to attend the public high school.

The gym is big enough to host regional basketball playoff games and to hold two volleyball games at the same time. A hallway around the new gym has floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the stadium and football field.

Currently there are 10 temporary classrooms set up in the old gymnasium.

But when the construction is finished, those classrooms will be taken apart and the old gym will serve as an auxiliary gym.

Teacher planning rooms also are currently being used as classrooms.

The new south wing also holds a new technology area with drafting and graphic arts labs, wood shop and electronics classrooms and a power and transportation lab where students work on robotics.

There are also state-of-the-art biology and chemistry labs and, just opened last week, the high school's first television studio that allows a video production class to be held for the first time. Dr. Keruskin said more than 200 students have signed up for the course.

The plan for next year is for daily newscasts to be broadcast to students.

The south wing also holds a new guidance center and a large group instruction room that seats 200 and resembles a college lecture hall.

It will be used when teachers want to gather multiple classes for an event such as a speaker and for staff development sessions, said Acting Superintendent Randal Lutz.

There is a spacious new food service area that isn't completed yet. There, students will take courses in food preparation and operate a lunchtime diner for teachers.

There is also a large, brightly-lit preschool room with a one-way observation window. The room has a colorful alphabet rug, lots of storage space and cubbies for each of the children who attend the high school's preschool program.

"I know the parents will be ecstatic about it," said preschool education teacher Laurie Fitzpatrick. She described the new room as "beautiful and well-lit." The classroom will have 15 preschoolers attending in late November.

While students are enjoying the new facilities on the south end of the building, they still must trek to the old north end for some of their classes.

That end still has the narrow, dark hallways and old classrooms.

To get from the south to the north end of the building, students must walk through a parking lot between the gym area and the auditorium.

That's because much of the center part of the old high school was demolished and a new center wing, which will be an arch fronting along Route 51, is now under construction as the third phase of the project.

That area will hold about 55 classrooms on three floors, Dr. Keruskin said. The main entrance to the school will be in this area when the project is completed.

The principal said there have been no discipline problems with the students walking outside in between classes. In fact, he said the new facilities in the building seem to give the students a renewed sense of school pride.

Phases four and five of the project include renovation of the auditorium, band and choral rooms and will start in June when classes break for the summer.

During those phases, the auditorium will be enlarged to provide more storage area for musical props, and air conditioning will be added. Dressing rooms will be built and restrooms will be enlarged.

All of the work is expected to be completed in 2009.